Rivers in Oklahoma
Black Bear Creek at Pawnee
Below flood stage
1.37ftStage
Observed Sat, Sep 26, 10:30 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 17.00 ft
- Record crest
- 31.43 ft1959
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 25.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 21.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 17.00 ft |
| Action | 17.00 ft |
- 29.00 ftdamaging flooding occurs from west of Pawnee to its confluence with the Arkansas River. Extreme overflows flood some residences with depths of several feet. Around 10 city blocks are affected. The all-time record flood was 31.4 feet on October 3, 1959. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 27.00 ftvery severe flooding occurs from west of Pawnee to its confluence with the Arkansas River. Overflows flood some residences and isolate many other homes. This is similar to the flood of October 5, 1986 when the stage crested at 27.3 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 25.00 ftsevere flooding occurs from west of Pawnee to its confluence with the Arkansas River. Overflows isolate or flood some residences. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 23.00 ftmoderate agricultural flooding occurs. The access road to the Pawnee Indian Agency and Hospital are closed. The Pawnee County Fairgrounds are flooded.
- 21.00 ftmoderate agricultural flooding occurs. The Pawnee County Fairgrounds are flooded. The access road to the Pawnee Indian Agency and Hospital becomes impassable.
- 19.00 ftminor agricultural flooding occurs. The Pawnee County Fairgrounds and some access roads begin to flood.
- 17.00 ftminor farm and ranchland flooding occurs.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 5% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 25, 2026.
Crest history
118 crests on NOAA’s list since 1908.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 3, 1959 | 31.43 ft |
| 2 | May 19, 1943 | 28.19 ft |
| 3 | September 30, 1945 | 28.11 ft |
| 4 | May 25, 1908 | 27.30 ft |
| 5 | October 5, 1986 | 27.30 ft |
| 6 | September 14, 1961 | 27.16 ft |
| 7 | November 4, 1974 | 26.87 ft |
| 8 | May 21, 2019 | 26.18 ft |
| 9 | May 18, 1957 | 25.26 ft |
| 10 | March 12, 1974 | 24.43 ft |
| 11 | May 23, 2019 | 23.87 ft |
| 12 | May 10, 1993 | 23.24 ft |
| 13 | June 25, 1957 | 22.56 ft |
| 14 | April 16, 1947 | 22.55 ft |
| 15 | October 30, 1974 | 22.35 ft |
| 16 | May 28, 1955 | 21.78 ft |
| 17 | May 22, 1955 | 21.74 ft |
| 18 | October 12, 1961 | 21.68 ft |
| 19 | September 20, 1974 | 21.33 ft |
| 20 | October 4, 2017 | 21.16 ft |
| 21 | April 25, 1999 | 20.80 ft |
| 22 | April 20, 1957 | 20.73 ft |
| 23 | April 17, 1945 | 20.62 ft |
| 24 | March 31, 2008 | 20.52 ft |
| 25 | June 29, 2007 | 20.29 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 26, 2019: 18.56 ft
- May 25, 2019: 17.08 ft
- May 23, 2019: 23.87 ft
- May 21, 2019: 26.18 ft
- May 8, 2019: 13.79 ft
- May 6, 2019: 16.17 ft
- October 4, 2017: 21.16 ft
- April 29, 2017: 17.92 ft
- April 10, 2008: 19.53 ft
- March 31, 2008: 20.52 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Arkansas-Red Basin RFC. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.