Loading Is the Arkansas River Going to Flood?…
The live Arkansas River height at the National Weather Service gauge at Van Buren, against the official flood thresholds.
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Fort Smith sits where the Arkansas and Poteau rivers meet, and the Arkansas River has flooded the city before — most recently in the record flood of 2019. This page reads the live river height at the National Weather Service gauge at Van Buren, just across the river, and shows it against the official flood thresholds, so you can tell at a glance whether the river is normal, rising toward action stage, or into flooding.
Below flood stage
The river is below flood stage right now. Reading from August 23 at 7:00 PM.
These are the official National Weather Service flood thresholds for this gauge. The row the current reading sits in is marked.
| Level | Stage | |
|---|---|---|
| Major flooding | 31 ft | |
| Moderate flooding | 26 ft | |
| Minor flooding | 22 ft | |
| Action stage | 22 ft |
The river is below all of these right now.
Below flood stage, 19 ft, forecast as of August 25 at 1:00 AM.
In late May and early June 2019 the Arkansas River rose to a record 40.79 feet at this gauge (1 June 2019), past the prior record of 38.1 feet set in 1945. The flood damaged around 500 Fort Smith homes and swamped riverside parks and neighbourhoods. Flood stage at this gauge is 22 feet; the river reaches moderate flooding at 26 feet and major flooding at 31 feet.
The gauge is at Van Buren, directly across the Arkansas River from Fort Smith. The two cities face the same river flood — when the number here climbs, it is the same water rising against both banks, so this reading is the one to watch on the Fort Smith side too.
Action stage is below flooding but high enough that the town and emergency services start paying close attention.
Minor flooding means some low-lying roads and land near the river start to go under.
Moderate flooding reaches more roads, property and low ground.
Major flooding is extensive — the most serious category this gauge reports.
These words describe the river, not what you should do. Decisions about closing flood gates or leaving home come from the town and emergency services — follow them.
Record crest: 41 ft on May 31, 2019.
National Weather Service, Tulsa & local emergency services · More information
In any flooding emergency, call 911. The National Weather Service issues the official flood watches and warnings for the Arkansas River — this page reads its gauge but is not itself a warning service. Never drive into water over a road: turn around, don't drown.
Reading from August 23 at 7:44 PM. Data: NOAA National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) (water.noaa.gov, public domain). Official gauge page: water.noaa.gov.
Below flood stage
19 ft at the gauge