Flood — Bowie, Texas

2015-06-01 to 2015-06-30 · near Pine Spgs, Bowie, Texas

Event narrative

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 new pool stage record 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 river 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 at Pecan Point north of Dekalb, Texas 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. Below Pecan Point north of Dekalb, Texas, the Red River at Index, Arkansas crested at 31.4 feet on June 3rd. This was the 3rd highest flood at Index, Arkansas in recorded history at the gauging location, eclipsed only by the flood of record of 34.4 feet in 1938 and 32.3 feet in 1990. The river fell below the 28 foot major flood stage on June 8th. 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 at Index, Arkansas crested again at 26.6 feet on June 27th and fell below the 25 foot flood stage on June 29th. USDA estimated that more than 41,474 acres of pasture land were inundated. In addition, row crop inundation was 27,474 acres with 9,000 acres of wheat, 9,000 acres of soybean, 8,000 acres of corn, 1,000 acres of grain sorghum and 500 acres of rice also inundated across Bowie County. The crop and pasture land losses totaled $28,435,670. County roads, culverts and bridge repairs totaled $1,025,343. Hundreds of livestock having to be evacuated as well. 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. 200 homes were affected by the flood waters with a total of 45 homes inundated with water. Nearly 40 homes in the Wamba, Texas community alone were damaged by the flood. The United States Highway 259 bridge, Hwy 8 bridge and the Hwy. 71 bridge going over the Red River were closed. U.S. Hwy. 59 north of Interstate 30, Farm to Market Roads 559, 1397 and 2253 were also closed.

Wider weather episode

Excessive heavy rainfall during the month of May resulted in very high river levels on the Red River which borders Red River and Bowie Counties in Northeast Texas.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.6804, -94.7454)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 577757. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.