Flood in Oklahoma, February 15 to 25, 2001

Name: Flood in Oklahoma, February 15 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-02-15T16:00
End: 2001-02-25T22:00
Location: Oklahoma

February 15 to 25, 2001 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Poteau River near Panama rose above its flood stage of 29 feet during the afternoon hours on February 15. 9 feet during the early morning hours on February 17 before falling below the flood stage during the morning hours on February 19.

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 Poteau River near Panama rose above its flood stage of 29 feet during the afternoon hours on February 15. The river crested at 37.9 feet during the early morning hours on February 17 before falling below the flood stage during the morning hours on February 19.

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 Feb 15, 3:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 3:25 PM CST, 35 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
325 PM CST THU FEB 15 2001

RUNNING WAY BEHIND TODAY SO WILL BE BRIEF.  LARGE BAND OF RAIN
MOVING NORTH ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON HAS APPARENTLY STOPPED
ITS NORTHWARD PROGRESS FOR NOW.  THE MODELS INDICATE THAT THE
PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD A BIT FURTHER NORTH AND THEN SHIFT
EASTWARD LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.  TEMPERATURES JUST OFF THE
SURFACE ARE VERY WARM AND ALL PRECIPITATION SHOULD FALL AS RAIN.
THE MESO-ETA INDICATES THAT THE FREEZING LINE WILL NOT MAKE MUCH
PROGRESS AT ALL TONIGHT...WITH NORTHWEST ARKANSAS STAYING ABOVE
FREEZING UNTIL THE PRECIPITATION SHUTS DOWN LATE TONIGHT.  WILL
LEAVE THE WARNING AND ADVISORY ALONE...EXCEPT TO MOVE NOWATA COUNTY
FROM THE WARNING TO THE ADVISORY...AS NOT MUCH PRECIPITATION
EXPECTED TO REACH THAT FAR NORTH.  CONFIDENCE IN SIGNIFICANT ICING
IN THE WARNING AREA IS LOW.

THE ETA/AVN BRING ONE LAST PATCH OF PRECIPITATION...RAIN... ACROSS
FAR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS EARLY TOMORROW
MORNING.  SHOULD SEE AT LEAST PARTIAL CLEARING ACROSS THE AREA
TOMORROW AFTERNOON WITH TEMEPRATURES CLIMBING ABOVE FREEZING IN ALL
LOCATIONS.

FLOW ALOFT BECOMES ZONAL THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK...SO A
WARM UP IS IN STORE.  WILL INTRODUCE CHANCE POPS INTO WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY...AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA.

GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE.  WENT WITH NEARLY
STEADY TEMPS TONIGHT AND WITH THE LOWER GUIDANCE TOMORROW.

FCSTID = 19
TUL   24  39  23  42 /  70  20   0   0
FSM   35  39  26  44 /  90  50   0   0
MLC   30  40  26  45 /  90  30   0   0
BVO   22  38  20  42 /  50  10   0   0
FYV   32  36  22  39 /  90  30   0   0
BYV   32  36  22  39 /  90  30   0   0
MIO   27  37  21  40 /  80  20   0   0
MKO   27  39  24  43 /  90  20   0   0
F10   27  39  24  43 /  90  20   0   0
HHW   37  42  27  47 /  90  50   0   0

.TUL...
AR...NONE.
OK...WINTER WEATHER WARNING TONIGHT FOR ZONES
     57>58-60>68-70-71.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
     OKZ054>056...OKZ059.

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Le Flore

When: February 15, 4:00 PM CST to February 25, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Le Flore 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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, February 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: 5235068.