Alert archive / Oklahoma / River Flood Warnings in 2025

River Flood Warning 40, NWS Tulsa, OK

May 20, 2025Adair County, Cherokee County, Delaware County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this river flood warning at May 20, 2025, 2:08 AM CDT for Adair County, Cherokee County, Delaware County, Oklahoma. It took effect at May 20, 2025, 1:27 PM CDT. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 20, 2025, 2:08 AM CDT (07:08 UTC)
In effect from: May 20, 2025, 1:27 PM CDT
Expired: May 20, 2025, 8:18 PM CDT
In force: 7 hr
Issued by: NWS Tulsa, OK
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: Minor

Counties Adair County, OK, Cherokee County, OK, Delaware County, OK

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:11 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The river

Written for the forecast point Illinois River (AR OK) at Chewey (CWYO2).

Action stage: 9 ft
Minor stage: 12 ft
Moderate stage: 15 ft
Major stage: 20 ft

This gauge today: stage, forecast and historic crests

Stage from the USGS instantaneous record for site 07196090, one reading an hour, from a day before the product to a day after it ended. Flood stages are today's.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this river flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this river flood warning went out at May 20, 12:37 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 12:37 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 19, 5:24 PM CDT, 8 hours 44 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Tulsa OK
524 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-201000-
Adair OK-Benton AR-Carroll AR-Cherokee OK-Choctaw OK-Craig OK-
Crawford AR-Creek OK-Delaware OK-Franklin AR-Haskell OK-Latimer OK-
Le Flore OK-Madison AR-Mayes OK-McIntosh OK-Muskogee OK-Nowata OK-
Okfuskee OK-Okmulgee OK-Osage OK-Ottawa OK-Pawnee OK-Pittsburg OK-
Pushmataha OK-Rogers OK-Sebastian AR-Sequoyah OK-Tulsa OK-Wagoner OK-
Washington OK-Washington AR-
524 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

...WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTS EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT...

This Outlook is for Northwest and West Central Arkansas as well as
much of Eastern Oklahoma.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.
TORNADO.
    RISK...Elevated.
    AREA...Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.
    ONSET...Ongoing.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
	RISK...Significant.
	AREA...Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.
	ONSET...Ongoing.

FLASH FLOOD.
	RISK...Elevated.
	AREA...Mainly Southeast of Interstate 44.
	ONSET...Ongoing.

HEAVY RAIN.
	RISK...Significant.
	AREA...Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.
	ONSET...Ongoing.

SIGNIFICANT WINDS.
	RISK...Limited.
	AREA...Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.
	ONSET...Ongoing.

DISCUSSION...
Widespread severe weather is expected to continue into tonight as
multiple rounds of thunderstorms impact the region. Large
instability and shear will support supercells capable of all
severe hazards, including potentially high impact severe hazards
such as very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and numerous
tornadoes.

Additionally, rich moisture content will lead to heavy rainfall
and flash flood potential as several rounds of thunderstorms
impact the same locations through tonight. Some areas have seen
recent rainfall of 2-5 inches already over the last two days with
additional heavy rainfall causing localized flash flooding
concerns across the region, especially to the southeast of
Interstate 44.

The final round of storms should begin to push through eastern
Oklahoma and into western Arkansas later this evening and
overnight as a cold front moves through the region from northwest
to southeast.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
Activation of the Regional Spotter Network Expected.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.
TUESDAY...High Wind Potential.
WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY...Thunderstorm Potential.
FRIDAY through SUNDAY...Thunderstorm Potential...Heavy Rain Potential.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
Low to medium thunderstorm chances, including a limited risk of
severe weather, are reintroduced late this week after a couple of
days of dry weather. More rounds of thunderstorms may also again
lead to heavy rainfall and flooding concerns for some locations.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT...
Emergency management and response agencies should be ready to
respond to impacts from severe weather through tonight.

weather.gov/tulsa contains additional information.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 20, 12:49 AM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 12:55 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 12:58 AM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 1:30 AM CDT, 38 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 1:32 AM CDT, 36 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 20, 2:03 AM CDT, 5 minutes before

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The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 19, 7:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Adair	33 min
May 19, 7:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	TSA	LeFlore	31 min
May 19, 7:17 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TSA	Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore and 1 more	3 hr
May 19, 7:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TSA	LeFlore, Sequoyah	33 min
May 19, 7:29 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Haskell, Latimer, Pittsburg	4 hr
May 19, 7:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	LeFlore	26 min
May 19, 7:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	TSA	LeFlore, Sequoyah	44 min
May 19, 8:00 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TSA	LeFlore	3 hr
May 19, 8:05 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Pushmataha	40 min
May 19, 8:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, Pushmataha	49 min
May 19, 8:15 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	LeFlore, Sequoyah	3 hr
May 19, 8:22 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TSA	Choctaw, Latimer, LeFlore, Pushmataha	3 hr
May 19, 8:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	LeFlore, Sequoyah	48 min
May 19, 8:29 PM CDT	River Flood Advisory	TSA	Cherokee, Delaware	17 hr
May 19, 8:38 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Sequoyah	3 hr
May 19, 8:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	LeFlore	42 min
May 19, 9:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	LeFlore	28 min
May 19, 9:04 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw, Pushmataha	26 min
May 19, 9:08 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TSA	LeFlore	3 hr
May 19, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	LeFlore	47 min
May 19, 9:33 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw	27 min
May 19, 9:54 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw	36 min
May 19, 10:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Ottawa	30 min
May 19, 11:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw	31 min
May 19, 11:36 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	TSA	Haskell, Latimer, Pittsburg	20 hr
May 19, 11:38 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	TSA	Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, Sequoyah	20 hr
May 19, 11:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Pittsburg	42 min
May 20, 12:13 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	McIntosh, Pittsburg	47 min
May 20, 12:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Choctaw, Latimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha	32 min
May 20, 12:49 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw	41 min
May 20, 12:55 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Latimer, Pushmataha	35 min
May 20, 12:58 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Haskell	47 min
May 20, 1:17 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	LeFlore, Pushmataha	43 min
May 20, 1:24 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TSA	Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Pushmataha	104 min
May 20, 1:30 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Choctaw	30 min
May 20, 1:32 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	LeFlore	28 min
May 20, 2:01 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Choctaw, Pushmataha	20 min
May 20, 3:08 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	TSA	Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Pushmataha	8 hr
May 19, 7:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TSA	Benton, Madison, Washington	30 min
May 19, 7:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	TSA	Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Madison, Washington	53 min
May 19, 7:54 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TSA	Crawford, Franklin, Sebastian	36 min
May 19, 7:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Carroll, Madison	33 min
May 19, 8:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TSA	Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Madison, Washington	32 min
May 19, 8:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TSA	Franklin	17 min
May 19, 8:49 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TSA	Crawford, Franklin, Sebastian	3 hr
May 20, 2:03 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TSA	Sebastian	27 min

Nearby

River Flood Warnings in Oklahoma, 2025 Every river flood warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive; the gauge from the NWS water service and the USGS.