Flood in Oklahoma, December 16 to 18, 2001

Name: Flood in Oklahoma, December 16 to 18, 2001
Start: 2001-12-16T20:00
End: 2001-12-18T00:00
Location: Oklahoma

December 16 to 18, 2001 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Illinois River near Watts rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 8 pm cst on December 16. 8 feet at 1 pm December 17 before falling below its flood stage at 12 am cst December 18.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 Illinois River near Watts rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 8 pm cst on December 16. The river crested at 17.8 feet at 1 pm December 17 before falling below its flood stage at 12 am cst December 18.

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 Dec 16, 3:17 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 3:17 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
317 PM CST SUN DEC 16 2001

UPPER LOW MOVING INTO WEST TEXAS WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST AS
SURFACE LOW TRACKS INTO ARKANSAS. THERE WILL STILL BE A HEAVY RAIN
THREAT ACROSS SOUTHERN ZONES THIS EVENING AS AREA OF CONVECTION IN
SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND NORTHERN TEXAS SPREADS NORTHEAST. WILL
EXTEND THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH INTO THIS EVENING FOR 7 COUNTIES IN
EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND 3 COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. MID AND
UPPER LEVEL DRYING WILL MOVE INTO THAT AREA LATER THIS EVENING...
EFFECTIVELY ENDING THE THREAT FOR EXCESSIVE RAINS.

LIGHT TO MODERATE WRAPAROUND RAINS TO CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHERN ZONES
TONIGHT BEFORE ENDING MONDAY MORNING. CLOUDS SHOULD CLEAR FROM WEST
DURING THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AS SUBSIDENCE/DRYING DEVELOPS
BEHIND THE COLD FRONT/UPPER SYSTEM. TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM INTO
THE 50S IN ALL AREAS WITH THE AID OF AFTERNOON SUNSHINE.

TUESDAY LOOKS DRY AND MILD. INCREASING CIRRUS WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES
FROM GETTING AS WARM AS THEY WOULD WITH FULL SUN...BUT AFTERNOON
HIGHS ON TUESDAY SHOULD STILL APPROACH 60F MANY AREAS.

IN EXTENDED...DRY FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURS TUESDAY NIGHT. AFTER A
SLIGHT COOLDOWN ON WEDNESDAY...THURSDAY SHOULD BE WARMER AGAIN. NEXT
CHANCE OF RAIN WILL BEGIN FRIDAY AND LAST INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS
A CUTOFF LOW DEVELOPS OVER SOUTHWEST U.S. SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH
REGARD TO EVOLUTION/MOVEMENT OF THE SOUTHWEST LOW AND ALSO DEGREE OF
COOLING WITH A FRONT ON SUNDAY...BUT WILL CARRY A CHANCE OF RAIN
INTO SUNDAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 40S.

FCSTID = 9

TUL   38  52  31  61 /  90  10   0   0
FSM   44  54  30  64 / 100  30   0   0
MLC   42  55  30  62 /  90  10   0   0
BVO   36  52  25  61 /  80  10   0   0
FYV   40  50  26  57 / 100  30   0   0
BYV   41  50  25  58 / 100  40   0   0
MIO   38  51  26  60 /  90  10   0   0
MKO   40  53  30  62 /  90  10   0   0
F10   39  52  31  61 /  90  10   0   0
HHW   45  57  33  63 /  80  10   0   0

.TSA...
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS EVENING FOR ZONES ARZ019>020...ARZ029.

OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THIS EVENING FOR ZONES OKZ049...OKZ053...
OKZ072>076.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 16, 4:38 PM CST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
538 PM CDT SUN DEC 16 2001

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

0320 PM    3 E FINLEY                OK    FLOOD
12/16/01   PUSHMATAHA                      WATER OVER BUGTUSSLE
                                           BRIDGE AT ONE CREEK

0325 PM    5 S FT TOWSON             OK    FLOOD
12/16/01   CHOCTAW                         WATER REPORTED OVER
                                           HIGHWAY 109 SOUTH OF FT
                                           TOWSON

0330 PM    5 S RED OAK               OK    FLOOD
12/16/01   LATIMER                         WATER OVER HIGHWAY 82
                                           SOUTH OF RED OAK

Local storm report, Dec 16, 6:40 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
640 PM CST SUN DEC 16 2001

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

0525 PM    MUSE                      OK   FLOODING
12/16/01   LE FLORE                       ROADS FLOODED...SMALL
                                          TRIBUTARIES FLOODING NEAR
                                          PAGE AND MUSE.

0625 PM    GREEN FOREST              AR   FLOODING
12/16/01   CARROLL                        ROADS FLOODING AND BEING
                                          CLOSED REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

Local storm report, Dec 16, 7:14 PM CST, 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
714 PM CST SUN DEC 16 2001

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

0655 PM    COUNTYWIDE                AR   FLOODING
12/16/01   CRAWFORD                       SECONDARY ROADS REPORTED
                                          FLOODED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.

0700 PM    HACKETT                   AR   FLOODING
12/16/01   SEBASTIAN                      LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
                                          REPORT FLOODING IN THE
                                          VICINITY OF HACKETT WITH
                                          ROADWAYS BEING CLOSED.

DRM

Local storm report, Dec 16, 7:35 PM CST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
735 PM CST SUN DEC 16 2001

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

0715 PM    BIG CEDAR                 OK   FLOODING
12/16/01   LE FLORE                       NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED
                                          ...SOME HOMES BEING
                                          FLOODED WITH EVACUATIONS
                                          BEING CONDUCTED.
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          REPORT.

DRM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Adair

When: December 16, 8:00 PM CST to December 18, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Adair forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 35.884, -94.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, December 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: 5275164.