Flood in Oklahoma, June 1 to 30, 2015

Excessive heavy rainfall during the month of May resulted in very high water on the Red River bordering McCurtain County in Southeast Oklahoma and Red River and Bowie Counties in Northeast Texas during the entire month of June. Rainfall amounts during the month of May across the Upper and Middle Red River basins of Southern Oklahoma and Northern Texas totaled over 20 inches of rain. The Oklahoma State Climatologist reported that May of 2015 was the all time wettest month of any month in state history. Lake Texhoma, a flood control reservoir to the Red River upstream of Arthur City, Texas rose to its highest pool stage on record early on June 1st at 645.66 feet with peak releases of around 140,000 CFS. The Muddy Boggy Creek tributary to the Red River rose to near its flood of record cresting near 55 feet earlier on May 29th with inflows upwards of 70,000 CFS into the Red River. Muddy Boggy Creek crested just shy of the 1990 flood of record with 55.27 feet near Unger, Oklahoma. Other tributaries of the Red River also crested at very high levels during the final week of May and early in June, 2015 below Lake Texhoma including Bois D'Arc and Bokchito Creeks. Finally the Kiamichi River at Hugo Reservoir crested |just below a record pool stage after May 25th and contributed peak releases of near 60,000 CFS as well to the Red River. This excessive heavy rainfall and inflow into the Red River resulted in levels that eclipsed the flood of May of 1990 at Pecan Point and was just shy of the Red River flood of May of 1908 at Pecan Point. The Red River at Pecan Point north of Dekalb, Texas went above the 24 foot flood stage on May 10th, 2015 and remained above that flood stage through the entire month of June and did not fall below flood stage until until July, 2015. The Red River at Pecan Point north of Dekalb, Texas went above the 30 foot major flood stage on May 24th, 2015 and crested at a stage of 35.0 feet on June 2nd, 2015. This is the 3rd highest crest in recorded history at the gauging location, eclipsed only by the flood of record of 36.0 feet in 1938 and 35.5 feet in 1908. The river fell below the 30 foot major flood stage on June 10th. A secondary rise on the Red River developed because of excessive heavy rainfall once again in the middle Red River Basin from the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill. As a result, the Red River went back above the 30 foot major flood stage on June 22nd and crested at a stage of 32.5 feet on June 24th. The Red River then fell below the 30 foot major flood stage on June 28th. Thousands of acres of pasture and and farm land were flooded and livestock had to be evacuated. Bank erosion was extreme on the McCurtain County side of the Red River as well as the Red River and Bowie County sides of the river. The United States Highway 259 bridge going over the Red River was closed and while the Highway 37 bridge between Clarksville, Texas and Idabel, Oklahoma was threatened, it was not closed. The number of structures and homes suffering damage from the rising river and a monetary amount for the damage was not available for this writing.