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Black River at Corning

Highest listed crest 18.12 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft23 crests since 1918

The Black River at Corning crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1918 to 2017. The highest, 18.12 ft on April 28, 2011, was major flooding, 3.12 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Black River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.12 ft
April 28, 2011; 45,679 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
2
43rd of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
May 4, 2017
15.89 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Clay County
Arkansas

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Black River at Corning
Action stage12.015Sep 25, 2006The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.03Mar 12, 1964Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.53May 4, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.02Apr 28, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1918 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Black River at Corning, 1918 to 2017 1214161820ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft May 19, 1918: 15.20 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 1927: 14.40 ft, action stage; 27,200 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1933: 13.80 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1937: 14.10 ft, action stage; 24,900 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1943: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1945: 16.92 ft, major flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1954: 13.89 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1964: 15.23 ft, minor flooding; 32,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1969: 14.10 ft, action stage; 22,100 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1973: 14.00 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1973: 14.09 ft, action stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1977: 15.53 ft, moderate flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1982: 14.82 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1984: 13.86 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1989: 14.02 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1991: 13.34 ft, action stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1993: 12.84 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1994: 13.43 ft, action stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 13.08 ft, action stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2006: 12.40 ft, action stage; 9,700 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2008: 15.92 ft, moderate flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 18.12 ft, major flooding; 45,679 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2017: 15.89 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 18.12 ft, Apr 28, 2011 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Black River at Corning 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 2 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Black River at Corning
1Apr 28, 201118.12+3.12Major45,679
2Jun 13, 194516.92+1.92Major48,600
3Mar 22, 200815.92+0.92Moderate27,100
4May 4, 201715.89+0.89Moderate—
5Mar 31, 197715.53+0.53Moderate28,000
6Mar 12, 196415.23+0.23Minor32,500
7May 19, 191815.20+0.20Minor—
8May 15, 194315.20+0.20Minor30,800
9Dec 7, 198214.82−0.18Action23,400
10Apr 18, 192714.40−0.60Action27,200
11Jan 19, 193714.10−0.90Action24,900
12Feb 2, 196914.10−0.90Action22,100
13Nov 28, 197314.09−0.91Action22,000
14Feb 17, 198914.02−0.98Action17,500
15Apr 24, 197314.00−1.00Action22,600
16Dec 24, 195413.89−1.11Action17,500
17Dec 24, 198413.86−1.14Action17,500
18May 19, 193313.80−1.20Action22,600
19Jan 30, 199413.43−1.57Action13,900
20Apr 17, 199113.34−1.66Action13,300
21Jan 24, 199913.08−1.92Action12,800
22Jan 7, 199312.84−2.16Action11,300
23Sep 25, 200612.40−2.60Action9,700

The worst floods along the Black River

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

April 28, 2011: 18.12 ft here, major flooding

June 13, 1945: 16.92 ft here, major flooding

  • PocahontasAR · Jun 17, 1945 · 24.32 ft · Moderate
  • Poplar BluffMO · Jun 10, 1945 · 20.80 ft · Moderate
  • AnnapolisMO · Jun 8, 1945 · 20.10 ft · Moderate

March 22, 2008: 15.92 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Black RockAR · Mar 20, 2008 · 29.74 ft · Major
  • PocahontasAR · Mar 22, 2008 · 26.56 ft · Major
  • Poplar BluffMO · Mar 20, 2008 · 22.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • AnnapolisMO · Mar 19, 2008 · 20.03 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Black River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Black River
AnnapolisMO8.028.73 ft, Jul 10, 20263
Poplar BluffMO16.022.15 ft, Mar 20, 20085
Corning this gaugeAR15.018.12 ft, Apr 28, 20112
PocahontasAR17.028.95 ft, May 3, 20179
Black RockAR14.031.90 ft, Aug 21, 191512

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CRGA4, 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.