Flood, Ottawa
- When
- March 17, 4:00 AM CST to March 18, 6:00 AM 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, March 17 to 18, 2001
The Neosho river near Commerce rose above its flood stage of 15 feet at 4 am cst on March 17. 8 feet at 7 pm cst on March 17 before falling below its flood stage at 6 am cst on March 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
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 at 4 am cst on March 17. The river crested at 15.8 feet at 7 pm cst on March 17 before falling below its flood stage at 6 am cst on March 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 Mar 17, 3:25 AM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 3:25 AM CST, 35 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 325 AM CST SAT MAR 17 2001 UPPER SYSTEM CURRENTLY SEEN SPINNING ABOUT THE 4 CORNERS REGION THIS MORNING PER WATER VAPOR IMAGERY. MODEL DIFFERENCES CONTINUE WITH TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW...WITH AVN FURTHER NORTH THAN NGM/ETA. STILL FAVOR THE MORE CONSISTENT ETA HOWEVER WITH THE MORE SRN TRACK. REGARDLESS OF WHICH SCENARIO PANS OUT...EASTERLY 1000-850MB WINDS WILL KEEP SFC BASED AND ELEVATED MOISTURE FROM RETURNING FOR SIGNIFICANT RAIN. MEASURABLE PRECIP NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION SO WILL BROADBRUSH ENTIRE AREA WITH LOW POPS FOR SUN AND SUN NIGHT. IN THE MEANTIME...HIGH CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE TODAY HOWEVER THINK ENOUGH SUN WILL FILTER THROUGH TO GO PARTLY CLOUDY. LOOKS LIKE CLOUDS WILL LINGER WELL INTO MONDAY...BUT WHATEVER PRECIP OCCURS SHOULD CUT OFF SUN NIGHT. TUESDAY LOOKS LIKE THE WARMEST DAY BEFORE CLOUDS INCREASE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON WED. NEW MRF STILL DUMPS OUT PRECIP BEHIND BOUNDARY...SO WILL LEAVE CHANCE OF RAIN IN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. PRECIP PUSHES SOUTH BY FRIDAY...SO WILL REMOVE MENTION OF RAIN BUT LEAVE MOSTLY CLOUDY. FCSTID = 23 .PRELIMINARY NUMBERS... TUL 54 35 49 35 / 0 10 20 20 FSM 56 35 51 35 / 0 10 20 20 MLC 56 36 51 36 / 0 10 20 20 BVO 54 31 49 33 / 0 10 20 20 FYV 50 28 46 33 / 0 10 20 20 BYV 50 27 46 32 / 0 10 20 20 MIO 50 30 48 32 / 0 10 20 20 MKO 55 35 49 35 / 0 10 20 20 F10 55 35 50 35 / 0 10 20 20 HHW 58 37 52 37 / 0 10 20 20 .TSA... AR...NONeE. OK...NONE.
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
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, March 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: 5236582.