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Canadian River at Purcell

Highest listed crest 14.75 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft22 crests since 1960

The Canadian River at Purcell crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1960 to 2025. The highest, 14.75 ft on May 29, 1987, was major flooding, 2.75 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Canadian River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.75 ft
May 29, 1987; 102,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
5
46th of 92 gauges in Oklahoma
Most recent flood crest
May 24, 2015
13.30 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Cleveland County
Oklahoma

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Canadian River at Purcell
Action stage11.08Apr 30, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.01May 8, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.02May 24, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.05Aug 22, 2007Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

22 crests from 1960 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Canadian River at Purcell, 1960 to 2025 810121416ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Jul 13, 1960: 11.20 ft, action stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1982: 14.50 ft, major flooding; 50,500 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1987: 14.75 ft, major flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1990: 11.58 ft, action stage; 31,700 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1991: 11.13 ft, action stage; 27,300 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 14.42 ft, major flooding; 84,100 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1995: 14.00 ft, major floodingJun 5, 1995: 11.88 ft, action stage; 30,700 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1995: 13.40 ft, moderate floodingAug 3, 1996: 10.62 ft, below flood stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1996: 9.21 ft, below flood stage; 11,721 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1998: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2004: 9.93 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2005: 8.76 ft, below flood stage; 7,830 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2005: 8.19 ft, below flood stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2007: 14.12 ft, major flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2008: 11.43 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 11.53 ft, action stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2015: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 25,900 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2015: 13.30 ft, moderate flooding; 36,700 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2019: 11.82 ft, action stage; 19,500 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2025: 11.88 ft, action stage; 20,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.75 ft, May 29, 1987 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Canadian River at Purcell 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Canadian River at Purcell
1May 29, 198714.75+2.75Major102,000
2May 19, 198214.50+2.50Major50,500
3May 9, 199314.42+2.42Major84,100
4Aug 22, 200714.12+2.12Major50,000
5May 26, 199514.00+2.00Major—
6Jun 10, 199513.40+1.40Moderate—
7May 24, 201513.30+1.30Moderate36,700
8May 8, 201512.45+0.45Minor25,900
9Jun 5, 199511.88−0.12Action30,700
10Apr 30, 202511.88−0.12Action20,200
11May 22, 201911.82−0.18Action19,500
12May 3, 199011.58−0.42Action31,700
13Jun 1, 201311.53−0.47Action15,300
14Apr 10, 200811.43−0.57Action16,700
15Jul 13, 196011.20−0.80Action26,000
16Dec 20, 199111.13−0.87Action27,300
17Nov 2, 199810.74−1.26Below flood stage20,100
18Aug 3, 199610.62−1.38Below flood stage17,700
19Mar 6, 20049.93−2.07Below flood stage11,200
20Sep 21, 19969.21−2.79Below flood stage11,721
21Jun 14, 20058.76−3.24Below flood stage7,830
22Oct 7, 20058.19−3.81Below flood stage5,070

The worst floods along the Canadian River

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

May 29, 1987: 14.75 ft here, major flooding

  • CalvinOK · May 29, 1987 · 20.88 ft · Minor

May 19, 1982: 14.50 ft here, major flooding

May 9, 1993: 14.42 ft here, major flooding

  • BridgeportOK · May 9, 1993 · 17.32 ft · Major
  • CalvinOK · May 10, 1993 · 20.32 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Canadian River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Canadian River
BridgeportOK14.021.03 ft, Aug 19, 20078
MustangOK22.027.22 ft, Aug 20, 20071
NormanOK94.099.98 ft, Aug 21, 20071
Purcell this gaugeOK12.014.75 ft, May 29, 19875
CalvinOK20.026.00 ft, Aug 7, 19063

Other gauges in Cleveland County

Flood gauges in Cleveland County
Norman94.099.98 ft, Aug 21, 20071

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRCO2, 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.