Flood in Arkansas, March 19 to 20, 2002

Name: Flood in Arkansas, March 19 to 20, 2002
Start: 2002-03-19T17:00
End: 2002-03-20T10:00
Location: Arkansas

March 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lee Creek near Van Buren rose above its flood stage of 23 feet at 5 pm on March 19th. 9 feet at 1 am on March 20th.

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.

Lee Creek near Van Buren rose above its flood stage of 23 feet at 5 pm on March 19th. The river crested at 23.9 feet at 1 am on March 20th. The river fell below its flood stage at 10 am 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 Mar 19, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 19, 4:00 PM CST, 1 hour before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
400 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS OCCURRING ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  WITH MORE RAIN EXPECTED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
FOR THAT AREA HAS BEEN EXTENDED INTO TONIGHT.

A BOUNDARY REMAINS STATIONARY JUST TO OUR SOUTH WITH AN UPPER SYSTEM
OVER THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES.  THE UPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST
INTO TEXAS BY LATE TONIGHT AND THEN TOWARD ARKANSAS AND LOUISIANA BY
TOMORROW EVENING.  THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL BEGIN TO MOVE SOUTHEAST
AS THE UPPER SYSTEM PASSES TO THE SOUTH TOMORROW.  EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME FURTHER REMOVED FROM
THE MOISTURE AND LIFT LATE TONIGHT AND TOMORROW BRINGING AN END TO
THE RAIN.  THE RAIN SHOULD BE PRETTY MUCH OVER ACROSS NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA BY SUNRISE.  THE RAIN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AROUND THE
LONGEST IN THE FORT SMITH AND HUGO AREAS.

TOMORROW NIGHT SHOULD BE CLEAR WITH LIGHT WINDS.  DID NOT MENTION IN
THE ZONES BUT COULD HAVE A FOG PROBLEM TOMORROW NIGHT.

THE NEXT MAJOR WEATHER CHANGE WILL BE THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD
FRONT THURSDAY.  THE FRONT SHOULD HAVE A DRY PASSAGE BUT BRISK NORTH
WINDS WILL USHER IN SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER TEMPERATURES.  WILL SEE A
WIDESPREAD FREEZE THURSDAY NIGHT.  FRIDAY WILL STILL BE COOL FOR
THIS TIME OF YEAR BUT THE RETURN OF SOUTH WINDS SHOULD LEAD TO
WARMER WEATHER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

THE NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOULD COME MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH THE
APPROACH OF AN UPPER TROUGH AND THE EVENTUAL PASSAGE OF ANOTHER COLD
FRONT.

FCSTID = 17

TUL   45  60  40  48 /  80  20  10  10
FSM   49  58  40  50 / 100  50  10  10
MLC   48  60  42  51 / 100  30  10  10
BVO   43  60  38  47 /  80  20  10  10
FYV   45  56  37  47 / 100  30  10  10
BYV   45  56  37  47 / 100  30  10  10
MIO   44  56  38  47 /  80  20  10  10
MKO   47  60  41  50 / 100  30  10  10
F10   45  60  40  48 /  80  20  10  10
HHW   51  62  42  53 / 100  50  10  10

.TSA...
AR...FLAHS FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
ARZ001>002...ARZ010>011...ARZ019>020...ARZ029.

OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR ZONES
OKZ049...OKZ053...OKZ068>076.

ABBAS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 19, 11:46 AM CST, 5 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
1146 AM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

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

1052 AM    OZARK                     AR   FLOOD
03/19/02   FRANKLIN                       FLOODING CAUSED SMALL
                                          MUDSLIDE CLOSING A COUNTY
                                          ROAD. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          REPORT.

MANNING

Special weather statement, Mar 19, 1:00 PM CST, 4 hours before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-201200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
100 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

...FLASH FLOODING AND RIVER FLOODING ARE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY
WEDNESDAY...

HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH
WEDNESDAY MORNING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FOR TODAY AND THE WATCH
WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED INTO TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST
FLOOD STATEMENT /OKCFLSTUL/ FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS THIS
MORNING...AND THIS WILL AGAIN BE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. IN ADDITION AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WAS MOVING INTO WEST
TEXAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THE UPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST OF THE
AREA BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD END AT THAT
POINT. HOWEVER...2 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS ALREADY FALLEN OVER THE
LAST 24 HOURS...WHICH HAS CREATED FLOODING PROBLEMS. ANOTHER 1 TO 3
INCHES OF RAIN IS POSSIBLE THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING SHOULD END BY
WEDNESDAY MORNING...BUT RIVER FLOODING MAY PERSIST INTO THURSDAY.

PLEASE REFER TO /OKCFLWTUL/ FOR INFORMATION ON RIVER FLOODING.

.SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS
AND STATEMENTS FOR DETAILS ON THIS HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT.

.OTHER HAZARDS...
IN ADDITION TO HEAVY RAIN...A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH
TONIGHT. LIMITED INSTABILITY WILL KEEP THUNDERSTORMS WELL BELOW
SEVERE LIMITS.

RELATED GRAPHICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

ARKANSAS BASIN RIVER FORECAST CENTER - SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOOD
OUTLOOK CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/ABRFC/FOP/ABRFCFOP.HTML

Local storm report, Mar 19, 2:13 PM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA, OK
213 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

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

1052 AM    OZARK                     AR   FLOOD
03/19/02   FRANKLIN                       FLOODING CAUSED SMALL
                                          MUDSLIDE CLOSING A COUNTY
                                          ROAD. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          REPORT.

0210 PM    3 W MCALESTER             OK   FLOOD
03/19/02   PITTSBURG                      STATE HIGHWAY 31 CLOSED
                                          DUE TO HIGH WATER. REPORTED
                                          BY HIGHWAY PATROL

0210 PM    4 W HAILEYVILLE           OK   FLOOD
03/19/02   PITTSBURG                      STATE HIGHWAY 63 CLOSED
                                          DUE TO HIGH WATER. REPORTED
                                          BY HIGHWAY PATROL

MANNING

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Crawford

When: March 19, 5:00 PM CST to March 20, 10:00 AM 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

Every storm in Arkansas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Arkansas, March 2002

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: 5286878.