Safe

[BrokenolMarine]

Well, the severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings from NOAA named us directly around 10pm, saying seek shelter immediately. Not being foolish, and having one, we did. Spent an hour and forty five minutes huddled there. No tornado hit, but heavy rain, high winds, and some flooding, but nothing like Oklahoma City's. Full report and pics tomorrow, but didn't want my friends here to worry. (Wonder?)

Jim

[GFK]

[Sir Henry]

[HenryFan]

BOM -

Glad you and Ms. BOM came out well.

[CT_Shooter]

[clovishound]

Glad ya'll are OK. Mother nature is not the soft, kind lady that many make her out to be.

[brm4450]

[Hatchdog]

Well done BOM, not just heeding the warning but having a shelter to go to. Happy to hear you didn’t get a direct hit.

[BrokenolMarine]

A Report, With Pictures

After we got the notice last night, we gathered up the dog and headed into the shelter. Fiona was scared of the thunder and some of the BOOMS shook the ground. The rain and wind were vicious. We didn't get a tornado here, but I understand there was a report of one on the ground in Shawnee, about 90 minutes NW of us.

When we climbed out of the shelter an hour and forty five minutes after going down, we were met with some flooding around the house, but no damage inside the house or the shops. A few minor leaks, nothing to worry us. We had to wade across a mini-river to get back in the house.

back yard flooding just after shelter.jpeg (284.18 KiB) Viewed 227 times

After I got the gang back in the house safely, I went to check around the house. I saw that the front yard beside the drive was flooded as well. The water was draining from the hayfield, which sits above us, and running down beside the shop and down the side of the drive.

front yard flooding after shelter.jpeg (424.26 KiB) Viewed 227 times

I found that the water had drained mostly away the next morning, but was STILL draining down and into the ditchline and running down toward the creek. Tina said she could hear the creek flowing from the barn and coop area when she went to check the coop this morning so I drove down to get a shot of the creek... it WAS rushing, but there was another surprise.... That and the power of the rushing water took down the fence and the two fence posts and rail across the creek. One of the posts is IN the Culvert (Called a Tinhorn in Oklahoma) about halfway through...

barn crossing tinhorn.jpeg (586.02 KiB) Viewed 227 times

Where the heck did that Culvert pipe come from? Oh, Wait, one place it could have come from. The Old Barn Crossing. I drove up and looked and ... sure enough. That must have been some powerful water flow last night. That will be a project, once the water flow in the creek slows and the seasonal creeks dry out. Sheesh, another honey do list item.

barn crossing.jpeg (574.12 KiB) Viewed 227 times

All night long, I kept getting alerts on the phone:
"Severe Weather, Flood Warning. If you are in the flood zone, prepare to paddle."
I'd turn on the cameras and check... yup, more heavy rain....

heavy downpour.jpeg (384.79 KiB) Viewed 227 times

As with all the really heavy rain events, we even get our own mini "old faithful" pop up in the back yard.

back yard spring.jpeg (706.86 KiB) Viewed 227 times

I'm thinking it's from vole tunnels, but it always pops up, shoots water out of the ground until the flow stops from the hay fields, then slowly silts in. Doesn't happen every time it rains, but will pop up like old faithful with every severe weather event. sometimes it can shoot as much as six to eight inches straight up in the air.

Welcome to Oklahoma.

[fortyshooter]

Wow...glad you all missed the worst of it BM! Little creek can become a hell rushing river quickly and have seen that down at my range and why I chained my bridge to a pair of big trees.

[HenryFan]

BOM -

You have some work ahead of you.

[CT_Shooter]

Wow. Glad you are all safe, if not a bit water logged. Sounds like it was an awful night.

[BrokenolMarine]

Yup, that main creek is fed by four or five seasonal creeks. The main creek is sometimes dry during drought seasons, but the seasonal creeks stay dry unless it's raining. Our first year here, the flooding was so bad the water was OVER the road and halfway across the pecan orchard to the left of the creek in the picture posted above. That was before we had the dozer come in and widen the creek for fifty yards to reduce it's power against the culvert passing under the roadway.

[BrokenolMarine]

The worst we had it was the first spring we were here, the combination of the narrow creek focused on the culvert at the road, and all the steady rain for several days... the power of the water took down the fence.

fence damage.jpg (502.55 KiB) Viewed 123 times

The water rose to the point it was halfway across the pecan orchard...

getting higher.jpg (721.86 KiB) Viewed 123 times

It kept climbing and climbing, then breached the roadway....

over the road.jpg (833.67 KiB) Viewed 123 times

The following year we had the bulldozer in to widen the creek and took away a good bit of the power, slowed the flow, and it hasn't flooded nearly as bad since. A view before the dozer work was started.

02 before.jpg (626.64 KiB) Viewed 123 times

After a day of work with the dozer widened the creek bed to take away the power and we could drive the UTV across the creek bed without going outside the gates to the roadway.

08 tina and mr ross inspect the work.jpg (523.55 KiB) Viewed 123 times

[daytime dave]

That's still some severe weather.
I'm very glad you all made it out fine and healthy.