WFO Tulsa Hydrology Page

To issue these river forecasts, local NWS offices rely upon forecast guidance generated by a regional NWS River Forecast Center (RFC). The RFCs use complex hydrologic computer models to forecast rivers. NWS Tulsa is serviced by two RFCs, the co-located Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center (ABRFC) and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) in Slidell, Louisiana.

• Record December 2015 Flooding 
• 30th Anniversary of the 1984 Tulsa Memorial Day Flood
• Franklin County flood services from NWS Tulsa as of Feb. 5, 2014
• Past significant flooding event summaries
• Hydrology and Climate Monthly Summaries and Highlights 
• Record April 2011 Flooding 04/21-27/11
• Turn Around, Don't Drown! - Learn about Flash Flooding 
• Join CoCoRaHS CoCoRaHS is a volunteer network of rain, snow, and hail observers

Most of the forecast points in the NWS Tulsa area have telemetered river gage equipment. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) own and/or maintain the vast majority of these river gages.

• Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service - Recent observations and forecasts, as well as station information, for area rivers and lakes.
• River observations and forecast graphs for mobile phones
• River and Lake level Summary
• Daily River 7am Stage and Forecast

The forecasts of river stages is generated by complex computer models at the RFCs which incorporate many factors. The local NWS offices receive these river stage forecasts from the RFCs and generate public products under several headings:

• River Flood Warning an initial product warning interests that a river is forecast to rise above flood stage.
• River Flood Statement a followup product which updates a River Flood Warning.
• River Advisory a product which provides information when a river is forecast to reach Action Stage but expected to remain below Flood Stage.
• River Statement a product which provides information when a river is not forecast to reach Flood Stage.
• RRS feeds available
• Hydrology and Monthly Climate Summaries and Highlights

Precipitation data is vital to river forecasting. Local NWS offices must supply the RFCs with precipitation data to input into their computer models. The ABRFC and the LMRFC precipitation gage data is blended with precipitation estimates from a network of WSR-88D radars to produce cumulative precipitation maps. This processed data is one of the main inputs into the RFC's hydrologic model.

• Current and Archived Precipitation for Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas
• Current Hourly Precipitation Analysis
• Current Rainfall Reports
• Recent Rainfall from the Oklahoma Mesonet

In the past, river forecasts were made strictly on the basis of rainfall which had occurred. Today, river forecasts incorporate quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) into the hydrologic model, as well. This has led to more accurate river forecasts, especially in the fall and winter months, when areal rainfall tends to be more uniform.

• WFO Tulsa QPF
• Reasonable-Worst Case Rainfall Forecast
• ABRFC QPF
• LMRFC QPF
• Long-range climate information

• Current 7-Day Risk Analysis for Flash Flooding and Heavy Rainfall
• Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service - Comprehensive river and rainfall information
• 5-Day River Flood Outlook for Eastern Oklahoma and West Central Arkansas
• 5-Day River Flood Outlook for Northwest Arkansas
• Short-Term Ensemble River Forecasts
• Tulsa Flash Flood Prone Streets
• City of Tulsa Flood Control Information
• Spring Flood Outlook
• Information on past significant flood events in Oklahoma and Arkansas

• Drought Information for Eastern Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas
• Local Drought Information Statement
• Arkansas-Red River Forecast Center Drought Briefing
• National Drought Information
• Oklahoma Drought Information (Oklahoma Mesonet)
• Weekly/Monthly Drought Briefings from the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (SCIPP)
• Submit a report on how drought is affecting you

• Flood Safety Information
• Turn Around Don't Drown! (National)
• Turn Around Don't Drown! (Local)
• FloodSmart
• FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) - Strengthening Homes and Safeguarding Families
• The USGS and COE operate most of their stream gages on a cooperative basis with other Federal, state, and local agencies that fund individual gaging stations for agency-specific projects or regulatory needs. For more information, see the USGS fact sheets, "Stream Gaging and Flood Forecasting, a Partnership of the USGS and the NWS" and "Streamflow Information for the Nation."
• National Flood Insurance Program (FEMA)
• Glossary of Hydrologic Terms
• Hydrology Job Information (pdf, 1.8Mb)
• Learn about the water cycle with this video
• How to read a wire-weight river gage video

• Arkansas-Red River Forecast Center
• Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Tulsa District
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Real-time Streamflow Data for Oklahoma or Arkansas)
• Oklahoma Water Resources Board
•          - Floodplain Viewer
• Oklahoma Floodplain Managers Association
• Arkansas Floodplain Managers Association
• Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM)
• Oklahoma Emergency Management Association (OEMA)
• Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM)
• City of Tulsa Flood Control Information
• City of Tulsa Flood History
• GRDA Scenic Rivers Operations (including link to FloatCam on Illinois River)
• Illinois River Watershed Partnership