1 flood insurance claims·$0 paid·3 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms dominates the flood risk in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 40 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 17 general flood events resulting in one additional death.
Severe weather events are frequently driven by slow-moving cold fronts or high atmospheric moisture that causes storms to train repeatedly over the same areas. For example, on May 25, 2016, slow-moving thunderstorms dropped five to seven inches of rain in less than four hours across northwestern Pushmataha County and northeastern Atoka County, leading to moderate flooding of the Kiamichi River near Antlers. Similarly, on July 5, 2017, thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall of three to five inches, with some areas exceeding eight inches.
Properties situated near rivers and streams, as well as those prone to rapid accumulation from intense rainfall, should pay the most attention to local flood risks. Federal Emergency Management Agency records for the county indicate a single claim in the unshaded Zone X, which logged an average payout of $0 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9 NOAA storm reports from Pushmataha County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Oklahoma flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 14, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 8, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 7, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 30, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Flooding | Dec 26, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 5, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 5, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
57 since 1996: 40 flash floods and 17 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 25, 2016 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Dec 29, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Dec 28, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Nov 27, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 19, 2021. Thunderstorms developed across portions of southeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of the 19th. A very moist air mass across the region and weak wind flow aloft resulted in slow-moving thunderstorms that produced very heavy rainfall, some of which resulted in flash flooding.
Flood · May 1, 2019. Multiple rounds of thunderstorm activity moved across eastern Oklahoma on April 30th into the morning hours of May 1st as a cold front slowly moved through the area. Atmospheric moisture was unseasonably high and steering currents were parallel to the front, both of which contributed to widespread, heavy rainfall as thunderstorms were very efficient rain-producers and tended to move repeatedly over the same areas.…
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2017. Thunderstorms developed over southeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of July 5th, as a slow moving cold front moved into the area. These thunderstorms produced locally heavy rainfall of three to five inches across much of southeastern Oklahoma, with areas of rain exceeding eight inches observed. This heavy rainfall resulted in some flash flooding.
Flood · May 25, 2016. Slow-moving thunderstorms resulted in widespread two to four inches of rain across southeastern Oklahoma during the early morning hours of May 25th. Northwestern portions of Pushmataha County and northeastern Atoka County received between five and seven inches of rain in less than four hours that morning. This excessive rainfall resulted in moderate flooding of the Kiamichi River near Antlers.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Pushmataha County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.