Arkansas, 2001

Flood in Arkansas, May 30 to 31, 2001

May 30 to 31, 2001 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Arkansas river at Van Buren rose above its flood stage of 22 feet at 11 pm cdt on May 30. 1 feet at 1 pm cdt on May 31 before falling below its flood stage at 11 pm cdt the same day.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.

The Arkansas river at Van Buren rose above its flood stage of 22 feet at 11 pm cdt on May 30. The river crested at 23.1 feet at 1 pm cdt on May 31 before falling below its flood stage at 11 pm cdt the same day.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at May 30, 8:22 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 8:22 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
922 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH JUST ISSUED FOR SE OK VALID UNTIL 100
AM.  THIS REPLACES THE TORNADO WATCH.

ISOLATED SUPERCELLS CONTINUE ALONG/JUST N OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARY ACROSS
SE OK.  DIRECTIONAL SHEAR REMAINS MARGINAL...BUT DEGREE OF
INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT SEVERE STORMS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.
STORMS ARE SHOWING A GRADUAL SEWD DRIFT WHICH WILL PUT THEM INTO FAR
SE OK LATER THIS EVENING.

ISOLATED ACTIVITY FARTHER N ALONG COLD FRONT HAS BEEN MARGINALLY
SEVERE.

UPDATED ZONES OUT ASAP.

FCSTID = 18

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...SEVERpE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 100 AM CDT THURSDAY FOR ZONES
OKZ049...OKZ053...OKZ072>076.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 30, 6:51 PM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
751 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

....DELAYED REPORTS....

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1140 PM    BURBANK                   OK    WIND DAMAGE
05/29/01   OSAGE                           LARGE TREE LIMBS BROKEN

1150 PM    FORAKER                   OK    60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/29/01   OSAGE

1150 PM    FORAKER                   OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/29/01   OSAGE

0500 AM    6 SSW PETTIT              OK    FLOOD
05/30/01   CHEROKEE                        INDIAN ROAD FLOODED

0908 AM    BOX                       OK    FLOOD
05/30/01   SEQUOYAH                        FLOODED ROADS VCNTY BOX

0915 AM    HENRYETTA                 OK    FLOOD
05/30/01   OKMULGEE                        MANY AREA ROADS

0925 AM    OKEMAH                    OK    FLOOD
05/30/01   OKFUSKEE                        AREA ROADS
Local storm report, May 30, 8:06 PM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
906PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0825 PM    1 N HIGGINS               OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   LATIMER                         EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                           REPORT

0845 PM    6 S WILBURTON             OK    1.75 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   LATIMER                         EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                           REPORT

DRM
Local storm report, May 30, 8:33 PM CST, 1 hour 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
933 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0825 PM    1 N HIGGINS               OK    1 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   LATIMER                         REPORTED BY WILBURTON
                                           EOC.

0845 PM    6 S WILBURTON             OK    1.75 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   LATIMER                         REPORTED BY WILBURTON
                                           EOC.

0850 PM    KIOWA                     OK    1.25 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   PITTSBURG                       REPORTED BY MCALESTER
                    q                       EOC.

DRM
Local storm report, May 30, 8:54 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
954 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0930 PM    1 SE YANUSH               OK    TORNADO
05/30/01   LATIMER                         BRIEF TOUCHDOWN.
                                           EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                           REPORT.

DRM
Local storm report, May 30, 9:06 PM CST, 54 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1006 PM CDT WED MAY 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....
g
0950 PM    BLANCO                    OK    .75 INCH HAIL
05/30/01   PITTSBURG                       PUBLIC REPORT

DRM

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Crawford

When
May 30, 10:00 PM CST to May 31, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Crawford forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arkansas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 2001

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: 5246906.