Flood, Ottawa
- When
- February 24, 1:00 PM CST to February 27, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Ottawa forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.836, -94.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in Oklahoma, February 24 to 27, 2001
The Neosho River near Commerce rose above its flood stage of 15 feet during the early afternoon of February 24. 5 feet on the morning of February 26 before falling below its flood stage during the evening hours on February 27.
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
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 Neosho River near Commerce rose above its flood stage of 15 feet during the early afternoon of February 24. The river crested at 18.5 feet on the morning of February 26 before falling below its flood stage during the evening hours on February 27.
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 24, 12:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 12:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1230 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001 LINE OF STORMS IS PROGRESSING EAST WITH ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS BEHIND IT FOR THE MOST PART. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO REMOVE COUNTIES FROM FLASH FLOOD AND TOR WATCH. /13 .TUL... .AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR ZONES 1-2-10-11-19-20-29. .OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR ZONES 49-53-58-063-068>70-72-73>76.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Feb 24, 12:03 PM CST, 57 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1203 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1127 AM STIDHAM OK .75 INCH HAIL
02/24/01 MCINTOSH [EUFAULA EOC]
1135 AM MUSKOGEE OK WIND DAMAGE
02/24/01 MUSKOGEE [CITY OF MUSKOGEE EOC]
1140 6AM MUSKOGEE OK .75 INCH HAIL
02/24/01 MUSKOGEE [CITY OF MUSKOGEE EOC]Local storm report, Feb 24, 12:05 PM CST, 55 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1205 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1135 AM MUSKOGEE OK WIND DAMAGE
02/24/01 MUSKOGEE POWER LINES DOWN ON THE
WEST SIDE OF MUSKOGEE
CITY OF MUSKOGEE EOCLocal storm report, Feb 24, 12:15 PM CST, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1215 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1140 AM 1 W CHECOTAH OK WIND DAMAGE
02/24/01 MCINTOSH POWER LINES AND TREES
DOWN 1 MILE WEST OF
INTERSECTION OF
INTERSTATE 40 AND
HIGHWAY 69 [AMATEUR
RADIO]Special weather statement, Feb 24, 12:20 PM CST, 40 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-251200- EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1220 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001 ..TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND ALL OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS UNTIL 5 PM... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WAS LOCATED OVER COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS WITH A DRYLINE EXTENDING SOUTH TROUGH EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND INTO EASTERN TEXAS. SEVERE STORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A FEW TORNADOES...ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON JUST AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE AS IT SWEEPS ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION... SPOTTERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED FOR THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. .DISCUSSION...STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS HAVE BEEN ONGOING OVER PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE UPPER SYSTEM MOVES OUT INTO THE PLAINS THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS KANSAS...SWEEPING THE DRYLINE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND ALL OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE THREAT FOR STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES WILL CONTINUE EAST OF MIAMI TO HUGO LINE THIS AFTERNOON. I THREAT TABLE VALID THROUGH 1200 UTC SUNDAY THREAT AREA...FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND ALL OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY...100 SEVERE WEATHER PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...100 SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER PROBABILITY IF STORMS OCCUR...60 THREAT AREAS DEFINE THE GREATEST RISK. PROBABILITIES ARE IN PERCENT. SIGNIFICANT SEVERE IS DEFINED AS F1 OR GREATER WIND/ TORNADO DAMAGE AND/OR GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER. .OTHER HAZARDS... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH /OKCFFATUL/ REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR FOR EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AS HEAVY RAINS TODAY WILL COMBINE WITH RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE OVERNIGHT AS THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTER LIFTS NORTHEAST FROM THE AREA. SEE /OKCNPWTUL/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA
Special weather statement, Feb 24, 12:40 PM CST, 20 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-251200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 1240 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001 ..TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 30 AND 31 REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 5PM FOR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND MOST OF FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA... THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA... NOWATA...ROGERS...CRAIG...MAYES...WAGONER...OKMULGEE...MUSKOGEE MCINTOSH AND PITTSBURG. THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA... OTTAWA...DELAWARE...CHEROKEE...ADAIR...SEQUOYAH...HASKELL...LATIMER PUSHMATAHA...CHOCTAW AND LE FORE COUNTIES AND IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS... WASHINGTON... BENTON...CARROLL...MADISON...SEBASTIAN...CRAWFORD AND FRANKLIN. AT 1235 PM...RADAR INDICATED THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES HAD MOVED EAST OF A LINE FROM MIAMI TO HUGO. THE LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST DURING THE AFTERNOON. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER. LISTEN FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, February 24, 2001
- Tornadoes in Mississippi, February 24, 2001
- Tornado in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
- Tornado in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
- Tornadoes in Mississippi, February 24, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Texas, February 24, 2001
- Tornado in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
- Flash Flood in Kansas, February 24, 2001
- Lightning Strike in Illinois, February 24, 2001
- Tornado in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
- Tornado in Arkansas, February 24, 2001
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5235064.