Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Arkansas River at Little Rock

Highest listed crest 34.60 ftFlood stage 23.0 ft47 crests since 1822

The Arkansas River at Little Rock crested at major flood stage 29 times among the 47 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1822 to 2019. The highest, 34.60 ft on June 17, 1833, was major flooding, 11.60 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.60 ft
June 17, 1833
Flood stage
23.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
29
4th of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
June 5, 2019
29.71 ft, major flooding
Location
Pulaski County
Near North Little Rock (2.9 mi), Little Rock (5.3 mi), Sherwood (8.0 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 Little Rock
Action stage18.07Jun 3, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)23.04Jan 2, 2016Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.02Dec 4, 1982Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.029Jun 5, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

47 crests from 1822 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Little Rock, 1822 to 2019 101520253035ft Flood stage 23.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Jun 10, 1822: 27.50 ft, major floodingJun 5, 1823: 28.50 ft, major floodingMar 18, 1825: 28.00 ft, major floodingMay 1, 1826: 29.20 ft, major floodingSep 22, 1826: 27.20 ft, major floodingJun 17, 1833: 34.60 ft, major floodingMay 6, 1840: 29.10 ft, major floodingApr 17, 1844: 29.60 ft, major floodingMay 25, 1844: 32.60 ft, major floodingFeb 23, 1857: 28.10 ft, major floodingMar 22, 1858: 29.60 ft, major floodingAug 1, 1866: 29.70 ft, major floodingMar 1, 1867: 28.30 ft, major floodingJul 7, 1876: 29.30 ft, major floodingJun 13, 1877: 30.50 ft, major floodingMay 28, 1878: 27.30 ft, major floodingFeb 16, 1884: 27.10 ft, major floodingMay 20, 1892: 27.90 ft, major floodingMay 11, 1898: 27.50 ft, major floodingJun 11, 1904: 27.80 ft, major floodingFeb 2, 1916: 27.30 ft, major floodingApr 20, 1927: 33.00 ft, major floodingJun 22, 1935: 28.18 ft, major floodingMay 16, 1943: 28.34 ft, major floodingMay 27, 1943: 30.05 ft, major floodingMay 5, 1944: 24.12 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 1945: 30.45 ft, major floodingMay 31, 1957: 27.87 ft, major flooding; 410,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1973: 26.22 ft, moderate floodingNov 27, 1973: 24.81 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1982: 25.00 ft, moderate flooding; 345,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1984: 17.14 ft, below flood stage; 164,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1985: 20.91 ft, action stage; 218,000 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1986: 23.30 ft, minor flooding; 308,000 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1987: 20.43 ft, action stageMay 8, 1990: 27.70 ft, major flooding; 406,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1991: 13.93 ft, below flood stage; 161,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1992: 18.81 ft, action stage; 225,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1993: 20.03 ft, action stage; 247,000 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1994: 14.84 ft, below flood stageJun 18, 1995: 20.02 ft, action stage; 246,000 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1996: 17.66 ft, below flood stage; 211,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2000: 15.13 ft, below flood stage; 195,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2015: 20.28 ft, action stage; 292,585 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2015: 22.89 ft, action stageJan 2, 2016: 24.93 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 2019: 29.71 ft, major flooding Highest, 34.60 ft, Jun 17, 1833 18401880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Little Rock 1820s: 5 5 1830s: 1 1840s: 3 1850s: 2 1860s: 2 1870s: 3 1880s: 1 1890s: 2 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 4 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 1820s1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s
  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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River at Little Rock
1Jun 17, 183334.60+11.60Major—
2Apr 20, 192733.00+10.00Major—
3May 25, 184432.60+9.60Major—
4Jun 13, 187730.50+7.50Major—
5Apr 21, 194530.45+7.45Major—
6May 27, 194330.05+7.05Major—
7Jun 5, 201929.71+6.71Major—
8Aug 1, 186629.70+6.70Major—
9Apr 17, 184429.60+6.60Major—
10Mar 22, 185829.60+6.60Major—
11Jul 7, 187629.30+6.30Major—
12May 1, 182629.20+6.20Major—
13May 6, 184029.10+6.10Major—
14Jun 5, 182328.50+5.50Major—
15May 16, 194328.34+5.34Major—
16Mar 1, 186728.30+5.30Major—
17Jun 22, 193528.18+5.18Major—
18Feb 23, 185728.10+5.10Major—
19Mar 18, 182528.00+5.00Major—
20May 20, 189227.90+4.90Major—
21May 31, 195727.87+4.87Major410,000
22Jun 11, 190427.80+4.80Major—
23May 8, 199027.70+4.70Major406,000
24Jun 10, 182227.50+4.50Major—
25May 11, 189827.50+4.50Major—
26May 28, 187827.30+4.30Major—
27Feb 2, 191627.30+4.30Major—
28Sep 22, 182627.20+4.20Major—
29Feb 16, 188427.10+4.10Major—
30Apr 24, 197326.22+3.22Moderate—
31Dec 4, 198225.00+2.00Moderate345,000
32Jan 2, 201624.93+1.93Minor—
33Nov 27, 197324.81+1.81Minor—
34May 5, 194424.12+1.12Minor—
35Oct 13, 198623.30+0.30Minor308,000
36Jun 3, 201522.89−0.11Action—
37Apr 2, 198520.91−2.09Action218,000
38Dec 29, 198720.43−2.57Action—
39May 13, 201520.28−2.72Action292,585
40May 14, 199320.03−2.97Action247,000
41Jun 18, 199520.02−2.98Action246,000
42Dec 17, 199218.81−4.19Action225,000
43Nov 26, 199617.66−5.34Below flood stage211,000
44Dec 23, 198417.14−5.86Below flood stage164,000
45Jun 24, 200015.13−7.87Below flood stage195,000
46Nov 6, 199414.84−8.16Below flood stage—
47Dec 23, 199113.93−9.07Below flood stage161,000

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.

April 20, 1927: 33.00 ft here, major flooding

  • Van BurenAR · Apr 16, 1927 · 36.70 ft · Major
  • MuskogeeOK · Apr 15, 1927 · 36.50 ft · Major

April 21, 1945: 30.45 ft here, major flooding

  • Van BurenAR · Apr 16, 1945 · 38.10 ft · Major
  • MuskogeeOK · Apr 18, 1945 · 36.65 ft · Major
  • RalstonOK · Apr 19, 1945 · 19.55 ft · Moderate
  • HaskellOK · Apr 18, 1945 · 20.37 ft · Minor
  • TulsaOK · Apr 18, 1945 · 18.40 ft · Minor

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
DardanelleAR32.045.91 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 Rock this gaugeAR23.034.60 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LITA4, 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.