Flood in Tulsa County, Oklahoma

The Arkansas River near Tulsa rose above its flood stage of 18 feet at 12:30 am CDT on May 22nd. The river crested at 23.41 feet at 3:00 pm CDT on the 29th, resulting in major flooding. This was the second highest crest on record. Severe flooding occurred along the Arkansas River in Tulsa County, with some homes in south Tulsa and Bixby flooded. Riverside Drive in Tulsa was closed in places. A man fell into the river in Tulsa on the 26th, and another waded into the river. Both men drowned. Monetary damage from this flood is unknown. The river remained above flood stage through the end of May, and finally fell below flood stage at 6:30 am CDT on June 1st.

A persistently active weather pattern, consisting of a deep trough over the western U. S. and ridging along the Gulf Coast and southeastern U. S., set the stage for numerous rounds of rainfall across the Southern Plains from May 18th through the end of the month. The atmospheric moisture remained unseasonably high during this period, resulting in very efficient rainfall-producing showers and thunderstorms. Antecedent conditions from the rainfall earlier this month and at the end of April meant that soil moisture was already high, and any additional rainfall would quickly become runoff. Antecedent river and lake levels were also above normal ahead of this active storm period. Six to sixteen inches of rain fell between May 18th and May 30th along and northwest of a line from near Okmulgee, OK to near Bentonville, AR, and three to five inches of rain fell southeast of this line. Widespread ten to sixteen inch amounts fell across portions of southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. During this period, six USACE Tulsa District flood control reservoirs set new pools of record in northeastern Oklahoma: Kaw, Keystone, Skiatook, Birch, Oologah, and Hudson Lakes.

The result was 31 river floods at 22 river forecast points in eastern Oklahoma. There was a total of 54 crests during those 31 floods, two of which were new records (Arkansas River near Ponca City, and Bird Creek at Avant), and 25 of which were crests in the major flood category. Fourteen of the 31 floods lasted seven days or more; eleven lasted ten days or more; two lasted fourteen days or more; and one lasted 21 days or more. The Arkansas River near Muskogee was above flood stage the longest at approximately 22 days and 5 hours, and was also above the major flood category the longest at approximately 13 days and 12 hours.