Storms roll across Oklahoma

Thunderstorms rolled across Oklahoma early Monday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that caused power outages, dozens of traffic accidents and localized flooding.

Just over 3,200 outages were reported by Oklahoma Gas & Electric with about 1,500 of those in the Oklahoma City metro area.

Public Service Company of Oklahoma has had outages in Cheyenne, Leedy, Butler and the Hammon area.

The storms continued Monday morning across much of central and northern Oklahoma, producing heavy rainfall and triggering flash flood warnings.

"Since the rain started just after 3, we responded to 36 accidents, where injuries were not reported and six where injuries were reported," said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph. "It's mainly because people are driving too fast and they run off the roadways or run into center retaining walls.

"We've gone so long without any rain, the grime, the oil has built up on the roadway and now that the water is on it, it is really slick. We are encouraging people to slow down, not follow too closely and wear seat belts."

In Tulsa, police reported at least 17 weather-related collisions since midnight, Officer Jason Willingham said.

The rain moved east through the state and numerous flood watches were in effect.

Rain totals at 7 a.m. included 3.23 at Tulsa, 2.28 at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, 2.58 at Clinton and 3.73 in Gage.

The National Weather Service issued a series of flood warnings for the eastern part of the state, including the Verdigris River near Lenapah, Bird Creek near Sperry and near Owasso-Mingo and the Caney River at Bartlesville, Ramona and Collinsville.

Minor flooding was forecast for the Verdigris River, while moderate flooding was predicted for Bird Creek and the Caney River, causing parks and recreational areas to close and making some roadways impassible.

Some homes northeast of Collinsville off Highway 169 near the Caney River could be flooded, the weather service said.

The service also forecast minor flooding for the Spring River near Quapaw and the Illinois River near Watts and Tahlequah, where extreme turbulence will make the river too hazardous for floating.

Many of the flood warnings were due to expire by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Some of the thunderstorms were expected to dump up to 6 inches in some parts of northeastern Oklahoma, and another round of storms was forecast for Thursday, said Glenn Wiley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

Some radar estimates showed between 4 inches and 5 inches of rainfall in parts of Pawnee, Osage and Washington counties, according to the weather service.

"We've been pummeled really all spring," Wiley said Monday. "Green country has never been greener this time of year."