A stationary frontal boundary extended across southeastern Oklahoma and west central Arkansas on the 19th. Very moist and unstable air was in place along and south of the boundary.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.
A stationary frontal boundary extended across southeastern Oklahoma and west central Arkansas on the 19th. Very moist and unstable air was in place along and south of the boundary. Thunderstorms developed over western Oklahoma during the afternoon and moved eastward across west central Arkansas during the evening and overnight hours. Widespread heavy rainfall occurred across northwestern Arkansas, which resulted in flash flooding.
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 19, 10:56 PM CST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1156 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2015
.AVIATION...
CONCERNING TAF SITES KTUL/KRVS/KBVO/KMLC/KXNA/KFYV/KFSM/KROG.
MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE MOST COMMON ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND WESTERN ARKANSAS THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE AN ISSUE THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY. VFR CONDITIONS WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
TO PORTIONS OF THE AREA.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 900 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2015/
DISCUSSION...
STALLED FRONT LOCATED NEAR THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR THIS EVENING...
WHICH HAS BEEN REINFORCED AT LEAST TEMPORARILY BY RAIN COOLED OUTFLOW.
AIR-MASS REMAINS MODERATELY UNSTABLE ACROSS FAR SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
WITH VERY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 1.8 INCHES. ALL
SHORT TERM MODEL GUIDANCE AND RADAR TRENDS SUGGEST CONVECTIVE
COMPLEX WILL PUSH INTO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA LATER THIS EVENING INTO
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH FLOODING A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN. INCREASED
QPF AMOUNTS ACROSS AFOREMENTIONED AREA WITH WIDESPREAD 2 TO 3
INCHES LIKELY. A LIMITED SEVERE THREAT WILL ALSO CONTINUE ACROSS
THIS AREA...HOWEVER DEEP LAYER SHEAR DECREASES THE FURTHER EAST YOU
GO. UPDATE OUT SHORTLY.
&&
.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON WEDNESDAY FOR OKZ049-OKZ053-OKZ054-
OKZ055-OKZ056-OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ062-
OKZ063-OKZ064-OKZ065-OKZ066-OKZ067-OKZ068-OKZ069-OKZ070-
OKZ071-OKZ072-OKZ073-OKZ074-OKZ075-OKZ076.
AR...NONE.
&&
AVIATION...10HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 450 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2015 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-201030- 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- 450 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2015 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT. TORNADO. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA. ONSET...EARLY EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...PRIMARILY EASTERN OKLAHOMA. ONSET...EARLY EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. FLASH FLOOD. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...ELEVATED. ONSET...PRIMARILY LATE EVENING THROUGH OVERNIGHT. DISCUSSION... AREAS OF RAIN WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO SPREAD INTO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING INTO A MORE STABLE AIRMASS AND WILL LIKELY REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA WILL SPREAD INTO EASTERN OKLAHOMA THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A LIMITED RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS...PRIMARILY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA WHERE THE GREATEST INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL POSE A RISK FOR BOTH LARGE HAIL AND LOCALIZED DAMAGING WINDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. CONDITIONS REMAIN CONDUCIVE FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. WET SOIL CONDITIONS WILL ALLOW QUICK ONSET OF FLOODING WITH ANY AREA OF HEAVY RAIN. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... LOCAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. WEDNESDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL. MONDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA ON WEDNESDAY WITH THUNDERSTORMS ONGOING DURING THE MORNING HOURS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHERE TEMPERATURES WARM SUFFICIENTLY. A FEW SEVERE STORMS ARE LIKELY GIVEN THE EXPECTED DEGREE OF INSTABILITY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL DECREASE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...BEFORE BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE WEEKEND ALONG WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL. FLOODING IS LIKELY TO BECOME A CONCERN FOR MUCH OF THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1254 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1252 AM FLASH FLOOD VIAN 35.50N 94.97W
05/20/2015 SEQUOYAH OK EMERGENCY MNGR
REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 64.
1252 AM FLASH FLOOD SALLISAW 35.46N 94.79W
05/20/2015 SEQUOYAH OK EMERGENCY MNGR
REPORTED IN TOWN.
&&
KAHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
101 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1150 PM TSTM WND DMG MCCURTAIN 35.15N 94.97W
05/19/2015 HASKELL OK PUBLIC
TREE LIMBS DOWN WITH POWER OUTAGES IN THE AREA. RELAYED
BY LEFLORE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. TIME ESTIMATED
VIA RADAR.
&&
KAHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
129 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
OKZ076-200700-
LE FLORE OK-
129 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
CENTRAL LE FLORE
AT 129 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTHEAST
OF MUSE...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED
BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...BIG CEDAR...MUSE AND HODGEN.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH.
LAT...LON 3462 9482 3483 9478 3486 9444 3458 9445
TIME...MOT...LOC 0629Z 272DEG 32KT 3471 9467PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
144 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0143 AM FLASH FLOOD TALIHINA 34.75N 95.05W
05/20/2015 LE FLORE OK EMERGENCY MNGR
LAW ENFORCEMENT CLOSING ROADWAYS DUE TO HIGH WATER IN THE
TALIHINA AREA.
&&
KAHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
227 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
OKZ049-073-075-200815-
LATIMER OK-PITTSBURG OK-PUSHMATAHA OK-
227 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 315 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
SOUTHERN PITTSBURG...PUSHMATAHA AND SOUTHWESTERN LATIMER
AT 227 AM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
EXTENDING FROM 23 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUNBAR TO 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF
EUBANKS TO 10 MILES WEST OF KELLOND...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. SOME
LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...YANUSH...
ANTLERS...CLAYTON...CLOUDY...MOYERS...FINLEY...KOSOMA...SNOW...
NASHOBA...STANLEY...TUSKAHOMA...KIAMICHI...KELLOND...EUBANKS...
DUNBAR...SARDIS AND CLAYTON LAKE STATE PARK.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND
GUSTS TO 50 MPH.
LAT...LON 3450 9579 3451 9578 3451 9568 3459 9568
3459 9588 3460 9589 3463 9589 3484 9516
3425 9506 3418 9578
TIME...MOT...LOC 0727Z 261DEG 39KT 3463 9588 3449 9573
3427 9579PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
254 AM CDT WED MAY 20 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0253 AM FLASH FLOOD TALIHINA 34.75N 95.05W
05/20/2015 LE FLORE OK FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
NUMEROUS BUILDINGS IN TOWN HAVE FLOOD WATERS IN
THEM...INCLUDING THE HOUSING AUTHORITY WITH 6 INCHES OF
WATER...THE CHOCTAW NATION HOSPITAL...AND A NURSING HOME.
RELAYED BY COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
&&
KAHThe Western Arkansas radar (KSRX), 17 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:00 UTC.
11 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An apartment complex was evacuated due to high water from an overflowing creek. Flood water was several inches deep in some first-story apartments.
Three businesses were flooded and damaged.
Portions of Highway 255 were flooded and closed.
Roads were flooded on the southwest side of Fort Smith.
Portions of Highway 282 were flooded.
Several streets were flooded and closed.
Portions of Highway 64 near Mulberry were closed due to high water.
Several roads on the east side of town were flooded.
Portions of Lone Oak Road near Pleasant View were flooded.
Portions of Highway 252 east of Lavaca were closed due to high water.
The creek was flooded just downstream of the James Fork Bridge on Highway 45 at Slaytonville Road near Hackett.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 2015
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: 578261, 578262, 578264, 578265, 578269, 578270, 578271, 578272, 578276, 578279, 578280.