Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D

Highest listed crest 96.30 ftFlood stage 79.0 ft50 crests since 1945

The Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 50 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2025. The highest, 96.30 ft on April 6, 1945, was major flooding, 17.30 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Ouachita River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
96.30 ft
April 6, 1945
Flood stage
79.0 ft
Major flooding from 94.0 ft
Crests at major
2
43rd of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
April 12, 2025
92.25 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Union County
Near El Dorado (12.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D
Action stage78.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)79.031Feb 23, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage88.017Apr 12, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage94.02May 23, 1968Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

50 crests from 1945 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D, 1945 to 2025 7580859095100ft Flood stage 79.0 ftMajor 94.0 ft Apr 6, 1945: 96.30 ft, major floodingMay 23, 1968: 94.90 ft, major floodingApr 28, 1973: 92.50 ft, moderate floodingJun 15, 1974: 91.40 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1988: 93.60 ft, moderate floodingMar 15, 1990: 90.60 ft, moderate floodingMay 6, 1991: 90.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 18, 1992: 85.80 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 1997: 87.80 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 2001: 81.30 ft, minor floodingDec 24, 2001: 89.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 2003: 84.90 ft, minor floodingJan 16, 2005: 85.60 ft, minor floodingJan 24, 2007: 88.00 ft, moderate flooding; 52,298 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2008: 82.10 ft, minor flooding; 27,276 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2008: 84.30 ft, minor flooding; 34,584 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2008: 88.50 ft, moderate floodingSep 11, 2008: 88.50 ft, moderate floodingMay 14, 2009: 93.00 ft, moderate flooding; 86,996 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2009: 83.70 ft, minor flooding; 32,311 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2009: 91.90 ft, moderate flooding; 79,027 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2009: 92.00 ft, moderate flooding; 79,796 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2011: 82.90 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 2014: 82.10 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 2015: 89.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 2, 2015: 84.90 ft, minor floodingJun 6, 2015: 86.80 ft, minor floodingDec 6, 2015: 87.30 ft, minor floodingJan 6, 2016: 87.30 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 2017: 81.50 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 2017: 85.80 ft, minor floodingMar 2, 2018: 93.69 ft, moderate floodingMay 15, 2019: 89.14 ft, moderate floodingMar 28, 2022: 83.23 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2022: 85.02 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2022: 83.35 ft, minor floodingJun 17, 2022: 81.20 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 2023: 83.64 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 2023: 86.02 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 2023: 86.25 ft, minor floodingMay 4, 2023: 80.10 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 2023: 85.45 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 2024: 88.63 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 2024: 82.84 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2024: 84.80 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 2024: 82.03 ft, minor floodingJun 7, 2024: 79.62 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2025: 82.12 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 2025: 85.26 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 2025: 92.25 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 96.30 ft, Apr 6, 1945 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 13 2010s: 11 2020s: 17 17 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Ouachita River at Thatcher L&D
1Apr 6, 194596.30+17.30Major—
2May 23, 196894.90+15.90Major—
3Mar 2, 201893.69+14.69Moderate—
4Jan 1, 198893.60+14.60Moderate—
5May 14, 200993.00+14.00Moderate86,996
6Apr 28, 197392.50+13.50Moderate—
7Apr 12, 202592.25+13.25Moderate—
8Dec 31, 200992.00+13.00Moderate79,796
9Nov 2, 200991.90+12.90Moderate79,027
10Jun 15, 197491.40+12.40Moderate—
11Mar 15, 199090.60+11.60Moderate—
12May 6, 199190.50+11.50Moderate—
13Dec 24, 200189.70+10.70Moderate—
14Mar 19, 201589.30+10.30Moderate—
15May 15, 201989.14+10.14Moderate—
16Feb 1, 202488.63+9.63Moderate—
17Apr 17, 200888.50+9.50Moderate—
18Sep 11, 200888.50+9.50Moderate—
19Jan 24, 200788.00+9.00Moderate52,298
20Apr 11, 199787.80+8.80Minor—
21Dec 6, 201587.30+8.30Minor—
22Jan 6, 201687.30+8.30Minor—
23Jun 6, 201586.80+7.80Minor—
24Mar 19, 202386.25+7.25Minor—
25Feb 7, 202386.02+7.02Minor—
26Mar 18, 199285.80+6.80Minor—
27May 14, 201785.80+6.80Minor—
28Jan 16, 200585.60+6.60Minor—
29May 20, 202385.45+6.45Minor—
30Feb 23, 202585.26+6.26Minor—
31Apr 25, 202285.02+6.02Minor—
32Mar 2, 200384.90+5.90Minor—
33May 2, 201584.90+5.90Minor—
34Apr 16, 202484.80+5.80Minor—
35Mar 29, 200884.30+5.30Minor34,584
36Sep 24, 200983.70+4.70Minor32,311
37Jan 7, 202383.64+4.64Minor—
38May 12, 202283.35+4.35Minor—
39Mar 28, 202283.23+4.23Minor—
40Apr 30, 201182.90+3.90Minor—
41Mar 19, 202482.84+3.84Minor—
42Jan 3, 202582.12+3.12Minor—
43Feb 23, 200882.10+3.10Minor27,276
44Apr 21, 201482.10+3.10Minor—
45May 31, 202482.03+3.03Minor—
46Apr 17, 201781.50+2.50Minor—
47Dec 4, 200181.30+2.30Minor—
48Jun 17, 202281.20+2.20Minor—
49May 4, 202380.10+1.10Minor—
50Jun 7, 202479.62+0.62Minor—

The worst floods along the Ouachita River

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

April 6, 1945: 96.30 ft here, major flooding

  • ArkadelphiaAR · Mar 30, 1945 · 30.30 ft · Major · its highest

May 23, 1968: 94.90 ft here, major flooding

March 2, 2018: 93.69 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Ouachita River

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

Flood gauges on the Ouachita River
ArkadelphiaAR17.030.30 ft, Mar 30, 194513
CamdenAR26.043.87 ft, May 5, 19586
Columbia Lock and DamLA65.072.37 ft, May 5, 19912
Felsenthal Lock and DamAR70.086.40 ft, May 10, 19915
MonroeLA40.048.60 ft, May 4, 192717
Moro Bay State ParkAR82.089.95 ft, May 21, 19687
Thatcher L&D this gaugeAR79.096.30 ft, Apr 6, 19452

Other gauges in Union County

Flood gauges in Union County
Felsenthal Lock and Dam70.086.40 ft, May 10, 19915

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CALA4, 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.