Arkansas River at Tulsa water level

Name: Arkansas River at Tulsa water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Arkansas River, Oklahoma, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.39ft Down 0.33 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:30 PM CDT (42 min ago)

Water temperature: 63 °F

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Arkansas River at Tulsa reads 3.39 ft, a normal level.

It is 14.61 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.33 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.39 ft and 4.28 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns. The water temperature at the gauge is 63 °F.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 25.21 ftOctober 5, 1986

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 18.00 ft, still 14.61 ft away.

What happens at each level

26.00 ft: disastrous flooding occurs along the Arkansas River in Tulsa County. Many homes and businesses are flooded. The flooding exceeds the record flood of October 5, 1986 when the river crested at 25.2 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation. Road closures and inundation maps for Tulsa County can be found at www.cityoftulsa.org/.
24.00 ft: very severe flooding occurs along the Arkansas River in Tulsa County. Some homes and businesses in south Tulsa and Bixby are flooded. Riverside Drive in Tulsa is closed. This exceeds the flooding that occurred in May 2019 when the river crested at 23.5 feet. The record flood was on October 5, 1986 when the stage reached 25.2 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation. Road closures and inundation maps for Tulsa County can be found at www.cityoftulsa.org/.
22.00 ft: severe flooding occurs along the Arkansas River in Tulsa County. Some homes in parts of south Tulsa and Bixby may be flooded. Riverside Drive in Tulsa becomes impassable. This compares with the flood of October 5, 1959 when the stage reached 22.0 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation. Road closures and inundation maps for Tulsa County can be found at www.cityoftulsa.org/.
21.00 ft: moderate flooding occurs between Keystone Dam and Bixby. Riverside Drive in Tulsa is impassable at several locations. Homes and businesses in parts of south Tulsa and Bixby may be isolated by high water. The Town and Country neighborhood west of Sand Springs is flooded.
20.00 ft: moderate flooding occurs downstream towards south Tulsa and Bixby. Large sections of Riverside Park in Tulsa are flooded. Riverside Drive in Tulsa may be impassable at some locations.
19.00 ft: minor flooding occurs between Sand Springs and Bixby. Agricultural lands are flooded and local access roads near the river may be flooded. Stretches of Riverside Park in Tulsa are flooded. The Town and Country neighnorhood west of Sand Springs starts to be impacted.
18.00 ft: minor flooding occurs downstream along the Arkansas River between south Tulsa and Bixby. Agricultural lands are flooded and local roads approaching the river may be impassable. The old Texas and Pacific Railroad between Bixby and Leonard is flooded. Portions of Riverside Park in Tulsa may be flooded.
17.00 ft: minor flooding of agricultural lands and sod farms occurs along the Arkansas River around Bixby. The old Texas and Pacific Railroad between Bixby and Leonard may be flooded.
16.00 ft: minor flooding of agricultural lands and sod farms may occur along the Arkansas River around Bixby.
3.39 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.21 ft	October 5, 1986
2	23.51 ft	May 29, 2019
3	22.80 ft	June 13, 1923
4	22.00 ft	October 5, 1959
5	21.80 ft	May 28, 1908
6	21.53 ft	May 21, 1957
7	20.35 ft	May 19, 1957
8	19.80 ft	June 12, 1923
9	19.70 ft	October 1, 1945
10	19.50 ft	May 20, 1943

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.43 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 66° 40° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 67° 45° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 74° 49° 0.00 in Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 78° 58° 0.01 in Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 81° 62° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 80° 64° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 80° 63° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:45 PM Daylight 11 hr, 11 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Arkansas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River near MaizeRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.60 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	137 mi
Arkansas River at WichitaRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.72 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	127 mi
Arkansas River at DerbyRiver gauge, Arkansas River	0.79 ft	Very low	−0.07 ft	120 mi
Arkansas River at MulvaneRiver gauge, Arkansas River	5.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	115 mi
Arkansas River at Arkansas CityRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.10 ft	Low	−0.55 ft	84 mi
Arkansas River at RalstonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.89 ft	47 mi
Arkansas River at SH 344 near TulsaRiver gauge, Arkansas River	7.07 ft	No reference yet	−0.46 ft	2.8 mi
Arkansas River near HaskellRiver gauge, Arkansas River	2.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	30 mi
Arkansas River near MuskogeeRiver gauge, Arkansas River	18.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	47 mi
Arkansas River at GoreRiver gauge, Arkansas River	60.67 ft	Normal	+0.29 ft	65 mi
Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar.River gauge, Arkansas River	19,500 cfs	Normal	+14,630 cfs	102 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Joe Creek at 61st St at TulsaRiver gauge, Joe Creek	0.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	5.2 mi
Flat Rock Creek at Cincinnati Ave at TulsaRiver gauge, Flat Rock Creek	1.0 cfs	High	+0.1 cfs	5.2 mi
Coal Creek at TulsaRiver gauge, Coal Creek	3.1 cfs	High	−0.9 cfs	6 mi
Bird Creek near SperryRiver gauge, Bird Creek	1.35 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	10 mi
Bird Creek near OwassoRiver gauge, Bird Creek	4.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	11 mi
Little Haikey Creek at 101st St South at TulsaRiver gauge, Little Haikey Creek	0.3 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	12 mi
Bird Creek at State Highway 266 near CatoosaRiver gauge, Bird Creek	231 cfs	Normal	−18.0 cfs	12 mi
Haikey Creek at 101st St South at TulsaRiver gauge, Haikey Creek	4.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	12 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Arkansas River at Tulsa?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 14.61 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Arkansas River at Tulsa today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:30 PM CDT, the water level was 3.39 ft. Down 0.33 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Arkansas River at Tulsa rising or falling?

Down 0.33 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Arkansas River at Tulsa normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Arkansas River at Tulsa?

The highest level on record is 25.21 ft on October 5, 1986.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07164500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.14065, -96.00639 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.39 ft	2026-10-18 22:30	Provisional
Water temperature	63 °F	2026-10-18 22:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/12508?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Arkansas River at Tulsa water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Arkansas River at Tulsa (usgs:07164500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oklahoma/arkansas-river-at-tulsa

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer