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St. Francis River at Lake City

Highest listed crest 14.37 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft34 crests since 1937

The St. Francis River at Lake City crested above flood stage 22 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2025. The highest, 14.37 ft on April 2, 1979, was moderate flooding, 4.37 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the St. Francis River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.37 ft
April 2, 1979; 42,664 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
0
22 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 10, 2025
12.38 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Craighead County
Near Jonesboro (13.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Francis River at Lake City
Action stage8.010May 3, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.014Feb 17, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.08Apr 10, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1937 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Francis River at Lake City, 1937 to 2025 6810121416ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Jan 22, 1937: 13.30 ft, moderate floodingApr 21, 1973: 12.79 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 1975: 12.38 ft, moderate floodingFeb 19, 1976: 10.22 ft, minor floodingDec 9, 1978: 10.66 ft, minor floodingApr 2, 1979: 14.37 ft, moderate flooding; 42,664 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1987: 10.61 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1989: 11.84 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1990: 10.54 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1991: 10.20 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1992: 7.60 ft, below flood stageDec 5, 1993: 10.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 1994: 8.50 ft, action stageJan 20, 1995: 8.30 ft, action stage; 10,396 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1997: 9.80 ft, action stageMay 1, 2000: 8.40 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2001: 9.87 ft, action stage; 22,900 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2001: 11.02 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2002: 10.70 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2003: 9.42 ft, action stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2004: 8.67 ft, action stageJan 14, 2005: 9.01 ft, action stageMar 23, 2006: 7.93 ft, below flood stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2006: 8.02 ft, action stage; 9,650 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2007: 10.58 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2008: 12.41 ft, moderate floodingDec 26, 2009: 11.18 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 2010: 10.10 ft, minor floodingMay 3, 2011: 14.37 ft, moderate flooding; 78,933 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2014: 9.55 ft, action stage; 20,327 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2019: 12.61 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 2021: 10.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2025: 10.69 ft, minor flooding; 32,050 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2025: 12.38 ft, moderate flooding; 53,581 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.37 ft, Apr 2, 1979 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Francis River at Lake City 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 5 5 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 5 2010s: 3 2020s: 3 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, St. Francis River at Lake City
1Apr 2, 197914.37+4.37Moderate42,664
2May 3, 201114.37+4.37Moderate78,933
3Jan 22, 193713.30+3.30Moderate—
4Apr 21, 197312.79+2.79Moderate—
5Feb 13, 201912.61+2.61Moderate—
6Apr 5, 200812.41+2.41Moderate—
7Mar 30, 197512.38+2.38Moderate—
8Apr 10, 202512.38+2.38Moderate53,581
9Feb 19, 198911.84+1.84Minor28,500
10Dec 26, 200911.18+1.18Minor—
11Dec 18, 200111.02+1.02Minor22,400
12Mar 31, 200210.70+0.70Minor—
13Feb 17, 202510.69+0.69Minor32,050
14Dec 9, 197810.66+0.66Minor—
15Dec 27, 198710.61+0.61Minor—
16Jan 16, 200710.58+0.58Minor—
17Feb 16, 199010.54+0.54Minor—
18Feb 19, 197610.22+0.22Minor—
19Jan 8, 199110.20+0.20Minor—
20Mar 19, 202110.20+0.20Minor—
21Jan 1, 201010.10+0.10Minor—
22Dec 5, 199310.000.00Minor—
23Feb 17, 20019.87−0.13Action22,900
24Mar 4, 19979.80−0.20Action—
25May 3, 20149.55−0.45Action20,327
26May 18, 20039.42−0.58Action13,500
27Jan 14, 20059.01−0.99Action—
28Apr 25, 20048.67−1.33Action—
29Feb 1, 19948.50−1.50Action—
30May 1, 20008.40−1.60Action13,600
31Jan 20, 19958.30−1.70Action10,396
32Sep 30, 20068.02−1.98Action9,650
33Mar 23, 20067.93−2.07Below flood stage9,500
34Mar 19, 19927.60−2.40Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the St. Francis River

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

April 2, 1979: 14.37 ft here, moderate flooding

May 3, 2011: 14.37 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SacoMO · Apr 26, 2011 · 27.94 ft · Major
  • FiskMO · May 4, 2011 · 27.10 ft · Major
  • PattersonMO · May 3, 2011 · 30.92 ft · Moderate
  • St. FrancisMO · May 3, 2011 · 27.25 ft · Moderate
  • RoselleMO · Apr 26, 2011 · 18.22 ft · Moderate
  • Mill CreekMO · Apr 26, 2011 · 23.22 ft · Minor

January 22, 1937: 13.30 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PattersonMO · Jan 15, 1937 · 26.50 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the St. Francis River

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

Flood gauges on the St. Francis River
FiskMO20.028.00 ft, Apr 18, 19276
Lake City this gaugeAR10.014.37 ft, Apr 2, 19790
MadisonAR32.041.80 ft, Apr 21, 19127
Mill CreekMO16.033.10 ft, Nov 14, 19931
PattersonMO16.037.13 ft, Apr 30, 20174
St. FrancisMO22.028.20 ft, Mar 15, 19350
RoselleMO15.026.50 ft, Nov 14, 19934
SacoMO21.036.10 ft, Nov 14, 19935

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LCRA4, 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.