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Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva

Highest listed crest 15.49 ftFlood stage 14.5 ft60 crests since 1904

The Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva crested above flood stage 8 times among the 60 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1904 to 2025. The highest, 15.49 ft on May 26, 2019, was minor flooding, 0.99 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Salt Fork Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.49 ft
May 26, 2019; 15,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.5 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
0
8 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 26, 2019
15.49 ft, minor flooding
Location
Woods County
Oklahoma

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva
Action stage10.052Aug 29, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.58May 26, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

60 crests from 1904 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva, 1904 to 2025 1012141618ft Flood stage 14.5 ftMajor 18.0 ft Jul 7, 1904: 14.50 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 1938: 12.51 ft, action stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1938: 10.70 ft, action stage; 8,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1938: 12.95 ft, action stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1938: 13.42 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1938: 12.00 ft, action stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1940: 10.98 ft, action stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1941: 14.08 ft, action stage; 27,000 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1942: 12.00 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1944: 12.60 ft, action stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1945: 12.20 ft, action stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1945: 13.65 ft, action stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1947: 12.10 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1948: 13.26 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1948: 13.20 ft, action stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1949: 14.43 ft, action stage; 26,200 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1949: 12.00 ft, action stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1949: 12.87 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1949: 12.12 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1949: 12.77 ft, action stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1950: 12.65 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1951: 12.84 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1951: 13.52 ft, action stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1957: 10.60 ft, action stageOct 30, 1979: 15.04 ft, minor flooding; 9,230 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1981: 13.15 ft, action stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1982: 13.62 ft, action stage; 6,620 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1983: 12.52 ft, action stage; 4,270 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1985: 13.74 ft, action stage; 6,950 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1985: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1987: 14.91 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1989: 14.07 ft, action stage; 7,970 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1993: 12.28 ft, action stageJul 14, 1993: 12.57 ft, action stage; 4,920 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1996: 12.68 ft, action stage; 4,464 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1996: 12.45 ft, action stage; 4,074 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1997: 13.89 ft, action stage; 6,120 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1998: 12.21 ft, action stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1999: 11.43 ft, action stageNov 1, 1999: 14.83 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2000: 14.42 ft, action stage; 9,040 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2000: 14.70 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2000: 12.94 ft, action stage; 5,040 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 2002: 12.32 ft, action stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2004: 12.44 ft, action stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2005: 11.81 ft, action stage; 4,070 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2006: 11.05 ft, action stage; 3,420 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2007: 12.57 ft, action stage; 5,010 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2008: 11.07 ft, action stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2009: 10.20 ft, action stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2010: 11.10 ft, action stage; 3,440 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2013: 10.53 ft, action stage; 2,870 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2015: 10.36 ft, action stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2018: 14.53 ft, minor flooding; 8,010 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2019: 14.32 ft, action stage; 7,920 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 13.14 ft, action stage; 5,290 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2019: 15.49 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2023: 12.14 ft, action stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2025: 12.51 ft, action stage; 4,570 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2025: 10.37 ft, action stage; 2,750 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.49 ft, May 26, 2019 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 60 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva
1May 26, 201915.49+0.99Minor15,000
2Oct 10, 198515.24+0.74Minor12,800
3Oct 30, 197915.04+0.54Minor9,230
4Mar 24, 198714.91+0.41Minor11,000
5Nov 1, 199914.83+0.33Minor11,600
6May 26, 200014.70+0.20Minor10,200
7Oct 9, 201814.53+0.03Minor8,010
8Jul 7, 190414.500.00Minor—
9May 16, 194914.43−0.07Action26,200
10Mar 24, 200014.42−0.08Action9,040
11May 8, 201914.32−0.18Action7,920
12Oct 23, 194114.08−0.42Action27,000
13Jun 12, 198914.07−0.43Action7,970
14Apr 11, 199713.89−0.61Action6,120
15May 1, 198513.74−0.76Action6,950
16Sep 28, 194513.65−0.85Action16,200
17Jul 10, 198213.62−0.88Action6,620
18Jun 30, 195113.52−0.98Action21,700
19May 23, 193813.42−1.08Action22,300
20Jun 28, 194813.26−1.24Action12,500
21Aug 14, 194813.20−1.30Action15,200
22May 9, 198113.15−1.35Action5,510
23May 21, 201913.14−1.36Action5,290
24May 19, 193812.95−1.55Action19,900
25Oct 25, 200012.94−1.56Action5,040
26Jun 13, 194912.87−1.63Action16,000
27May 17, 195112.84−1.66Action17,500
28Sep 11, 194912.77−1.73Action15,400
29Aug 3, 199612.68−1.82Action4,464
30Jul 28, 195012.65−1.85Action10,700
31Apr 22, 194412.60−1.90Action13,500
32Jul 14, 199312.57−1.93Action4,920
33Jun 15, 200712.57−1.93Action5,010
34Jun 11, 198312.52−1.98Action4,270
35Apr 27, 193812.51−1.99Action17,000
36Jun 6, 202512.51−1.99Action4,570
37Sep 20, 199612.45−2.05Action4,074
38Mar 5, 200412.44−2.06Action4,780
39Oct 4, 200212.32−2.18Action4,610
40May 9, 199312.28−2.22Action—
41May 25, 199812.21−2.29Action3,520
42Jun 26, 194512.20−2.30Action8,900
43Jul 21, 202312.14−2.36Action4,050
44Sep 4, 194912.12−2.38Action11,500
45Jun 21, 194712.10−2.40Action10,100
46May 31, 193812.00−2.50Action14,500
47Oct 3, 194212.00−2.50Action14,000
48Jun 8, 194912.00−2.50Action11,000
49Jun 13, 200511.81−2.69Action4,070
50Jul 2, 199911.43−3.07Action—

The worst floods along the Salt Fork Arkansas River

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

May 26, 2019: 15.49 ft here, minor flooding

  • TonkawaOK · May 22, 2019 · 26.67 ft · Major

March 24, 1987: 14.91 ft here, minor flooding

  • TonkawaOK · Mar 24, 1987 · 19.49 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Salt Fork Arkansas River

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

Flood gauges on the Salt Fork Arkansas River
Alva this gaugeOK14.515.49 ft, May 26, 20190
TonkawaOK17.028.98 ft, Oct 11, 19739

Other gauges in Woods County

Flood gauges in Woods County
Buffalo9.09.74 ft, May 9, 20190
Waynoka8.015.10 ft, May 16, 19572

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge AVAO2, 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.