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Arkansas River at Pine Bluff

Highest listed crest 52.10 ftFlood stage 42.0 ft23 crests since 1941

The Arkansas River at Pine Bluff crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1941 to 2019. The highest, 52.10 ft on May 28, 1943, was major flooding, 10.10 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Arkansas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
52.10 ft
May 28, 1943; 553,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
42.0 ft
Major flooding from 45.0 ft
Crests at major
6
30th of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
June 6, 2019
50.86 ft, major flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Pine Bluff (5.5 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 Pine Bluff
Action stage40.02May 15, 1993The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)42.09May 14, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage44.02Oct 13, 1986Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage45.06Jun 6, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1941 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Arkansas River at Pine Bluff, 1941 to 2019 3540455055ft Flood stage 42.0 ftMajor 45.0 ft Apr 25, 1941: 42.80 ft, minor flooding; 296,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1943: 52.10 ft, major flooding; 553,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1957: 50.74 ft, major floodingApr 26, 1973: 44.70 ft, moderate floodingNov 28, 1973: 42.60 ft, minor floodingDec 5, 1982: 42.30 ft, minor floodingOct 13, 1986: 44.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 9, 1990: 47.70 ft, major flooding; 403,000 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1991: 35.70 ft, below flood stageDec 18, 1992: 40.20 ft, action stageMay 15, 1993: 41.85 ft, action stage; 255,000 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 1994: 37.98 ft, below flood stageJun 18, 1995: 42.41 ft, minor flooding; 270,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2000: 38.84 ft, below flood stageDec 19, 2001: 38.91 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 2008: 42.75 ft, minor flooding; 291,025 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2008: 43.75 ft, minor flooding; 318,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2009: 42.40 ft, minor flooding; 281,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 43.31 ft, minor flooding; 306,596 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2015: 43.15 ft, minor flooding; 302,202 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2015: 45.96 ft, major floodingJan 2, 2016: 46.24 ft, major floodingJun 6, 2019: 50.86 ft, major flooding Highest, 52.10 ft, May 28, 1943 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Arkansas River at Pine Bluff 1940s: 2 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 5 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 49.90 ft on Apr 21, 1927.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Arkansas River at Pine Bluff
1May 28, 194352.10+10.10Major553,000
2Jun 6, 201950.86+8.86Major—
3May 31, 195750.74+8.74Major—
4May 9, 199047.70+5.70Major403,000
5Jan 2, 201646.24+4.24Major—
6Jun 4, 201545.96+3.96Major—
7Apr 26, 197344.70+2.70Moderate—
8Oct 13, 198644.00+2.00Moderate—
9Apr 14, 200843.75+1.75Minor318,000
10Apr 29, 201143.31+1.31Minor306,596
11May 14, 201543.15+1.15Minor302,202
12Apr 25, 194142.80+0.80Minor296,000
13Mar 22, 200842.75+0.75Minor291,025
14Nov 28, 197342.60+0.60Minor—
15Jun 18, 199542.41+0.41Minor270,000
16May 9, 200942.40+0.40Minor281,800
17Dec 5, 198242.30+0.30Minor—
18May 15, 199341.85−0.15Action255,000
19Dec 18, 199240.20−1.80Action—
20Dec 19, 200138.91−3.09Below flood stage—
21Jun 24, 200038.84−3.16Below flood stage—
22Nov 7, 199437.98−4.02Below flood stage—
23Nov 21, 199135.70−6.30Below flood stage—

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 28, 1943: 52.10 ft here, major flooding

  • MuskogeeOK · May 21, 1943 · 48.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • Little RockAR · May 27, 1943 · 30.05 ft · Major

June 6, 2019: 50.86 ft here, major flooding

May 31, 1957: 50.74 ft here, major flooding

  • MorriltonAR · May 27, 1957 · 39.55 ft · Major
  • MuskogeeOK · May 26, 1957 · 39.03 ft · Major
  • Van BurenAR · May 28, 1957 · 35.97 ft · Major
  • Little RockAR · May 31, 1957 · 27.87 ft · Major

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 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 Bluff this gaugeAR42.052.10 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PBFA4, 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.