FORT SMITH - Meteorologists with the National Weather Service Tulsa forecast office say they expect the Arkansas River to crest early Saturday afternoon, according to the latest data coming from their Van Buren based rain gauge.
As of 7:00 AM (Friday), the water level registered at 40.51 feet, headed for an expected crest of 40.8 feet Saturday afternoon around 1:00 PM. This shatters the April 16th, 1945 record of 38.10 feet, and leaves the event widely regarded as a 500-year flood event.
According to the National Weather Service, much of the revised forecast comes from recent rainfall that fell with several lines of thunderstorms that moved through the area.
The measurements for river levels are taken below the Midland Boulevard bridge in downtown Van Buren.
