Flood in Oklahoma, January 13, 2005

Name: Flood in Oklahoma, January 13, 2005
Start: 2005-01-13T11:00
End: 2005-01-13T22:00
Location: Oklahoma

January 13, 2005 · NWS TSA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The Illinois River near Watts rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 11 am cst January 13th. 54 feet the same day before falling below its flood stage at 10 pm cst that evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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 Illinois River near Watts rose above its flood stage of 13 feet at 11 am cst January 13th. The river crested at 15.54 feet the same day before falling below its flood stage at 10 pm cst that evening.

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 13, 10:55 AM CST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 10:55 AM CST, 5 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
1055 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING INTO THE AREA THIS MORNING BEHIND
COLD FRONT WITH CLEARING SKIES PROGRESSING WEST TO EAST.  TIGHT
GRADIENT STILL PRODUCING SOME GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS...BUT SHOULD
BEGIN TO DIMINISH WITH TIME DURING THE AFTERNOON.  UPDATE OUT
SHORTLY TO ADJUST WIND/CLEARING TRENDS.  NO OTHER CHANGES PLANNED.

FORECAST ID= 04

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...NONE.
OK...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 13, 4:40 AM CST, 6 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
440 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-141100-
ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK-
CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK-
LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK-
OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK-
PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK-
WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR-
440 AM CST THU JAN 13 2005

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

MAINSTEM RIVER FLOODING.
        AREA...ILLINOIS RIVER AT WATTS AND TAHLEQUAH.
        ONSET...ONGOING.

DISCUSSION...
A COLD FRONT HAS TRAVERSED THE REGION OVERNIGHT...WITH THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING EAST OF THE AREA. LOW CLOUDS WILL SCATTER BY EARLY AFTERNOON
AS TEMPERATURES REBOUND INTO THE 40S.

MAINSTEM RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON THE ILLINOIS RIVER NEAR
WATTS AND NEAR TAHLEQUAH. REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENT
/OKCFLSTSA/ FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION NOT EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
FRIDAY...NO HAZARDS.
SATURDAY...NO HAZARDS.
SUNDAY...NO HAZARDS.
MONDAY...NO HAZARDS.
TUESDAY...NO HAZARDS.
WEDNESDAY...NO HAZARDS.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE
NEXT 5 OR 6 DAYS. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL REMAIN VERY LOW.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT...

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL INFORMATION

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, Adair

When: January 13, 11:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Adair forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.300, -96.650

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, January 2005

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: 5438495.