Flood in Oklahoma, May 18, 2002

Name: Flood in Oklahoma, May 18, 2002
Start: 2002-05-18T00:00
End: 2002-05-18T09:00
Location: Oklahoma

May 18, 2002 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Neosho River near Commerce rose above its flood stage of 15 feet at 1 am cdt on May 18th. 3 feet at 5 am cdt.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 1 am cdt on May 18th. It remained above the flood stage until 10 am cdt that morning cresting at 15.3 feet at 5 am cdt.

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 May 17, 8:00 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 17, 8:00 PM CST, 4 hours before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
900 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

WL MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THE CLOUD COVER TO REFLECT CURRENT
TRENDS. WL ALSO REMOVE TEMPORAL WORDING. OTRW...CURRENT FCST LUKS
GUD TO ME.

FCSTID: 10

.TSA...

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 17, 8:28 PM CST, 3 hours 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
928 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002

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

0610 AM    1 W HARTFORD              AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   SEBASTIAN                      LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0204 AM    LEONARD                   OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   TULSA                          LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON
                                          CAR WASH REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0134 AM    COWETA                    OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   WAGONER                        TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          COWETA PD

0343 AM    4 E HULBERT               OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   CHEROKEE                       TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC

0224 AM    BRISTOW                   OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   CREEK                          TREE DOWN ON POWER LINE
                                          REPORTED BY BRISTOW PD

0533 AM    NASHOBA                   OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   PUSHMATAHA                     LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
                                          DOWN REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0522 AM    REDOAK                    OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   LATIMER                        LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN
                                          DOWN REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0145 AM    LEONARD                   OK   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   TULSA                          LARGE TREE DOWN / SHED
                                          DAMAGED REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0159 AM    1 W PEGGS                 OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/17/02   CHEROKEE                       REPORTED BY PUBLIC

1256 AM    2 N DRUMRIGHT             OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/17/02   CREEK                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

0118 AM    6 E ST. PAUL              AR   WIND DAMAGE
05/17/02   MADISON                        LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC

1032 PM    CLEVELAND                 OK   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/02   PAWNEE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Ottawa

When: May 18, 12:00 AM CST to 9:00 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)

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, May 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: 5293803.