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Mississippi River near Arkansas City

Highest listed crest 59.20 ftFlood stage 37.0 ft53 crests since 1927

The Mississippi River near Arkansas City crested at major flood stage 15 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2021. The highest, 59.20 ft on April 21, 1927, was major flooding, 22.20 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Mississippi River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
59.20 ft
April 21, 1927; 2,472,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
37.0 ft
Major flooding from 44.0 ft
Crests at major
15
10th of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
March 31, 2021
37.78 ft, minor flooding
Location
Chicot County
Arkansas
Identifiers
NWS ARSA4
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mississippi River near Arkansas City
Action stage36.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)37.017Mar 31, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage40.021Apr 10, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage44.015Mar 8, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1927 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mississippi River near Arkansas City, 1927 to 2021 354045505560ft Flood stage 37.0 ftMajor 44.0 ft Apr 21, 1927: 59.20 ft, major flooding; 2,472,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1929: 43.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1929: 41.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 29, 1929: 58.80 ft, major floodingJan 28, 1930: 47.80 ft, major floodingFeb 25, 1932: 53.50 ft, major floodingJan 17, 1933: 41.40 ft, moderate floodingFeb 10, 1933: 41.80 ft, moderate floodingJun 4, 1933: 53.60 ft, major floodingApr 11, 1934: 39.00 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1935: 51.70 ft, major floodingJun 8, 1935: 47.10 ft, major floodingApr 27, 1936: 41.30 ft, moderate floodingFeb 14, 1937: 53.90 ft, major floodingApr 24, 1938: 37.40 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1939: 39.00 ft, minor floodingJun 4, 1943: 44.20 ft, major floodingMay 9, 1944: 42.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 1945: 46.30 ft, major floodingJun 29, 1945: 38.40 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1946: 37.30 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1948: 37.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1950: 41.40 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 1957: 37.60 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 1961: 42.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 8, 1962: 37.10 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 1973: 47.60 ft, major floodingFeb 10, 1974: 37.50 ft, minor floodingApr 10, 1975: 42.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 26, 1979: 42.90 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 1983: 43.60 ft, moderate floodingMay 23, 1984: 41.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 1991: 37.90 ft, minor floodingMay 16, 1993: 37.44 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 1994: 40.50 ft, moderate floodingJun 8, 1995: 42.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 30, 1996: 37.60 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1997: 43.70 ft, moderate floodingMay 12, 1998: 38.00 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 2002: 40.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 2003: 37.90 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 2005: 39.34 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2008: 45.39 ft, major floodingMay 26, 2009: 40.40 ft, moderate floodingMay 16, 2011: 53.14 ft, major floodingJul 21, 2015: 38.17 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 2016: 44.32 ft, major floodingMay 22, 2017: 42.14 ft, moderate floodingMar 14, 2018: 42.97 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 2019: 44.77 ft, major floodingJun 10, 2019: 43.18 ft, moderate floodingApr 10, 2020: 43.54 ft, moderate floodingMar 31, 2021: 37.78 ft, minor flooding Highest, 59.20 ft, Apr 21, 1927 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mississippi River near Arkansas City 1920s: 4 1930s: 12 12 1940s: 6 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 7 2000s: 5 2010s: 7 2020s: 2 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Mississippi River near Arkansas City
1Apr 21, 192759.20+22.20Major2,472,000
2May 29, 192958.80+21.80Major—
3Feb 14, 193753.90+16.90Major—
4Jun 4, 193353.60+16.60Major—
5Feb 25, 193253.50+16.50Major—
6May 16, 201153.14+16.14Major—
7Apr 6, 193551.70+14.70Major—
8Jan 28, 193047.80+10.80Major—
9May 11, 197347.60+10.60Major—
10Jun 8, 193547.10+10.10Major—
11Apr 6, 194546.30+9.30Major—
12Apr 16, 200845.39+8.39Major—
13Mar 8, 201944.77+7.77Major—
14Jan 12, 201644.32+7.32Major—
15Jun 4, 194344.20+7.20Major—
16Feb 10, 192943.70+6.70Moderate—
17Mar 21, 199743.70+6.70Moderate—
18May 25, 198343.60+6.60Moderate—
19Apr 10, 202043.54+6.54Moderate—
20Jun 10, 201943.18+6.18Moderate—
21Mar 14, 201842.97+5.97Moderate—
22Apr 26, 197942.90+5.90Moderate—
23Apr 10, 197542.80+5.80Moderate—
24Jun 8, 199542.30+5.30Moderate—
25May 9, 194442.20+5.20Moderate—
26May 22, 201742.14+5.14Moderate—
27May 27, 196142.00+5.00Moderate—
28Feb 10, 193341.80+4.80Moderate—
29Jan 17, 193341.40+4.40Moderate—
30Feb 24, 195041.40+4.40Moderate—
31Mar 20, 192941.30+4.30Moderate—
32Apr 27, 193641.30+4.30Moderate—
33May 23, 198441.20+4.20Moderate—
34Apr 28, 199440.50+3.50Moderate—
35May 26, 200940.40+3.40Moderate—
36May 31, 200240.30+3.30Moderate—
37Jan 25, 200539.34+2.34Minor—
38Apr 11, 193439.00+2.00Minor—
39Mar 30, 193939.00+2.00Minor—
40Jun 29, 194538.40+1.40Minor—
41Jul 21, 201538.17+1.17Minor—
42May 12, 199838.00+1.00Minor—
43Jan 15, 199137.90+0.90Minor—
44May 26, 200337.90+0.90Minor—
45Mar 31, 202137.78+0.78Minor—
46Jun 5, 195737.60+0.60Minor—
47May 30, 199637.60+0.60Minor—
48Apr 14, 194837.50+0.50Minor—
49Feb 10, 197437.50+0.50Minor—
50May 16, 199337.44+0.44Minor—

The worst floods along the Mississippi River

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

April 21, 1927: 59.20 ft here, major flooding

  • GreenvilleAR · Apr 21, 1927 · 65.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • HelenaAR · Apr 27, 1927 · 56.75 ft · Major
  • OsceolaAR · Apr 24, 1927 · 45.80 ft · Major
  • New OrleansLA · Apr 25, 1927 · 21.00 ft · Major
  • MemphisTN · Apr 23, 1927 · 45.80 ft · Moderate
  • St. LouisMO · Apr 26, 1927 · 36.10 ft · Moderate
  • AitkinMN · Apr 25, 1927 · 14.50 ft · Minor

May 29, 1929: 58.80 ft here, major flooding

  • GreenvilleAR · May 30, 1929 · 64.05 ft · Major
  • OsceolaAR · May 25, 1929 · 41.20 ft · Major
  • NatchezMS · Jun 5, 1929 · 54.50 ft · Moderate
  • BurlingtonIL · May 23, 1929 · 15.82 ft · Minor

February 14, 1937: 53.90 ft here, major flooding

  • GreenvilleAR · Feb 13, 1937 · 63.00 ft · Major
  • HelenaAR · Feb 12, 1937 · 60.21 ft · Major · its highest
  • NatchezMS · Feb 21, 1937 · 58.04 ft · Major
  • VicksburgLA · Feb 21, 1937 · 53.20 ft · Major
  • Tunica Mhoon LandingMS · Feb 10, 1937 · 53.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • OsceolaAR · Feb 7, 1937 · 50.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • MemphisTN · Feb 10, 1937 · 48.70 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Mississippi River

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

Flood gauges on the Mississippi River
TiptonvilleMO37.048.35 ft, May 5, 20112
Alma - Pool 5MN672.0672.13 ft, Apr 16, 20010
AltonIL21.039.55 ft, Aug 1, 19937
Baton RougeLA35.047.28 ft, May 15, 192731
BellevueIL17.023.51 ft, Apr 26, 196511
BrainerdMN16.017.61 ft, Jun 28, 20120
BrownsvilleMN635.0640.20 ft, Apr 22, 19650
BurlingtonIL15.025.73 ft, Jun 17, 200836
CamancheIA17.024.65 ft, Apr 28, 196520
Canton Lock and Dam 20MO15.027.88 ft, Jul 9, 19933
Cape GirardeauMO32.048.86 ft, Jan 2, 201615
CaruthersvilleMO32.047.61 ft, May 7, 20112
ChesterIL27.049.74 ft, Aug 7, 19939
Clarksville Lock and Dam 24MO25.037.73 ft, Jul 29, 199310
ClaytonIA620.0627.28 ft, Apr 24, 19650
DakotaMN644.0649.08 ft, Apr 21, 19650
DonaldsonvilleLA27.036.01 ft, May 15, 19273
Dubuque (LD11)IA16.025.69 ft, Apr 26, 196513
Dubuque (Railroad Bridge)IA17.026.81 ft, Apr 26, 196518
Fort RipleyMN10.514.15 ft, Apr 8, 19970
Fridley abv 37th Ave NEMN16.020.00 ft, Apr 17, 19656
FultonIL16.024.75 ft, Apr 28, 196513
GladstoneIL10.022.46 ft, Jun 17, 200824
GraftonIL20.038.17 ft, Aug 1, 199315
Gregory LandingMO15.028.49 ft, Jul 9, 19934
HannibalMO17.031.80 ft, Jul 15, 199310
HelenaAR44.060.21 ft, Feb 12, 19374
HerculaneumMO26.029.79 ft, Jul 10, 20240
HickmanKY34.054.29 ft, May 2, 20113
Hwy 169 at ChamplinMN12.017.96 ft, Apr 12, 19653
Hwy 610 in Brooklyn ParkMN12.019.53 ft, Apr 17, 19654
Illinois CityIA15.024.10 ft, Jul 9, 199321
KeithsburgIA14.024.49 ft, Jun 17, 200822
KeokukIA16.027.58 ft, Jul 10, 199324
La Crosse - Pool 8WI12.017.89 ft, Apr 22, 19654
LaGrangeMO17.030.00 ft, Jul 13, 19934
Lake CityWI16.022.18 ft, Apr 19, 19653
Lansing - Pool 9IA17.022.50 ft, Apr 24, 19651
LeClaireIA11.017.75 ft, Apr 28, 196516
LouisianaMO15.028.40 ft, Jul 28, 19934
McGregorIA16.025.38 ft, Apr 24, 19653
Mel Price (Alton) Lock and DamIL21.042.72 ft, Aug 1, 19938
MemphisTN34.048.70 ft, Feb 10, 19372
MuscatineIA16.025.61 ft, Jul 9, 199321
NatchezMS48.061.95 ft, May 19, 20116
New BostonIL15.025.90 ft, Jul 9, 199322
New MadridMO34.048.35 ft, May 6, 20114
New OrleansLA17.021.27 ft, Apr 25, 19225
OsceolaAR28.050.90 ft, Feb 7, 193742
QuincyIL19.032.13 ft, Jul 13, 19937
Quincy Lock and Dam 21IL18.031.30 ft, Jul 13, 19937
Red River LandingLA48.063.39 ft, May 18, 20110
Red WingMN14.020.70 ft, Apr 18, 19659
ReserveLA22.026.00 ft, Jun 11, 19291
Rock IslandIL15.022.70 ft, May 2, 201920
Saverton Lock and Dam 22MO16.029.58 ft, Jul 25, 19939
St. CloudMN9.011.44 ft, Apr 8, 19971
St. LouisMO30.049.58 ft, Aug 1, 19939
St. PaulMN14.026.01 ft, Apr 16, 196516
ThebesIL33.047.74 ft, Jan 2, 201612
Tunica Mhoon LandingMS30.053.20 ft, Feb 10, 19375
VicksburgLA43.057.10 ft, May 19, 201112
Wabasha - Pool 4MN12.020.05 ft, Apr 19, 19657
Winfield Lock and Dam 25MO26.039.62 ft, Aug 1, 19939
Winona - Pool 6MN13.020.77 ft, Apr 19, 19655
Lock and Dam 10 - GuttenbergIA15.023.65 ft, Apr 24, 19652
Lock and Dam 2 - HastingsMN15.025.90 ft, Apr 17, 196512
Lock and Dam 3 - Red WingMN680.5687.77 ft, Apr 19, 19658
Lock and Dam 4 - AlmaWI16.019.78 ft, Apr 19, 19652
Lock and Dam 5 - Minnesota CityMN660.0667.85 ft, Apr 19, 19654
Lock and Dam 5a - WinonaMN655.0663.35 ft, Apr 19, 19654
Lock and Dam 6 - TrempealeauMN647.0653.02 ft, Apr 21, 19654
Lock and Dam 7 - La CrescentMN641.0647.38 ft, Apr 21, 19652
Lock and Dam 8 - GenoaWI631.0638.40 ft, Apr 22, 19653
Lock and Dam 9 - LynxvilleWI625.0633.16 ft, Apr 24, 19653
AitkinMN13.022.49 ft, May 20, 195011
Arkansas City this gaugeAR37.059.20 ft, Apr 21, 192715
GreenvilleAR48.065.40 ft, Apr 21, 192718

Other gauges in Chicot County

Flood gauges in Chicot County
Greenville48.065.40 ft, Apr 21, 192718

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ARSA4, 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.