Rivers in Oklahoma
Poteau River near Panama
Below flood stage
5.82ftStage
Observed Mon, Sep 21, 10:30 PM CDT
- Flood stage
- 29.00 ft
- Record crest
- 49.60 ft1935
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 41.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 33.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 29.00 ft |
| Action | 29.00 ft |
- 47.00 ftdisasterous flooding occurs. Highway 271 may be impassible due to high water. Numerous county roads are totally impassable. A water treatment facility near Panama is surrounded by high water. This exceeds the flooding that occurred on May 3, 1990 when the river crested at 46.59 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 45.00 ftdisasterous flooding occurs. Highway 271 is threatened by high water. Numerous county roads are totally impassable. A water treatment facility near Panama is surrounded by high water and water is over the burms of the retention ponds. This exceeds the flooding that occurred on May 12, 2015 when the river crested at 43.5 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 43.00 ftvery severe agricultural flooding occurs. Numerous county roads are totally impassable. A water treatment facility near Panama is surrounded by high water and the retention ponds are flooded around 43.8 feet. This is similar to the flooding that occurred on May 12, 2015 when the river crested at 43.5 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 41.00 ftvery severe flooding occurs from near Poteau to Arkoma. Up to 20,000 acres of farmland is flooded. Several county roads crossing the Poteau River are totally impassable. This is a dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 39.00 ftsevere depths of flooding of crop and pasturelands occur from Shady Point to Arkoma. Several roads crossing the Poteau River are totally impassable.
- 37.00 ftextensive flooding of crop and pasturelands occur between Shady Point and Arkoma. Many roads in the floodplain become impassable.
- 35.00 ftmoderate flooding of agricultural lands occur from Panama to Arkoma. Some local and county roads in the floodplain become impassable.
- 33.00 ftmoderate flooding of agricultural lands occurs between Shady Point and Arkoma. Williams Road east of Panama and some local farm roads are flooded.
- 31.00 ftminor agricultural flooding occurs. Williams Road east of Panama is flooded.
- 29.00 ftminor agricultural flooding occurs.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 26% |
| Moderate flooding | 23% |
| Major flooding | 6% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 21, 2026.
Crest history
202 crests on NOAA’s list since 1935.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 18, 1935 | 49.60 ft |
| 2 | December 29, 2015 | 47.35 ft |
| 3 | May 3, 1990 | 46.59 ft |
| 4 | May 14, 1968 | 46.40 ft |
| 5 | April 17, 1939 | 45.10 ft |
| 6 | December 11, 1971 | 44.16 ft |
| 7 | May 12, 2015 | 43.54 ft |
| 8 | May 27, 2015 | 43.03 ft |
| 9 | March 20, 2008 | 42.84 ft |
| 10 | March 20, 2002 | 42.42 ft |
| 11 | January 6, 1998 | 41.40 ft |
| 12 | September 2, 2020 | 41.13 ft |
| 13 | April 24, 1973 | 40.90 ft |
| 14 | May 21, 1960 | 40.84 ft |
| 15 | April 9, 2002 | 40.63 ft |
| 16 | April 11, 2008 | 40.16 ft |
| 17 | November 26, 1996 | 39.60 ft |
| 18 | April 4, 1957 | 39.56 ft |
| 19 | December 1, 2006 | 39.45 ft |
| 20 | March 21, 1968 | 39.38 ft |
| 21 | April 26, 2011 | 39.36 ft |
| 22 | April 6, 2025 | 39.20 ft |
| 23 | April 23, 1996 | 38.47 ft |
| 24 | January 15, 1995 | 38.42 ft |
| 25 | April 25, 1953 | 38.00 ft |
Most recent crests
- June 15, 2026: 29.71 ft
- June 8, 2026: 31.24 ft
- April 26, 2026: 29.06 ft
- April 5, 2026: 30.12 ft
- June 15, 2025: 28.58 ft
- June 7, 2025: 29.98 ft
- May 27, 2025: 34.01 ft
- May 21, 2025: 37.12 ft
- April 6, 2025: 39.20 ft
- January 31, 2025: 31.37 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.