Severe floods closed highways, snarled traffic, and inundated homes and businesses throughout the Oklahoma City region after 7 to 10 inches of rain fell Monday, according to varying news reports.
And the worst part is that more rain is expected Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Many roads remain impassable in Oklahoma City as of Monday night. Go here for a complete list of road closings.
Go here and here for unbelievable photos of flooding that have been posted by The Daily Oklahoman.
The flooding also affected the nearby town of Arcadia, Okla., with water surrounding the Route 66 attraction of POPS. This video shows that much of the town is under water, and at least a mile of Route 66. It’s doubtful that the historic Round Barn was affected, as it’s on fairly high ground.
Because the flooding is so widespread, it might be wise for Route 66 travelers to avoid that region for the next day or so until the waters recede.
Videos:
UPDATE: According to a later Oklahoman story, POPS had to close midday Monday because of the floodwaters surrounding it made roads impassable. As a result, the Route 66 convenience store and diner experienced its slowest day ever.
However, POPS management expected it to reopen as usual Tuesday.
Through all this, it appears there’s been no deaths, which is fairly amazing when you consider how severe the flooding was.
The link for Arcadia — “This video” — clearly shows the Round Barn at 5:23 and following; both the barn and its parking lot are above water. The buildings that used to be Hillbillie’s appear to be surrounded by water.