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Saline River at Benton

Highest listed crest 29.27 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft45 crests since 1951

The Saline River at Benton crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2025. The highest, 29.27 ft on September 4, 2008, was major flooding, 11.27 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Saline River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.27 ft
September 4, 2008; 94,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 26.0 ft
Crests at major
7
25th of 54 gauges in Arkansas
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
26.40 ft, major flooding
Location
Saline County
Near Benton (2.2 mi), Bryant (7.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Saline River at Benton
Action stage17.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.034Mar 15, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.04Nov 19, 1988Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage26.07Apr 6, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1951 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Saline River at Benton, 1951 to 2025 18202224262830ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 26.0 ft Feb 20, 1951: 22.60 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1952: 25.28 ft, moderate flooding; 49,500 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1954: 24.49 ft, moderate flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1968: 26.50 ft, major flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1974: 26.14 ft, major flooding; 62,400 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1978: 22.16 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1982: 26.37 ft, major flooding; 64,700 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1984: 24.93 ft, moderate flooding; 52,500 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1988: 24.67 ft, moderate flooding; 50,600 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1990: 26.62 ft, major flooding; 63,600 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1991: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1992: 21.30 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1993: 23.47 ft, minor flooding; 42,300 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1996: 19.33 ft, minor flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1998: 23.22 ft, minor flooding; 40,600 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1999: 20.37 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2001: 21.81 ft, minor flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2001: 21.51 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2007: 21.94 ft, minor flooding; 32,856 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2008: 18.88 ft, minor flooding; 18,530 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2008: 21.92 ft, minor flooding; 32,742 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2008: 29.27 ft, major flooding; 94,800 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2009: 22.31 ft, minor flooding; 34,982 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2009: 21.16 ft, minor flooding; 28,618 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2009: 27.63 ft, major flooding; 76,990 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2011: 19.51 ft, minor flooding; 21,041 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 2011: 23.74 ft, minor flooding; 44,085 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2011: 18.72 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 2015: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 17,468 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2015: 22.87 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 2015: 20.94 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 2017: 21.70 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 2018: 23.89 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 2018: 21.81 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 2019: 19.16 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 2022: 20.94 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 2022: 20.31 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2023: 19.38 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 2023: 20.01 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 2023: 18.65 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 2023: 18.01 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2023: 22.97 ft, minor floodingJan 24, 2024: 21.37 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 2024: 18.57 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 2025: 26.40 ft, major flooding Highest, 29.27 ft, Sep 4, 2008 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Saline River at Benton 1950s: 3 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 7 2000s: 9 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 10 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 30.50 ft on Apr 1, 1927; 29.68 ft on Jan 30, 1969.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Saline River at Benton
1Sep 4, 200829.27+11.27Major94,800
2Dec 25, 200927.63+9.63Major76,990
3Mar 8, 199026.62+8.62Major63,600
4May 14, 196826.50+8.50Major66,000
5Apr 6, 202526.40+8.40Major—
6Dec 4, 198226.37+8.37Major64,700
7Apr 22, 197426.14+8.14Major62,400
8Dec 4, 195225.28+7.28Moderate49,500
9Oct 19, 198424.93+6.93Moderate52,500
10Nov 19, 198824.67+6.67Moderate50,600
11May 2, 195424.49+6.49Moderate48,000
12Feb 22, 201823.89+5.89Minor—
13Nov 22, 201123.74+5.74Minor44,085
14Dec 4, 199323.47+5.47Minor42,300
15Feb 11, 199823.22+5.22Minor40,600
16May 12, 202322.97+4.97Minor—
17May 12, 201522.87+4.87Minor—
18Feb 20, 195122.60+4.60Minor21,500
19May 6, 200922.31+4.31Minor34,982
20Sep 13, 197822.16+4.16Minor34,000
21Jan 14, 200721.94+3.94Minor32,856
22Apr 4, 200821.92+3.92Minor32,742
23Feb 17, 200121.81+3.81Minor32,100
24Mar 1, 201821.81+3.81Minor—
25Apr 30, 201721.70+3.70Minor—
26Dec 17, 200121.51+3.51Minor—
27Jan 24, 202421.37+3.37Minor—
28Dec 15, 199221.30+3.30Minor—
29Sep 17, 200921.16+3.16Minor28,618
30Dec 28, 201520.94+2.94Minor—
31Mar 22, 202220.94+2.94Minor—
32Jan 2, 199920.37+2.37Minor24,800
33Jun 9, 202220.31+2.31Minor—
34Apr 29, 199120.02+2.02Minor22,900
35Feb 9, 202320.01+2.01Minor—
36Apr 26, 201119.51+1.51Minor21,041
37Jan 3, 202319.38+1.38Minor—
38Nov 25, 199619.33+1.33Minor20,300
39May 9, 201919.16+1.16Minor—
40Feb 17, 200818.88+0.88Minor18,530
41Dec 6, 201118.72+0.72Minor—
42Mar 3, 202318.65+0.65Minor—
43Mar 14, 201518.60+0.60Minor17,468
44Mar 15, 202418.57+0.57Minor—
45Apr 21, 202318.01+0.01Minor—

The worst floods along the Saline River

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

September 4, 2008: 29.27 ft here, major flooding

  • RyeAR · Sep 9, 2008 · 27.99 ft · Minor

December 25, 2009: 27.63 ft here, major flooding

  • RyeAR · Dec 29, 2009 · 30.02 ft · Major

March 8, 1990: 26.62 ft here, major flooding

  • RyeAR · Mar 14, 1990 · 28.15 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Saline River

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

Flood gauges on the Saline River
Benton this gaugeAR18.029.27 ft, Sep 4, 20087
RyeAR26.031.40 ft, May 18, 19686

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BTNA4, 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.