October Storms Tear Through Parts Of South Tulsa

Parts of south Tulsa were hammered with straight line winds and heavy rain Thursday. Areas south of 81st Street saw flooding streets and at least one home was hit by lightning.

Thursday, October 2nd 2014, 11:03 pm

By: News On 6

October Storms Tear Through Parts Of South Tulsa

Parts of south Tulsa were hammered with straight line winds and heavy rain in an early October storm. Residents say they'll be cleaning up downed branches on Friday.

Areas south of 81st Street saw flooding streets and at least one home was hit by lightning.

Close to 81st and Elwood in Tulsa Hills two drivers were rescued after flash flood waters came through the low lying area.

Both drivers walked away from the flooded road. They both said the rain poured so hard they could hardly see out the windshield, and by then it was too late.

The high winds took down trees and power poles, making for a difficult evening commute home Thursday night as October storms rolled through south Tulsa.

This is what News On 6 viewers saw outside their homes near 111th and Sheridan.

The storm packed 70 mile per hour winds and caused trees and power poles to fall blocking traffic by homes near 111th and Sheridan.

The wind damage is just the beginning of this story, lightning was another problem.

In a neighborhood just north of 91st and Yale the Tulsa Fire Department made their presence known after one homeowner said she was inside and heard lightning strike her home.

The fire department was called and worked in the attic to make sure there were no parts of the home on fire.

Lightning also hit a clinic in Jenks forcing 20 employees to evacuate after smelling smoke.

Heavy rains also caused problems. Two cars were stranded in the area of 81st and Elwood near the Riverside Airport.

Driver Bailey Wagner said, "I realized my car was about to submerge, I just like pulled up onto this bank right here."

Wagner said she pulled off the highway when the storms came through, turned down 81st Street and drove into a flooded area, and eventually crawled out her car window.

"My entire, the interior of my car is flooded, my exhaust is flooded so it won't turn on,” Wagner said.

Elaine Moore said she had no idea she was about to drive into a flooded road.

"We were just driving down the street, all of a sudden you know, the water just came up out of nowhere,” Moore said.

Her car stalled, and a passenger called 911.

"There's water all in my car, all in the backseat, all in the front seat and it's just totaled,” she said.

The storms did eventually pass and the sun finally came through, just before going down, giving south Tulsans a chance to start cleaning up. The good news is - we are expecting good weather over the weekend though temperatures will be chillier.