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Arkansas River at Tulsa

Highest listed crest 25.21 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft129 crests since 1905

The Arkansas River at Tulsa crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 129 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1905 to 2019. The highest, 25.21 ft on October 5, 1986, was major flooding, 7.21 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.21 ft
October 5, 1986; 307,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
4
56th of 92 gauges in Oklahoma
Most recent flood crest
May 29, 2019
23.51 ft, major flooding
Location
Tulsa County
Near Tulsa (5.9 mi), Sand Springs (7.0 mi), Jenks (10.0 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Arkansas River at Tulsa
Action stage15.013Jun 13, 1995The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.06Jul 4, 1951Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.02May 21, 1957Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.04May 29, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

129 crests from 1905 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Tulsa, 1905 to 2019 51015202530ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Jun 3, 1905: 7.10 ft, below flood stageSep 20, 1906: 8.00 ft, below flood stageJan 22, 1907: 12.40 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1908: 21.80 ft, moderate floodingOct 23, 1908: 15.70 ft, action stageNov 17, 1909: 9.50 ft, below flood stageAug 7, 1911: 14.20 ft, below flood stageApr 29, 1912: 16.40 ft, action stageMay 6, 1913: 6.70 ft, below flood stageMay 5, 1914: 10.20 ft, below flood stageMay 25, 1915: 14.80 ft, below flood stageJun 15, 1916: 11.60 ft, below flood stageJun 8, 1917: 7.00 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 1918: 8.10 ft, below flood stageJun 16, 1919: 9.80 ft, below flood stageSep 9, 1920: 11.50 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 1921: 12.00 ft, below flood stageApr 10, 1922: 14.70 ft, below flood stageJun 13, 1923: 22.80 ft, major flooding; 244,000 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1923: 12.50 ft, below flood stageApr 28, 1925: 5.90 ft, below flood stageOct 7, 1926: 14.30 ft, below flood stage; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1927: 16.40 ft, action stage; 114,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1927: 12.40 ft, below flood stage; 86,800 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1927: 13.10 ft, below flood stage; 95,800 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1928: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 65,500 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1928: 11.00 ft, below flood stage; 71,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1929: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 62,100 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1929: 10.90 ft, below flood stage; 69,500 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1929: 11.10 ft, below flood stage; 72,100 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1929: 9.10 ft, below flood stage; 50,600 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1929: 9.80 ft, below flood stage; 57,900 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1929: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 62,100 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1930: 9.50 ft, below flood stage; 55,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1935: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 73,200 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1935: 12.30 ft, below flood stage; 85,600 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1935: 10.70 ft, below flood stage; 67,700 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1938: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 61,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1938: 12.55 ft, below flood stage; 94,800 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1940: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 143,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1941: 10.25 ft, below flood stage; 66,200 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 1941: 12.35 ft, below flood stage; 85,400 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1941: 14.42 ft, below flood stage; 116,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1942: 10.59 ft, below flood stage; 76,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1942: 12.95 ft, below flood stage; 96,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1942: 11.30 ft, below flood stage; 76,800 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1942: 17.70 ft, action stage; 139,000 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1942: 10.46 ft, below flood stage; 74,400 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1943: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 70,500 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1943: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 173,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1944: 13.12 ft, below flood stage; 102,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1944: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 172,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1944: 10.08 ft, below flood stage; 63,500 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1944: 11.85 ft, below flood stage; 84,900 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1945: 10.69 ft, below flood stage; 64,700 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1945: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1945: 10.33 ft, below flood stage; 61,300 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1945: 19.70 ft, minor flooding; 165,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1947: 17.94 ft, action stage; 151,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1947: 11.83 ft, below flood stage; 87,600 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1947: 9.32 ft, below flood stage; 55,900 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1948: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 67,100 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1948: 10.38 ft, below flood stage; 65,900 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1948: 9.70 ft, below flood stage; 58,000 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1948: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 58,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1949: 10.63 ft, below flood stage; 72,000 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1949: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 50,800 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1949: 16.44 ft, action stage; 123,000 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1950: 10.98 ft, below flood stage; 75,700 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1951: 9.73 ft, below flood stage; 57,700 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1951: 14.73 ft, below flood stage; 135,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1951: 13.30 ft, below flood stage; 111,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1951: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 61,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1951: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 102,000 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1951: 18.70 ft, minor flooding; 149,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1951: 14.18 ft, below flood stage; 123,000 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1953: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1954: 8.88 ft, below flood stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1955: 12.47 ft, below flood stage; 56,300 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1955: 12.87 ft, below flood stage; 60,700 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1955: 11.73 ft, below flood stage; 54,500 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1955: 14.97 ft, below flood stage; 97,600 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1957: 12.06 ft, below flood stage; 59,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1957: 21.53 ft, moderate flooding; 235,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1957: 15.08 ft, action stage; 112,000 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1957: 12.63 ft, below flood stage; 74,800 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1957: 14.83 ft, below flood stage; 107,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1957: 15.90 ft, action stage; 135,000 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1957: 15.88 ft, action stage; 119,000 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1958: 11.53 ft, below flood stage; 62,200 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1958: 12.12 ft, below flood stage; 68,300 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1959: 12.90 ft, below flood stage; 78,800 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1959: 22.00 ft, major flooding; 246,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1961: 17.32 ft, action stage; 164,000 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1961: 16.76 ft, action stage; 154,000 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1961: 13.36 ft, below flood stage; 93,100 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1961: 14.53 ft, below flood stage; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1962: 11.93 ft, below flood stage; 65,800 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1963: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 32,900 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1964: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1964: 12.24 ft, below flood stage; 84,700 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1967: 7.65 ft, below flood stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1968: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 32,600 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1969: 9.10 ft, below flood stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1970: 9.21 ft, below flood stage; 45,400 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1971: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1973: 12.52 ft, below flood stage; 82,300 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1973: 12.52 ft, below flood stage; 82,300 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1973: 13.03 ft, below flood stage; 89,000 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1974: 13.63 ft, below flood stage; 101,000 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1976: 5.59 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1977: 7.75 ft, below flood stage; 34,700 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1978: 6.39 ft, below flood stage; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1979: 7.78 ft, below flood stage; 33,500 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1980: 8.65 ft, below flood stage; 39,700 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1982: 11.33 ft, below flood stage; 62,800 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1983: 9.26 ft, below flood stage; 46,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1984: 11.16 ft, below flood stage; 67,900 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1985: 7.74 ft, below flood stage; 29,900 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1985: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 48,200 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1986: 25.21 ft, major flooding; 307,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1988: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 48,000 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1989: 9.27 ft, below flood stage; 41,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1990: 9.05 ft, below flood stage; 37,300 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1991: 5.45 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1993: 17.45 ft, action stage; 149,000 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1995: 15.90 ft, action stage; 127,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2019: 14.49 ft, below flood stage; 98,343 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2019: 23.51 ft, major flooding; 277,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.21 ft, Oct 5, 1986 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Tulsa 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 5 5 1950s: 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 129 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River at Tulsa
1Oct 5, 198625.21+7.21Major307,000
2May 29, 201923.51+5.51Major277,000
3Jun 13, 192322.80+4.80Major244,000
4Oct 5, 195922.00+4.00Major246,000
5May 28, 190821.80+3.80Moderate—
6May 21, 195721.53+3.53Moderate235,000
7Oct 1, 194519.70+1.70Minor165,000
8May 20, 194319.50+1.50Minor173,000
9Apr 26, 194419.50+1.50Minor172,000
10Jul 4, 195118.70+0.70Minor149,000
11Apr 18, 194518.40+0.40Minor140,000
12Sep 4, 194018.20+0.20Minor143,000
13Apr 16, 194717.94−0.06Action151,000
14Jun 25, 194217.70−0.30Action139,000
15May 14, 199317.45−0.55Action149,000
16May 9, 196117.32−0.68Action164,000
17Sep 15, 196116.76−1.24Action154,000
18May 20, 194916.44−1.56Action123,000
19Apr 29, 191216.40−1.60Action—
20Apr 13, 192716.40−1.60Action114,000
21Jun 26, 195715.90−2.10Action135,000
22Jun 13, 199515.90−2.10Action127,000
23Jul 2, 195715.88−2.12Action119,000
24Oct 23, 190815.70−2.30Action—
25May 25, 195715.08−2.92Action112,000
26Oct 6, 195514.97−3.03Below flood stage97,600
27Jun 12, 195714.83−3.17Below flood stage107,000
28May 25, 191514.80−3.20Below flood stage—
29May 21, 195114.73−3.27Below flood stage135,000
30Apr 10, 192214.70−3.30Below flood stage—
31Nov 4, 196114.53−3.47Below flood stage114,000
32May 14, 201914.49−3.51Below flood stage98,343
33Oct 30, 194114.42−3.58Below flood stage116,000
34Oct 7, 192614.30−3.70Below flood stage113,000
35Aug 7, 191114.20−3.80Below flood stage—
36Jul 17, 195114.18−3.82Below flood stage123,000
37Nov 6, 197413.63−4.37Below flood stage101,000
38Oct 12, 196113.36−4.64Below flood stage93,100
39May 25, 195113.30−4.70Below flood stage111,000
40Apr 12, 194413.12−4.88Below flood stage102,000
41Aug 5, 192713.10−4.90Below flood stage95,800
42Oct 13, 197313.03−4.97Below flood stage89,000
43Apr 21, 194212.95−5.05Below flood stage96,000
44Sep 26, 195912.90−5.10Below flood stage78,800
45May 29, 195512.87−5.13Below flood stage60,700
46Jun 27, 195112.86−5.14Below flood stage102,000
47Jun 2, 195712.63−5.37Below flood stage74,800
48May 25, 193812.55−5.45Below flood stage94,800
49Mar 15, 197312.52−5.48Below flood stage82,300
50May 15, 197312.52−5.48Below flood stage82,300

The worst floods along the Arkansas River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Arkansas River that crested above flood stage within a week.

October 5, 1986: 25.21 ft here, major flooding

May 29, 2019: 23.51 ft here, major flooding

  • Ozark L/D TailwaterAR · May 30, 2019 · 374.99 ft · Major · its highest
  • Toad Suck Lock and DamAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 285.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • MuskogeeOK · May 26, 2019 · 46.39 ft · Major
  • DardanelleAR · May 30, 2019 · 45.91 ft · Major · its highest
  • MorriltonAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 43.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • Van BurenAR · Jun 1, 2019 · 40.79 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · Jun 5, 2019 · 29.71 ft · Major
  • HaskellOK · May 29, 2019 · 24.24 ft · Major
  • Ponca CityOK · May 24, 2019 · 22.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • RalstonOK · May 23, 2019 · 22.14 ft · Major

June 13, 1923: 22.80 ft here, major flooding

  • RalstonOK · Jun 11, 1923 · 23.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • MuskogeeOK · Jun 14, 1923 · 31.80 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Arkansas River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Arkansas River
Arkansas CityKS11.020.91 ft, May 9, 20190
DardanelleAR32.045.91 ft, May 30, 20195
DerbyKS12.016.60 ft, Nov 2, 19981
Great BendKS12.017.70 ft, Jun 15, 19810
HutchinsonKS8.013.85 ft, Apr 2, 19730
Little RockAR23.034.60 ft, Jun 17, 183329
MorriltonAR30.043.03 ft, Jun 4, 201910
OxfordKS17.026.85 ft, Nov 2, 19982
Ozark L/D TailwaterAR357.0374.99 ft, May 30, 20197
PendletonAR31.037.63 ft, Jun 6, 20194
Pine BluffAR42.052.10 ft, May 28, 19436
RalstonOK16.023.00 ft, Jun 11, 192310
Toad Suck Lock and DamAR275.0285.40 ft, Jun 4, 20195
Tulsa this gaugeOK18.025.21 ft, Oct 5, 19864
Van BurenAR22.040.79 ft, Jun 1, 201918
HaskellOK19.026.02 ft, Jan 1, 19802
HavenKS10.013.08 ft, May 8, 20079
Kinsley 2EKS12.017.60 ft, Jun 21, 19651
MulvaneKS16.520.90 ft, Nov 2, 19980
MuskogeeOK28.048.20 ft, May 21, 194311
Ponca CityOK17.022.26 ft, May 24, 20191

Other gauges in Tulsa County

Flood gauges in Tulsa County
Owasso18.034.00 ft, Oct 25, 19089
Sperry21.032.60 ft, Oct 3, 195915
Collinsville26.039.80 ft, May 21, 19437
Tulsa 12SE / 101st St. Bridge16.022.77 ft, May 21, 20190
Jenks17.025.00 ft, Jun 8, 19742

Tulsa County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Oklahoma

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TLSO2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.