Lightning Creek is a waterway in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. Much of the city's Southside lies within its watershed. It is a tributary of the

Oklahoma River The North Canadian River is a river, long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering North ...

. The stream begins as a drainage canal near S.W. 86th Street and Villa Avenue. The creek flows generally north, draining into the Oklahoma River near S.E. 15th Street and Santa Fe. Several city parks are located along the stream, including Lightning Creek Park where the creek crosses under Western Avenue, Draper Park between S.W. 44th Street and Grand Boulevard, and Oliver Park between Grand Boulevard and S.W. 29th Street. The Lightning Creek basin experienced major

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

ing beginning on July 6, 2010, and continuing through July 8, as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Alex. On July 6, 13-year-old Gerardo Canales was playing near the creek and was swept away by the flood. His body was found from where he entered the creek.

References

Rivers of Oklahoma Rivers of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Tributaries of the Canadian River {{Oklahoma-river-stub