Flooding on the
North Canadian River

The North Canadian River had five different gages exceed flood stage as a result of the heavy rainfall August 18-19. Some of the gages went into major flood stage, and Watonga even set a record crest in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 19th. El Reno also set a record crest early in the afternoon of Monday August 20th, a record that had been held since 1965. The North Canadian River at Watonga rose from 8.10 feet to 19.70 feet in only 4 hours. All five of the gages experienced crests that were in the top five highest of all time at their respective stations.

The "impact descriptions" provided were taken from the AHPS website and describe theoretical conditions at a certain river stage at a given location.

Watonga

 
  EXCEEDED BANKFULL:  08/19  330AM   EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE:  08/19 345AM
  CRESTED:  19.70 FT  08/19  530AM
  RECORD FLOODING OCCURRED
  IMPACT DESCRIPTION: AT 20 FEET...FLOODING OF MOSTLY CROPLANDS...
                      PASTURES...AND RURAL ROADS OCCURS. RURAL FLOODING 
                      EXTENDS FROM NEAR WATONGA IN BLAINE COUNTY...DOWNSTREAM 
                      TO NEAR CALUMET IN WESTERN CANADIAN COUNTY. THE 
                      NORTHWEST EDGE OF THE TOWN OF GREENFIELD MAY SEE 
                      SHALLOW DEPTHS. NO OTHER TOWNS WILL BE AFFECTED. 

  NOTES:              THE CREST OF 19.70 FEET BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF
                      19.24 FEET WHICH WAS SET ON OCTOBER 3 1986. THE RIVER
                      AT WATONGA ROSE 11.6 FEET IN THE FOUR HOURS PRIOR TO 
                      CRESTING...A RATE OF NEARLY 3 FEET PER HOUR.

El Reno

 
  EXCEEDED BANKFULL:  08/19  530AM   EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE:  08/19 800AM
  CRESTED:  23.33 FT  08/20  100PM
  RECORD FLOODING OCCURRED
  IMPACT DESCRIPTION: AT 23 FEET...FLOOD DEPTHS SEEN IN EL RENO AND NEARBY 
                      RAILYARDS ARE THE MOST SEVERE SINCE SEPTEMBER 1965. IN 
                      CANADIAN COUNTY...OVERFLOWS COVER APPROXIMATELY 30
                      SQUARE MILES. FLOOD DEPTHS VARYING UP TO 6 FEET ARE 
                      DESTRUCTIVE TO SUBURBAN AND RURAL RESIDENCES AND 
                      PROPERTIES BETWEEN EL RENO AND YUKON. OTHER AREAS ARE 
                      ISOLATED BY LIFE-THREATENING FLOWS ON LOCAL ROADS. 

  NOTES:              THE CREST OF 23.33 FEET BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF
                      22.22 FEET WHICH WAS SET ON SEPTEMBER 21 1965. 

Yukon

Pictures were taken near the Overholster Dam, just downstream of the Yukon river gage, unless otherwise indicated

 
  EXCEEDED BANKFULL:  08/19  630AM   EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE:  08/19 230PM
  CRESTED:  16.51 FT  08/21  430AM
  MODERATE FLOODING OCCURRED
  IMPACT DESCRIPTION: AT 16 FEET...FLOODING OR ISOLATION OF SUBURBAN HOME 
                      SITES AND RURAL AREAS ALONG THE NORTH CANADIAN RIVER 
                      VALLEY OCCURS...FROM NEAR BANNER ROAD TO THE HEADWATERS 
                      OF LAKE OVERHOLSER. THE GARTH BROOKS AVENUE CROSSING 
                      NORTHWEST OF TOWN IS CLOSED BY FLOODWATERS. LOW-LYING 
                      RURAL ROADS ARE CLOSED BY FLOOD DEPTHS NEAR 4 FEET WITH 
                      DANGEROUSLY SWIFT CURRENTS. 

  NOTES:              THE CREST OF 16.51 FEET IS THE THIRD HIGHEST ALL TIME 
                      AT YUKON. THE RECORD...19.20 FEET...WAS SET ON 
                      JUNE 10 1995. AN INITIAL CREST OF 16.21 FEET OCCURRED 
                      ON AUGUST 19TH. THE RIVER THEN FELL AND CRESTED AGAIN
                      AT 16.51 FEET ON AUGUST 21ST. THE INITIAL CREST OF 16.21
                      FEET WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST ALL TIME.

Oklahoma City

 
  EXCEEDED BANKFULL:  08/19  645AM   EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE:  08/19 700AM
  CRESTED:  22.38 FT  08/22  630AM
  MODERATE FLOODING OCCURRED
  IMPACT DESCRIPTION: AT 22 FEET...CROPLANDS... PASTURES... AND RURAL ROADS 
                      EAST OF OKLAHOMA CITY NEAR THE TOWNS OF SPENCER AND 
                      JONES ARE INUNDATED BY SIGNIFICANT OVERFLOW DEPTHS. 
                      SPENCER IS NOT AFFECTED BY FLOODWATERS...WHILE SHALLOW 
                      FLOODING MAY REACH THE OUTSKIRTS OF JONES.  

  NOTES:              THE CREST OF 22.38 FEET IS THE FOURTH HIGHEST ALL TIME 
                      AT OKLAHOMA CITY. THE RECORD...24.80 FEET...WAS SET ON 
                      MAY 9 1993. AN INITIAL CREST OF 22.09 FEET OCCURRED ON 
                      AUGUST 19TH. THE RIVER THEN FELL AND CRESTED AGAIN AT
                      22.38 FEET ON AUGUST 22ND. THE INITIAL CREST OF 22.09
                      FEET WAS THE FIFTH HIGHEST ALL TIME.

Harrah

    
  EXCEEDED BANKFULL:  08/19 1130AM   EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE:  08/19 200PM
  CRESTED:  19.20 FT  08/23  300AM
  MAJOR FLOODING OCCURRED
  IMPACT DESCRIPTION: AT 19 FEET...SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AFFECTS AGRICULTURAL 
                      AREAS AND RURAL ROADS IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA COUNTY...THE 
                      SOUTHWEST CORNER OF LINCOLN COUNTY...AND NORTHWESTERN 
                      POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY.  

  NOTES:              THE CREST OF 19.20 FEET IS THE FOURTH HIGHEST ALL TIME 
                      AT HARRAH. THE RECORD...21.90 FEET...WAS SET ON 
                      MAY 9 1993.