81
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$307K
Property damage
Flash Flood in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma: 81 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #268 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Pittsburg County is the 2010s, when 28 of the county's 81 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Pittsburg County archive, flash flood makes up 8.7% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #268 for this hazard and #8 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 91.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flash flood in Pittsburg County with 18 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 11, 2020 | ASHLAND | 0 | 1 | 0 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2025 | HAILEYVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 2025 | CRAIG | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2024 | HARTSHORNE | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | MC ALESTER | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 28, 2024 | NORTH MC ALESTER | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 2023 | HAILEYVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2023 | CANADIAN | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | MC ALESTER | 0 | $0 |
| May 4, 2021 | NORTH MC ALESTER | 0 | $25K |
| Sep 1, 2020 | MC ALESTER | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pittsburg County
- Hail 432
- Thunderstorm Wind 319
- Tornado 87
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Portions of several roads were flooded across southwestern Pittsburg County, as a result of three to five inches of rain that fell across the area. A 58 year-old man drove his pickup truck into deep flood water flowing over S Harper Valley Road, where it became inoperable. He exited the vehicle, was swept downstream by the rapidly flowing water, and was drowned.
The Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office reported Highway 113 between Canadian and Indianola flooded, as well as Highway 69 in the Canadian area. Numerous other roads in the northern portion of the county were closed due to flooding. Some of those roads, along with tin horns and even a bridge, were washed out.
Numerous roads were flooded in and around McAlester, Arpelar, and Alderson as well as across the rural areas of the county. Flood water entered at least one home in McAlester. Several water rescues were conducted as motorists became stranded in flood water.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma?
81 flash flood events are recorded in Pittsburg County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Pittsburg County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Pittsburg County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Pittsburg County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/pittsburg-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.