Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Arkansas River at Dardanelle

Highest listed crest 45.91 ftFlood stage 32.0 ft23 crests since 1973

The Arkansas River at Dardanelle crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1973 to 2019. The highest, 45.91 ft on May 30, 2019, was major flooding, 13.91 feet above flood stage. 18 other gauges on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 6 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
45.91 ft
May 30, 2019
Flood stage
32.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
5
36th of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
May 30, 2019
45.91 ft, major flooding
Location
Pope County
Near Russellville (3.6 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Arkansas River at Dardanelle
Action stage32.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)32.07Apr 27, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage36.04May 28, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.05May 30, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1973 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Dardanelle, 1973 to 2019 20304050ft Flood stage 32.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Apr 23, 1973: 40.50 ft, major floodingDec 3, 1982: 40.02 ft, major floodingOct 10, 1986: 38.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 4, 1990: 41.60 ft, major flooding; 433,000 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1991: 26.57 ft, below flood stage; 176,000 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1992: 33.00 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1993: 33.30 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 1993: 33.60 ft, minor floodingNov 6, 1994: 27.47 ft, below flood stage; 180,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1995: 33.38 ft, minor flooding; 205,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1996: 23.01 ft, below flood stage; 138,000 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1996: 30.23 ft, below flood stage; 221,000 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1998: 32.91 ft, minor flooding; 259,000 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1999: 26.04 ft, below flood stage; 199,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2000: 27.42 ft, below flood stage; 217,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2002: 29.65 ft, below flood stageMar 19, 2008: 34.85 ft, minor flooding; 292,821 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2008: 36.27 ft, moderate flooding; 314,046 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2011: 34.52 ft, minor flooding; 288,037 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2015: 37.00 ft, moderate flooding; 324,996 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2015: 37.73 ft, moderate floodingDec 29, 2015: 40.83 ft, major floodingMay 30, 2019: 45.91 ft, major flooding Highest, 45.91 ft, May 30, 2019 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Dardanelle 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 4 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 43.00 ft on Apr 19, 1927; 44.10 ft on May 25, 1943; 43.15 ft on Apr 19, 1945; 43.40 ft on May 30, 1957.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River at Dardanelle
1May 30, 201945.91+13.91Major—
2May 4, 199041.60+9.60Major433,000
3Dec 29, 201540.83+8.83Major—
4Apr 23, 197340.50+8.50Major—
5Dec 3, 198240.02+8.02Major—
6Oct 10, 198638.00+6.00Moderate—
7May 28, 201537.73+5.73Moderate—
8May 12, 201537.00+5.00Moderate324,996
9Apr 11, 200836.27+4.27Moderate314,046
10Mar 19, 200834.85+2.85Minor292,821
11Apr 27, 201134.52+2.52Minor288,037
12May 13, 199333.60+1.60Minor—
13Jun 16, 199533.38+1.38Minor205,000
14Jan 5, 199333.30+1.30Minor—
15Dec 16, 199233.00+1.00Minor—
16Jan 6, 199832.91+0.91Minor259,000
17Nov 26, 199630.23−1.77Below flood stage221,000
18Apr 9, 200229.65−2.35Below flood stage—
19Nov 6, 199427.47−4.53Below flood stage180,000
20Jun 23, 200027.42−4.58Below flood stage217,000
21Oct 29, 199126.57−5.43Below flood stage176,000
22Jul 6, 199926.04−5.96Below flood stage199,000
23Apr 24, 199623.01−8.99Below flood stage138,000

The worst floods along the Arkansas River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Arkansas River that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 30, 2019: 45.91 ft here, major flooding

  • Ozark L/D TailwaterAR · May 30, 2019 · 374.99 ft · Major · its highest
  • Toad Suck Lock and DamAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 285.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • Pine BluffAR · Jun 6, 2019 · 50.86 ft · Major
  • MuskogeeOK · May 26, 2019 · 46.39 ft · Major
  • MorriltonAR · Jun 4, 2019 · 43.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • Van BurenAR · Jun 1, 2019 · 40.79 ft · Major · its highest
  • PendletonAR · Jun 6, 2019 · 37.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · Jun 5, 2019 · 29.71 ft · Major
  • HaskellOK · May 29, 2019 · 24.24 ft · Major
  • TulsaOK · May 29, 2019 · 23.51 ft · Major

May 4, 1990: 41.60 ft here, major flooding

December 29, 2015: 40.83 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Arkansas River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Arkansas River
Arkansas CityKS11.020.91 ft, May 9, 20190
Dardanelle this gaugeAR32.045.91 ft, May 30, 20195
DerbyKS12.016.60 ft, Nov 2, 19981
Great BendKS12.017.70 ft, Jun 15, 19810
HutchinsonKS8.013.85 ft, Apr 2, 19730
Little RockAR23.034.60 ft, Jun 17, 183329
MorriltonAR30.043.03 ft, Jun 4, 201910
OxfordKS17.026.85 ft, Nov 2, 19982
Ozark L/D TailwaterAR357.0374.99 ft, May 30, 20197
PendletonAR31.037.63 ft, Jun 6, 20194
Pine BluffAR42.052.10 ft, May 28, 19436
RalstonOK16.023.00 ft, Jun 11, 192310
Toad Suck Lock and DamAR275.0285.40 ft, Jun 4, 20195
TulsaOK18.025.21 ft, Oct 5, 19864
Van BurenAR22.040.79 ft, Jun 1, 201918
HaskellOK19.026.02 ft, Jan 1, 19802
HavenKS10.013.08 ft, May 8, 20079
Kinsley 2EKS12.017.60 ft, Jun 21, 19651
MulvaneKS16.520.90 ft, Nov 2, 19980
MuskogeeOK28.048.20 ft, May 21, 194311
Ponca CityOK17.022.26 ft, May 24, 20191

Pope County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Arkansas

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DARA4, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.