Flood in Oklahoma, January 31, 2002

Name: Flood in Oklahoma, January 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-31T17:00
End: 2002-01-31T23:59
Location: Oklahoma

January 31, 2002 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

6 feet the same day. Flooding along the river lasted into the first few days of February.

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 Poteau rose above its flood stage of 24 feet at 5 pm cst on January 31.The river crested at 25.6 feet the same day. Flooding along the river lasted into the first few days of February.

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 Jan 31, 3:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 3:30 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
330 PM CST THU JAN 31 2002

LOW CLOUDS STARTING TO BREAK APART TO OUR WEST AS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM
ROTATES EAST.  SHOULD SEE LOW CLOUDS LINGER THIS EVENING AND THEN
BEGIN TO CLEAR ACROSS THE AREA AS THE NIGHT GOES ON.  NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS SHOULD HOLD ONTO CLOUDS THE LONGEST.  WINDS HAVE PICKED UP
ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES AS SUGGESTED BY THE MODELS SO WILL HAVE
SOME GUSTY WINDS THIS EVENING BEFORE SETTLING DOWN LATER TONIGHT.
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN ACROSS THE AREA WITH DRY CONDITIONS
PREVAILING THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIODS.

TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN A GRADUAL WARMING TREND AS WELL WITH MID 50S
EXPECTED BY MONDAY.  NEXT SYSTEM COMES THROUGH THE AREA LATE MONDAY
INTO EARLY TUESDAY BUT MOISTURE RETURN REMAINS IN QUESTION AT THIS
TIME.  WILL LEAVE DRY FOR NOW PENDING FURTHER MODEL REFINEMENT.

HOWIESON
FCSTID = 44

TUL   21  44  21  48 /  10   0   0   0
FSM   25  45  20  46 /   0   0   0   0
MLC   24  46  21  49 /   0   0   0   0
BVO   17  42  18  48 /  10   0   0   0
FYV   24  40  17  45 /  10   0   0   0
BYV   24  40  17  45 /  10   0   0   0
MIO   21  43  17  46 /  10   0   0   0
MKO   22  45  20  48 /   0   0   0   0
F10   21  44  21  48 /  10   0   0   0
HHW   25  48  22  48 /   0   0   0   0

.TSA...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Le Flore

When: January 31, 5:00 PM CST to 11:59 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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, January 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: 5279555.