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South Platte River at Henderson

Highest listed crest 17.67 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft94 crests since 1926

The South Platte River at Henderson crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 94 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2021. The highest, 17.67 ft on May 6, 1973, was major flooding, 6.67 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the South Platte River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.67 ft
May 6, 1973; 33,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
2
1st of 100 gauges in Colorado
Most recent flood crest
June 12, 2015
11.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Adams County
Near Thornton (3.8 mi), Commerce City (4.8 mi), Brighton (5.0 mi)
Identifiers
NWS HNDC2
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, South Platte River at Henderson
Action stage10.09Jul 13, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.06Jun 12, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.01May 8, 1969Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.02May 6, 1973Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

94 crests from 1926 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Platte River at Henderson, 1926 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Jun 14, 1926: 6.82 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1927: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1928: 6.95 ft, below flood stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1929: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1930: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1931: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1932: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1933: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 5,600 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1934: 5.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1935: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,940 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1936: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,610 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1937: 6.70 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1938: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1939: 8.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,730 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1940: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1941: 7.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,710 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1942: 10.55 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1944: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1946: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1947: 8.14 ft, below flood stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1948: 9.16 ft, below flood stage; 7,920 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1949: 9.59 ft, below flood stage; 8,850 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1950: 6.93 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1951: 7.16 ft, below flood stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1952: 6.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1953: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1954: 5.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1955: 6.77 ft, below flood stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1956: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1957: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1958: 7.60 ft, below flood stage; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1959: 6.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1960: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,240 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1961: 6.70 ft, below flood stage; 3,160 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1962: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1963: 7.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,940 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1964: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1965: 16.93 ft, major flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1966: 5.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1967: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1968: 6.82 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1969: 14.91 ft, moderate flooding; 22,100 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1970: 10.10 ft, action stage; 9,810 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1971: 6.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1972: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,470 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1973: 17.67 ft, major flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1974: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 7,580 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1975: 10.04 ft, action stage; 9,690 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1976: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1977: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 4,330 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1978: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 4,190 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1979: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 7,600 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1980: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 7,310 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1981: 6.52 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1982: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 5,050 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1983: 11.35 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1984: 10.60 ft, action stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1985: 11.24 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1986: 8.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,210 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1987: 10.70 ft, action stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1988: 9.88 ft, below flood stage; 9,390 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1989: 9.45 ft, below flood stage; 8,600 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1990: 9.28 ft, below flood stage; 8,210 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1991: 10.06 ft, action stage; 9,720 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1992: 10.90 ft, action stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1993: 7.38 ft, below flood stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1994: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 4,180 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1995: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1996: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 7,560 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1997: 9.18 ft, below flood stage; 7,960 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1998: 9.86 ft, below flood stage; 9,360 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1999: 10.05 ft, action stage; 9,720 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2000: 9.38 ft, below flood stage; 8,460 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2001: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 7,080 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2002: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 4,670 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2003: 7.57 ft, below flood stage; 5,130 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2004: 9.98 ft, below flood stage; 9,050 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2005: 8.58 ft, below flood stage; 6,060 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2006: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,274 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2007: 9.49 ft, below flood stage; 8,120 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2008: 8.37 ft, below flood stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2009: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 7,200 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2010: 9.18 ft, below flood stage; 7,270 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2011: 10.11 ft, action stage; 8,040 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2012: 8.31 ft, below flood stage; 4,410 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2013: 11.65 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2014: 9.02 ft, below flood stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2015: 11.40 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2016: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2017: 8.18 ft, below flood stage; 6,120 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2018: 6.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,490 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2019: 7.19 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2020: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 4,190 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2021: 7.27 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.67 ft, May 6, 1973 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Platte River at Henderson 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 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 94 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Platte River at Henderson
1May 6, 197317.67+6.67Major33,000
2Jun 17, 196516.93+5.93Major29,600
3May 8, 196914.91+3.91Moderate22,100
4May 9, 195712.45+1.45Minor14,800
5Sep 12, 201311.65+0.65Minor11,200
6Jun 12, 201511.40+0.40Minor10,700
7Jun 27, 198311.35+0.35Minor12,300
8Jul 20, 198511.24+0.24Minor12,100
9May 17, 199511.000.00Minor11,600
10Aug 24, 199210.90−0.10Action11,400
11Jun 9, 198710.70−0.30Action11,000
12Aug 21, 198410.60−0.40Action10,800
13Apr 26, 194210.55−0.45Action10,700
14Jul 13, 201110.11−0.89Action8,040
15Jun 11, 197010.10−0.90Action9,810
16Jun 1, 199110.06−0.94Action9,720
17Apr 30, 199910.05−0.95Action9,720
18Aug 13, 197510.04−0.96Action9,690
19Aug 19, 20049.98−1.02Below flood stage9,050
20Aug 4, 19889.88−1.12Below flood stage9,390
21Jul 26, 19989.86−1.14Below flood stage9,360
22Jun 14, 19499.59−1.41Below flood stage8,850
23Apr 25, 20079.49−1.51Below flood stage8,120
24Jun 3, 19899.45−1.55Below flood stage8,600
25Jul 17, 20009.38−1.62Below flood stage8,460
26May 29, 19909.28−1.72Below flood stage8,210
27Jul 29, 19979.18−1.82Below flood stage7,960
28Apr 23, 20109.18−1.82Below flood stage7,270
29May 31, 19489.16−1.84Below flood stage7,920
30Jul 31, 20149.02−1.98Below flood stage5,520
31Jun 8, 19749.00−2.00Below flood stage7,580
32May 2, 19799.00−2.00Below flood stage7,600
33May 26, 19969.00−2.00Below flood stage7,560
34Jun 2, 20098.94−2.06Below flood stage7,200
35May 16, 19808.90−2.10Below flood stage7,310
36Jul 8, 20018.80−2.20Below flood stage7,080
37Aug 4, 20058.58−2.42Below flood stage6,060
38Jul 20, 19868.40−2.60Below flood stage6,210
39Aug 16, 20088.37−2.63Below flood stage5,690
40Sep 12, 20128.31−2.69Below flood stage4,410
41May 18, 20178.18−2.82Below flood stage6,120
42Mar 11, 19398.17−2.83Below flood stage5,730
43Jun 22, 19478.14−2.86Below flood stage5,670
44Sep 10, 19338.10−2.90Below flood stage5,600
45Aug 1, 19767.88−3.12Below flood stage5,160
46May 13, 19827.82−3.18Below flood stage5,050
47Aug 3, 20067.70−3.30Below flood stage4,274
48May 25, 19587.60−3.40Below flood stage4,560
49May 10, 20037.57−3.43Below flood stage5,130
50May 30, 19387.50−3.50Below flood stage4,480

The worst floods along the South Platte River

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

May 6, 1973: 17.67 ft here, major flooding

  • KerseyCO · May 8, 1973 · 11.73 ft · Moderate
  • WeldonaCO · May 8, 1973 · 11.68 ft · Moderate
  • DenverCO · May 7, 1973 · 12.35 ft · Minor

June 17, 1965: 16.93 ft here, major flooding

  • DenverCO · Jun 17, 1965 · 18.66 ft · Major · its highest
  • KerseyCO · Jun 18, 1965 · 10.75 ft · Minor
  • WeldonaCO · Jun 19, 1965 · 10.33 ft · Minor

May 8, 1969: 14.91 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DenverCO · May 7, 1969 · 11.97 ft · Minor
  • KerseyCO · May 8, 1969 · 10.70 ft · Minor
  • WeldonaCO · May 10, 1969 · 10.30 ft · Minor

Gauges on the South Platte River

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

Flood gauges on the South Platte River
AtwoodCO11.515.52 ft, Sep 15, 20131
DenverCO11.018.66 ft, Jun 17, 19651
Fort MorganCO17.525.73 ft, Sep 15, 20131
Henderson this gaugeCO11.017.67 ft, May 6, 19732
North PlatteNE13.014.54 ft, Sep 23, 20130
RoscoeNE9.012.21 ft, Sep 21, 20130
South PlatteCO7.011.20 ft, Jul 12, 19961
WatertonCO5.55.68 ft, Apr 23, 19420
Cheesman ReservoirCO7.013.40 ft, Apr 29, 19701
BalzacCO10.013.71 ft, Sep 15, 20131
CrookCO9.810.13 ft, Sep 17, 20130
JulesburgCO10.010.74 ft, Sep 18, 20130
KerseyCO10.015.09 ft, Sep 14, 20131
Lake GeorgeCO7.08.34 ft, Apr 28, 19700
WeldonaCO10.019.20 ft, Sep 14, 20131

Other gauges in Adams County

Flood gauges in Adams County
Commerce City12.013.44 ft, Jun 24, 20150

Adams County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Colorado

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HNDC2, 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.