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Arkansas River near Muskogee

Highest listed crest 48.20 ftFlood stage 28.0 ft176 crests since 1923

The Arkansas River near Muskogee crested at major flood stage 11 times among the 176 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1923 to 2026. The highest, 48.20 ft on May 21, 1943, was major flooding, 20.20 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
48.20 ft
May 21, 1943; 700,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
28.0 ft
Major flooding from 34.0 ft
Crests at major
11
21st of 92 gauges in Oklahoma
Most recent flood crest
June 25, 2026
28.21 ft, minor flooding
Location
Muskogee County
Near Muskogee (3.8 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 near Muskogee
Action stage27.012Jul 7, 2026The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)28.058Jun 25, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage32.05Jun 24, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage34.011May 30, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

176 crests from 1923 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River near Muskogee, 1923 to 2026 1020304050ft Flood stage 28.0 ftMajor 34.0 ft Jun 14, 1923: 31.80 ft, minor floodingSep 7, 1926: 23.40 ft, below flood stage; 142,000 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1926: 31.40 ft, minor flooding; 248,000 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1927: 23.80 ft, below flood stage; 145,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1927: 36.50 ft, major flooding; 325,000 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1927: 24.80 ft, below flood stage; 157,000 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1927: 24.90 ft, below flood stage; 160,000 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1927: 23.20 ft, below flood stage; 139,000 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1927: 25.30 ft, below flood stage; 163,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1928: 20.00 ft, below flood stage; 103,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1928: 23.00 ft, below flood stage; 137,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1928: 27.90 ft, action stage; 197,000 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1928: 26.00 ft, below flood stage; 172,000 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1928: 20.00 ft, below flood stage; 103,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1929: 21.00 ft, below flood stage; 114,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1929: 25.10 ft, below flood stage; 162,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1929: 29.80 ft, minor flooding; 222,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1929: 23.00 ft, below flood stage; 137,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1929: 31.50 ft, minor flooding; 249,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1929: 31.40 ft, minor flooding; 248,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1929: 22.10 ft, below flood stage; 128,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1929: 22.90 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1929: 20.10 ft, below flood stage; 105,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1930: 20.90 ft, below flood stage; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1930: 22.70 ft, below flood stage; 136,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1931: 16.00 ft, below flood stage; 63,000 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1931: 19.20 ft, below flood stage; 95,300 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1932: 21.50 ft, below flood stage; 121,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1933: 25.10 ft, below flood stage; 165,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1934: 14.90 ft, below flood stage; 57,200 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1934: 19.90 ft, below flood stage; 103,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1935: 23.20 ft, below flood stage; 141,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1935: 30.80 ft, minor flooding; 243,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1935: 23.60 ft, below flood stage; 146,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1935: 30.80 ft, minor flooding; 243,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1935: 29.80 ft, minor flooding; 229,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1935: 28.00 ft, minor flooding; 204,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1935: 21.40 ft, below flood stage; 120,000 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1936: 19.54 ft, below flood stage; 98,000 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1936: 21.55 ft, below flood stage; 122,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1937: 19.67 ft, below flood stage; 100,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1937: 20.46 ft, below flood stage; 109,000 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1937: 23.25 ft, below flood stage; 141,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1937: 22.47 ft, below flood stage; 133,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1938: 21.39 ft, below flood stage; 108,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1938: 24.79 ft, below flood stage; 149,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1938: 23.78 ft, below flood stage; 135,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1938: 21.11 ft, below flood stage; 105,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1939: 18.20 ft, below flood stage; 77,800 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1940: 24.68 ft, below flood stage; 161,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1941: 32.72 ft, moderate flooding; 248,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1941: 29.09 ft, minor flooding; 195,000 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1941: 20.99 ft, below flood stage; 100,000 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1941: 27.39 ft, action stage; 173,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1941: 25.85 ft, below flood stage; 151,000 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1941: 26.00 ft, below flood stage; 153,000 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1941: 37.23 ft, major flooding; 304,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1942: 27.42 ft, action stage; 176,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1942: 24.13 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1942: 29.56 ft, minor flooding; 211,000 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1942: 28.97 ft, minor flooding; 198,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 21.28 ft, below flood stage; 115,000 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1943: 38.32 ft, major flooding; 340,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1943: 48.20 ft, major flooding; 700,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1943: 22.35 ft, below flood stage; 122,000 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1944: 20.91 ft, below flood stage; 111,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1944: 27.44 ft, action stage; 187,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1944: 26.06 ft, below flood stage; 171,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1944: 27.64 ft, action stage; 189,000 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1944: 19.68 ft, below flood stage; 103,000 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1944: 21.08 ft, below flood stage; 116,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1945: 22.99 ft, below flood stage; 131,000 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1945: 21.29 ft, below flood stage; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1945: 36.65 ft, major flooding; 326,000 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1945: 20.89 ft, below flood stage; 115,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1945: 30.67 ft, minor flooding; 231,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1947: 27.31 ft, action stage; 196,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1947: 25.19 ft, below flood stage; 156,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1947: 22.39 ft, below flood stage; 128,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1947: 22.36 ft, below flood stage; 128,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1948: 30.25 ft, minor flooding; 224,000 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1948: 28.62 ft, minor flooding; 203,000 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1948: 24.10 ft, below flood stage; 145,000 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1948: 21.04 ft, below flood stage; 112,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1949: 22.62 ft, below flood stage; 137,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1949: 28.27 ft, minor flooding; 208,000 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1949: 22.97 ft, below flood stage; 121,000 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1950: 23.15 ft, below flood stage; 141,000 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1950: 23.46 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1950: 25.10 ft, below flood stage; 157,000 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1950: 20.68 ft, below flood stage; 107,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1951: 23.20 ft, below flood stage; 144,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1951: 22.68 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1951: 30.83 ft, minor flooding; 242,000 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1951: 31.40 ft, minor flooding; 240,000 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1951: 21.23 ft, below flood stage; 111,000 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 1951: 17.71 ft, below flood stage; 83,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1953: 15.99 ft, below flood stage; 66,600 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1954: 15.83 ft, below flood stage; 63,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1955: 18.16 ft, below flood stage; 87,200 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1955: 20.28 ft, below flood stage; 110,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1957: 19.86 ft, below flood stage; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1957: 31.85 ft, minor flooding; 259,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1957: 39.03 ft, major flooding; 366,000 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1958: 20.54 ft, below flood stage; 110,000 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1958: 22.66 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1959: 22.04 ft, below flood stage; 125,000 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1959: 34.00 ft, major flooding; 286,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1960: 20.62 ft, below flood stage; 114,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1961: 32.70 ft, moderate flooding; 295,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1961: 23.05 ft, below flood stage; 132,000 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1961: 26.87 ft, below flood stage; 183,000 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1961: 20.15 ft, below flood stage; 101,000 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1961: 23.82 ft, below flood stage; 158,000 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1962: 15.38 ft, below flood stage; 60,300 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1964: 18.87 ft, below flood stage; 96,400 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1965: 20.25 ft, below flood stage; 109,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1965: 11.80 ft, below flood stage; 28,900 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1967: 17.59 ft, below flood stage; 76,400 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1968: 17.12 ft, below flood stage; 73,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1969: 18.72 ft, below flood stage; 94,900 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1970: 19.29 ft, below flood stage; 92,400 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1986: 39.60 ft, major floodingMay 9, 1993: 30.51 ft, minor flooding; 29 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1998: 28.30 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 1999: 28.80 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 1999: 28.60 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 1999: 28.80 ft, minor floodingJul 1, 1999: 28.10 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2007: 28.63 ft, minor flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2007: 29.76 ft, minor flooding; 143,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2007: 30.72 ft, minor flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2007: 31.62 ft, minor flooding; 176,000 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2008: 29.06 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2008: 28.45 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 28.38 ft, minor flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2008: 30.72 ft, minor flooding; 139,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 28.32 ft, minor flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2008: 29.75 ft, minor flooding; 131,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2008: 29.66 ft, minor flooding; 136,000 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2008: 28.33 ft, minor flooding; 111,000 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2008: 28.43 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2008: 28.18 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2009: 28.40 ft, minor flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2009: 28.39 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2013: 28.20 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 2015: 28.64 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2015: 32.39 ft, moderate floodingJun 14, 2015: 28.07 ft, minor flooding; 122,260 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 35.41 ft, major floodingApr 22, 2017: 26.86 ft, below flood stage; 107,856 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2017: 28.21 ft, minor flooding; 123,927 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2017: 28.83 ft, minor flooding; 131,972 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2017: 28.16 ft, minor flooding; 123,332 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 30.69 ft, minor flooding; 159,482 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2017: 28.35 ft, minor flooding; 125,656 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2017: 28.35 ft, minor flooding; 125,656 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2017: 28.31 ft, minor flooding; 125,130 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2019: 29.14 ft, minor flooding; 136,958 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2019: 28.94 ft, minor flooding; 134,004 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2019: 46.39 ft, major flooding; 600,000 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2019: 46.00 ft, major floodingJun 7, 2019: 32.63 ft, moderate flooding; 183,699 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2019: 29.49 ft, minor flooding; 139,016 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2019: 33.07 ft, moderate flooding; 190,434 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2019: 28.29 ft, minor flooding; 123,532 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2022: 29.61 ft, minor flooding; 155,124 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2025: 25.92 ft, below flood stage; 109,834 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2025: 29.29 ft, minor flooding; 152,771 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2025: 27.99 ft, action stage; 142,142 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2025: 27.17 ft, action stage; 129,502 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2025: 27.74 ft, action stage; 138,288 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2025: 27.26 ft, action stage; 130,889 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2026: 28.21 ft, minor flooding; 143,978 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2026: 27.88 ft, action stage; 140,446 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2026: 27.36 ft, action stage; 132,431 cubic feet per second Highest, 48.20 ft, May 21, 1943 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River near Muskogee 1920s: 6 1930s: 4 1940s: 12 1950s: 5 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 6 2000s: 16 2010s: 20 20 2020s: 3 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 176 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River near Muskogee
1May 21, 194348.20+20.20Major700,000
2May 26, 201946.39+18.39Major600,000
3May 30, 201946.00+18.00Major—
4Oct 6, 198639.60+11.60Major—
5May 26, 195739.03+11.03Major366,000
6May 11, 194338.32+10.32Major340,000
7Oct 31, 194137.23+9.23Major304,000
8Apr 18, 194536.65+8.65Major326,000
9Apr 15, 192736.50+8.50Major325,000
10Dec 29, 201535.41+7.41Major—
11Oct 7, 195934.00+6.00Major286,000
12Jun 24, 201933.07+5.07Moderate190,434
13Apr 21, 194132.72+4.72Moderate248,000
14May 9, 196132.70+4.70Moderate295,000
15Jun 7, 201932.63+4.63Moderate183,699
16May 30, 201532.39+4.39Moderate—
17May 22, 195731.85+3.85Minor259,000
18Jun 14, 192331.80+3.80Minor—
19Jul 6, 200731.62+3.62Minor176,000
20May 15, 192931.50+3.50Minor249,000
21Oct 6, 192631.40+3.40Minor248,000
22May 20, 192931.40+3.40Minor248,000
23Jul 17, 195131.40+3.40Minor240,000
24Jul 5, 195130.83+2.83Minor242,000
25May 9, 193530.80+2.80Minor243,000
26Jun 9, 193530.80+2.80Minor243,000
27Jun 23, 200730.72+2.72Minor140,000
28Jun 10, 200830.72+2.72Minor139,000
29May 20, 201730.69+2.69Minor159,482
30Oct 1, 194530.67+2.67Minor231,000
31May 9, 199330.51+2.51Minor29
32Jun 24, 194830.25+2.25Minor224,000
33Apr 23, 192929.80+1.80Minor222,000
34Jun 17, 193529.80+1.80Minor229,000
35Jun 17, 200729.76+1.76Minor143,000
36Jun 19, 200829.75+1.75Minor131,000
37Jun 26, 200829.66+1.66Minor136,000
38May 5, 202229.61+1.61Minor155,124
39Apr 28, 194229.56+1.56Minor211,000
40Jun 11, 201929.49+1.49Minor139,016
41Jun 15, 202529.29+1.29Minor152,771
42May 8, 201929.14+1.14Minor136,958
43Jun 12, 194129.09+1.09Minor195,000
44Apr 11, 200829.06+1.06Minor114,000
45Jun 25, 194228.97+0.97Minor198,000
46May 19, 201928.94+0.94Minor134,004
47May 4, 201728.83+0.83Minor131,972
48Apr 27, 199928.80+0.80Minor—
49May 23, 199928.80+0.80Minor—
50May 24, 201528.64+0.64Minor—

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.

May 21, 1943: 48.20 ft here, major flooding

  • Pine BluffAR · May 28, 1943 · 52.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · May 27, 1943 · 30.05 ft · Major
  • HaskellOK · May 20, 1943 · 22.30 ft · Moderate
  • RalstonOK · May 20, 1943 · 18.12 ft · Moderate
  • TulsaOK · May 20, 1943 · 19.50 ft · Minor

May 26, 2019: 46.39 ft here, major flooding

  • Ozark L/D TailwaterAR · May 30, 2019 · 374.99 ft · Major · its highest
  • DardanelleAR · May 30, 2019 · 45.91 ft · Major · its highest
  • Van BurenAR · Jun 1, 2019 · 40.79 ft · Major · its highest
  • HaskellOK · May 29, 2019 · 24.24 ft · Major
  • TulsaOK · May 29, 2019 · 23.51 ft · Major
  • Ponca CityOK · May 24, 2019 · 22.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • RalstonOK · May 23, 2019 · 22.14 ft · Major
  • HavenKS · May 22, 2019 · 12.81 ft · Major
  • OxfordKS · May 23, 2019 · 21.53 ft · Moderate
  • Arkansas CityKS · May 28, 2019 · 20.48 ft · Moderate

May 30, 2019: 46.00 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
  • Pine BluffAR · Jun 6, 2019 · 50.86 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
  • PendletonAR · Jun 6, 2019 · 37.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · Jun 5, 2019 · 29.71 ft · Major
  • HaskellOK · May 29, 2019 · 24.24 ft · Major
  • TulsaOK · May 29, 2019 · 23.51 ft · Major

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
TulsaOK18.025.21 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
Muskogee this gaugeOK28.048.20 ft, May 21, 194311
Ponca CityOK17.022.26 ft, May 24, 20191

Other gauges in Muskogee County

Flood gauges in Muskogee County
Haskell19.026.02 ft, Jan 1, 19802

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MKGO2, 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.