Oklahoma, 1997

Flash Flood in Oklahoma, February 20, 1997

February 20, 1997 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Adair

When
February 20, 9:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where
Adair County, Nr Westville
Property damage
$30,000
Coordinates
35.884, -94.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A cluster of severe thunderstorms moved north northeast across extreme eastern Oklahoma during the evening of February 20th and produced considerable wind damage along their path. 1 brief tornado also occurred in Le Flore County. The tornado was about 30 yards wide and touched down briefly on the southwest side of Pocola at 1950CST. About a half-dozen trees were uprooted by this F0 tornado, but no structural damage was associated with the tornado. Strong straightline winds were responsible for most of the damage caused by the storms. In Le Flore County, 70 mile an hour winds in Heavener damaged mobile homes and blew trees down. Strong winds damaged houses and the Post Office in Cameron. 2 persons were injured in Cameron, 1 of them seriously. Thunderstorm winds estimated at 90 miles an hour in Pocola did much more damage than was caused by the weak tornado there. The winds caused substantial damage to 20 homes and major damage to 3 other homes. 2 mobile homes were destroyed in Pocola, and a tractor-trailer was blown over. Several large trees were blown down in Pocola, and 2 gas lines were destroyed in Pocola by uprooted trees. 4 persons were injured in Pocola, 1 of them critically. In Sequoyah County, the Arkansas River bridge in Moffett was blocked by debris. In Adair County, numerous trees were blown down in Westville.Thunderstorms during the evening also produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in flash flooding. A few roads throughout Latimer County were under water, and numerous roads throughout Le Flore County were flooded and impassable. High water covered State Highway 82 south of Stigler and State Highway 9 east of Keota, and State Highway 31 was closed at Haywood due to high water. Numerous low-lying roads were flooded throughout Sequoyah County, and bridges were washed out near Westville.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, February 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5593072.