Will The Red River Flow Over Bridges Between Texas and Oklahoma?

While it's easy to put all of your focus on the flooding that is probably happening locally to wherever you are in Southwest Oklahoma, heavy rains in the Texas Red River watershed could be ramping up for an even bigger problem along the Oklahoma border.

One curious Okie-turned-Texan named Gary Branigan recently found himself on the Red River down South of Hollis, Oklahoma. What he found was something to behold.

Now you can see why they call it the Red River...

Having spent so many summers there growing up, this is the most water I've ever seen in the Red River South of Hollis. And his comments on the "new" river bridge are bang-on. The old iron bridge was terrifyingly beautiful in its own rusty, photogenic sort of way.

What are the odds of the Red River flooding out of its banks?

While there are some pretty narrow spots in the river along our shared border with Texas, the Red River is a really wide basin. Up to a mile in some areas, though most stretch between 1/4 & 1/2 miles in width.

If you calculate that the average flood stage is 25 feet, it amounts to a massive amount of water that would be required to flood.

That being said, it has happened before, but flood warnings are happening now in narrow portions of the river basin.

Even if it manages to rise out of its banks between now and when this severe weather cycle takes a break early next week, could it overflow some of the lower bridges?

Odds are slim.

As pointed out in Gary's video, a lot of the older Red River bridges have been replaced over the last twenty or thirty years. Brought up to modern codes, including taller heights.

Still, flood waters from this river sprawl well beyond the lands that are lower than the surrounding roads and bridges... but as they say, never say never.