OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — As Hurricane Erin continues to churn up rip currents and dangerous surf along the East Coast, Oklahomans are recalling a previous storm named Erin.
On this day 18 years ago, Oklahoma experienced a wild and unusual phenomenon: a tropical storm reintensified over land, causing significant damage to central Oklahoma.
In August of 2007, Tropical Storm Erin started to brew just south of Jamaica. It eventually made landfall in Brownsville, Texas, before it weakened to tropical depression status.
Then, in a strange twist, the storm re-intensified as it made its way north to Oklahoma on August 18. Sustained wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour were reported west of Oklahoma City. The National Weather Service in Norman referred to it as an “inland tropical storm.”…