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Weather Forecast Office Tulsa, OK

Arkansas Red-Basin River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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About this graph

Tabular Data (UTC)

Tabular Data (CDT)

Datum: Not Available

Metadata

NOTE: River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

NOTE: Forecasts for the Arkansas River at Van Buren are issued routinely year-round.

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Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet)

Major Flood Stage:	31
Moderate Flood Stage:	26
Flood Stage:	22
Action Stage:	22
Low Stage (in feet):	-9999

Historic Crests
(1) 40.79 ft on 06/01/2019
(2) 40.26 ft on 05/28/2019 (P)
(3) 38.10 ft on 04/16/1945
(4) 38.00 ft on 05/12/1943
(5) 37.30 ft on 11/03/1941
Show More Historic Crests

(P): Preliminary values subject to further review.

Recent Crests
(1) 24.98 ft on 06/11/2022
(2) 23.63 ft on 06/09/2022
(3) 27.33 ft on 05/06/2022
(4) 26.88 ft on 04/29/2021 (P)
(5) 24.09 ft on 05/26/2020
Show More Recent Crests

(P): Preliminary values subject to further review.

Low Water Records
Currently none available.

For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov.

Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers

Zoom Level:14

	Gauge Location	Disclaimer
Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

If you notice any errors in the below information, please contact our Webmaster
40	near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. Approaches to the Highway 71B Midland bridge and I-540 bridge may be covered by high water. The Highway 64 bridge approach in Oklahoma is flooded. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. This approaches the flood of record from June 1, 2019 when the river crested at 40.79 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
38	near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. The Highway 64 bridge approach in Oklahoma is flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
37	near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Moffett is cut off from access. This exceeds conditions which occurred on May 5, 1990 when the river crested at 36.1 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
35	very damaging flooding occurs along the Arkansas River floodplain. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Old US 64 in Moffett becomes impassible. This is comparable to the December 30, 2015 flood when the river crested at 34.63 feet and May 5, 1990 when the river crested at 36.1 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
33	damaging flooding occurs along the Arkansas River floodplain from Moffett, Oklahoma downstream to Lock and Dam 13. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Some residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Moffet City Hall is threatened by high water. This will approach the December 30, 2015 flood when the river crested at 34.63 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
31	extensive flooding occurs to industrial businesses in the floodplain around Fort Smith. Flooding occurs in Moffett, Oklahoma. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks near Lee Creek. Some residential subdivisions in the floodplain around Fort Smith begin to flood. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
29	flooding of sand and gravel companies and other businesses occurs along the river. Some backwater flooding occurs in the roads and trailer parks near Lee Creek. The staff at the Kelley Park amphitheater may be covered by high water. Minor flooding begins in Moffett, Oklahoma.
28	flooding affects sand and gravel companies, marine terminals, and similar businesses along the river. Backwater flooding of roads and trailer parks occurs next to Lee Creek. Much of the seating areas of the Kelley Park amphitheater are covered by high water.
27	extensive lowland flooding occurs east of the I-540 bridge to Vache Grasse Creek. Sand and gravel companies, marine terminals, and similar businesses in the floodplain begin to flood. The lowest seating rows in the Kelley Park amphitheater are covered by high water.
26	extensive lowland flooding occurs from the I-540 bridge downstream to Vache Grasse Creek. Sand and gravel companies and marine terminals in the floodplain along the river should take precautions. The lowest seating rows of the amphitheater at Kelley Park may be covered by high water.
25	extensive agricultural lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from Van Buren downstream to Lavaca. Hickman Bluff Road and Highway 255 west of Lavaca will flood. Some rural roads near Lavaca are impassable. Much of Kelley Park northwest of downtown Fort Smith is flooded.
24	minor lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from the I-540 bridge east towards Lavaca. Some rural roads near Lavaca may be impassable. Parts of Kelley Park northwest of downtown Fort Smith experience minor flooding.
23	minor lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from the I-540 bridge east towards Lavaca.
22	minor lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from the I-540 bridge east towards Lavaca.
Photos (1) downstream

About This Location

Latitude: 35.431389° N, Longitude: 94.356111° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84

River Stage Reference Frame	Gauge Height	Flood Stage	Uses
NWS stage	0 ft	22 ft	Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps
Vertical Datum	Elevation (gauge height = 0)	Elevation (gauge height = flood stage)	Elevation information source
NAVD88	372.57 ft	394.57 ft	Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps
NGVD 29	372.36 ft	394.36 ft	Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks
MSL	Not Available	Not Available	Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks
Other	Not Available	Not Available

Current/Historical Observations:

Additional Information

River flow forecast can be found at the following link: http://www.weather.gov/images/abrfc/lwr_ark/VAN_BUREN_QT.gif

Resources

Hydrologic Resources

Additional Resources

Collaborative Agencies

The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here.

NWS Information

National Weather Service
Tulsa Weather Forecast Office
10159 E. 11th St. Suite 300
Tulsa, OK 74128
(918) 838-7838
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Page last modified: 30-Oct-2020 4:09 PM

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