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Black River at Pocahontas

Highest listed crest 28.95 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft67 crests since 1915

The Black River at Pocahontas crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1915 to 2025. The highest, 28.95 ft on May 3, 2017, was major flooding, 11.95 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
28.95 ft
May 3, 2017; 93,243 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
9
22nd of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
April 22, 2025
20.54 ft, minor flooding
Location
Randolph 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 Pocahontas
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.033Apr 22, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.024Mar 28, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.09Apr 9, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1915 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Black River at Pocahontas, 1915 to 2025 1015202530ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Aug 4, 1915: 27.90 ft, major flooding; 150,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1927: 25.90 ft, major flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1937: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1943: 22.46 ft, moderate flooding; 39,500 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1945: 24.32 ft, moderate flooding; 59,600 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1949: 24.07 ft, moderate flooding; 53,800 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1950: 22.92 ft, moderate flooding; 39,100 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1957: 23.34 ft, moderate flooding; 42,800 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1958: 22.13 ft, moderate flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1961: 24.18 ft, moderate flooding; 52,300 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1964: 23.32 ft, moderate flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1966: 21.77 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1969: 24.18 ft, moderate flooding; 53,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1973: 25.00 ft, major flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1973: 22.46 ft, moderate flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1975: 23.65 ft, moderate flooding; 47,800 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1977: 24.21 ft, moderate flooding; 53,800 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1979: 22.42 ft, moderate flooding; 35,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1982: 22.58 ft, moderate flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1982: 25.22 ft, major flooding; 66,300 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1984: 23.19 ft, moderate flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1989: 22.82 ft, moderate flooding; 40,600 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1990: 19.17 ft, minor flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1991: 22.33 ft, moderate flooding; 36,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1992: 19.47 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1993: 21.28 ft, minor flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 1993: 22.11 ft, moderate flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1994: 21.20 ft, minor floodingNov 13, 1994: 18.07 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1996: 20.56 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1997: 21.14 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1998: 20.10 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1999: 19.71 ft, minor floodingMay 29, 2000: 14.50 ft, below flood stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2001: 20.78 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 2002: 17.96 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 2002: 21.60 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2002: 23.24 ft, moderate flooding; 44,600 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 2003: 17.06 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 2006: 18.88 ft, minor flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2007: 21.08 ft, minor flooding; 27,601 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2008: 26.56 ft, major flooding; 72,200 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2008: 23.31 ft, moderate flooding; 45,066 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2009: 20.81 ft, minor flooding; 25,928 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2009: 22.81 ft, moderate flooding; 40,511 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2009: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 24,678 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 28.47 ft, major flooding; 108,590 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2011: 18.02 ft, minor floodingAug 14, 2013: 18.09 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 2015: 21.80 ft, minor flooding; 29,508 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 25.08 ft, major floodingMay 3, 2017: 28.95 ft, major flooding; 93,243 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2018: 22.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 7, 2019: 21.96 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 2022: 18.09 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 2022: 19.56 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 2022: 17.67 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 2022: 20.55 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 2023: 18.33 ft, minor floodingMar 8, 2023: 21.11 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 2023: 22.32 ft, moderate floodingJan 29, 2024: 17.06 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2024: 17.50 ft, minor floodingNov 10, 2024: 18.56 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 2024: 17.36 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 2025: 25.68 ft, major floodingApr 22, 2025: 20.54 ft, minor flooding Highest, 28.95 ft, May 3, 2017 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Black River at Pocahontas 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 3 1950s: 3 1960s: 4 1970s: 5 1980s: 4 1990s: 11 2000s: 12 2010s: 8 2020s: 13 13 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Black River at Pocahontas
1May 3, 201728.95+11.95Major93,243
2Apr 28, 201128.47+11.47Major108,590
3Aug 4, 191527.90+10.90Major150,000
4Mar 22, 200826.56+9.56Major72,200
5Apr 17, 192725.90+8.90Major80,000
6Apr 9, 202525.68+8.68Major—
7Dec 7, 198225.22+8.22Major66,300
8Jan 1, 201625.08+8.08Major—
9Apr 25, 197325.00+8.00Major66,000
10Jun 17, 194524.32+7.32Moderate59,600
11Apr 1, 197724.21+7.21Moderate53,800
12May 12, 196124.18+7.18Moderate52,300
13Feb 3, 196924.18+7.18Moderate53,500
14Jan 29, 194924.07+7.07Moderate53,800
15Jan 21, 193724.00+7.00Moderate31,600
16Apr 1, 197523.65+6.65Moderate47,800
17May 29, 195723.34+6.34Moderate42,800
18Mar 14, 196423.32+6.32Moderate42,900
19Apr 14, 200823.31+6.31Moderate45,066
20May 21, 200223.24+6.24Moderate44,600
21Dec 26, 198423.19+6.19Moderate43,200
22Jan 11, 195022.92+5.92Moderate39,100
23Feb 19, 198922.82+5.82Moderate40,600
24Nov 3, 200922.81+5.81Moderate40,511
25Feb 5, 198222.58+5.58Moderate37,100
26May 18, 194322.46+5.46Moderate39,500
27Nov 30, 197322.46+5.46Moderate35,900
28Apr 3, 197922.42+5.42Moderate35,500
29Apr 20, 199122.33+5.33Moderate36,500
30Mar 28, 202322.32+5.32Moderate—
31Mar 1, 201822.20+5.20Moderate—
32Mar 29, 195822.13+5.13Moderate32,400
33Nov 18, 199322.11+5.11Moderate34,800
34May 7, 201921.96+4.96Minor—
35Mar 18, 201521.80+4.80Minor29,508
36Apr 30, 196621.77+4.77Minor29,400
37Mar 27, 200221.60+4.60Minor—
38Jan 9, 199321.28+4.28Minor28,700
39May 5, 199421.20+4.20Minor—
40Mar 6, 199721.14+4.14Minor—
41Mar 8, 202321.11+4.11Minor—
42Jan 20, 200721.08+4.08Minor27,601
43May 11, 200920.81+3.81Minor25,928
44Dec 23, 200120.78+3.78Minor—
45Dec 31, 200920.60+3.60Minor24,678
46May 14, 199620.56+3.56Minor—
47May 10, 202220.55+3.55Minor—
48Apr 22, 202520.54+3.54Minor—
49Mar 25, 199820.10+3.10Minor—
50Apr 20, 199919.71+2.71Minor—

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.

May 3, 2017: 28.95 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · May 1, 2017 · 30.00 ft · Major
  • Poplar BluffMO · May 1, 2017 · 21.96 ft · Major
  • AnnapolisMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 23.23 ft · Moderate
  • CorningAR · May 4, 2017 · 15.89 ft · Moderate

April 28, 2011: 28.47 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · Apr 27, 2011 · 30.45 ft · Major
  • Poplar BluffMO · Apr 26, 2011 · 21.41 ft · Major
  • CorningAR · Apr 28, 2011 · 18.12 ft · Major · its highest
  • AnnapolisMO · Apr 26, 2011 · 16.85 ft · Moderate

March 22, 2008: 26.56 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · Mar 20, 2008 · 29.74 ft · Major
  • Poplar BluffMO · Mar 20, 2008 · 22.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • AnnapolisMO · Mar 19, 2008 · 20.03 ft · Moderate
  • CorningAR · Mar 22, 2008 · 15.92 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
CorningAR15.018.12 ft, Apr 28, 20112
Pocahontas this gaugeAR17.028.95 ft, May 3, 20179
Black RockAR14.031.90 ft, Aug 21, 191512

Other gauges in Randolph County

Flood gauges in Randolph County
Ravenden Springs15.029.14 ft, Apr 30, 201716
Imboden18.038.12 ft, Dec 3, 198210

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge POCA4, 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.