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South Platte River near Weldona

Highest listed crest 19.20 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft64 crests since 1953

The South Platte River near Weldona crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 64 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2021. The highest, 19.20 ft on September 14, 2013, was major flooding, 9.20 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the South Platte River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 7 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.20 ft
September 14, 2013; 60,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
1
6th of 100 gauges in Colorado
Most recent flood crest
May 12, 2015
10.87 ft, minor flooding
Location
Morgan County
Near Fort Morgan (8.5 mi)
Identifiers
NWS WNAC2
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 near Weldona
Action stage8.014Jun 4, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.04May 12, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.01May 8, 1973Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.01Sep 14, 2013Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

64 crests from 1953 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Platte River near Weldona, 1953 to 2021 05101520ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Jun 22, 1953: 4.11 ft, below flood stage; 822 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1954: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 637 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1955: 4.93 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1956: 4.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1957: 9.92 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1958: 8.38 ft, action stage; 8,840 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1959: 5.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1960: 5.41 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1961: 8.22 ft, action stage; 7,740 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1963: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1964: 5.06 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1965: 10.33 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1967: 6.44 ft, below flood stage; 3,540 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1968: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 621 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1969: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1970: 9.24 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1972: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 3,110 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1973: 11.68 ft, moderate flooding; 26,800 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1974: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 4,360 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1975: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 3,750 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1976: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1977: 5.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1978: 6.27 ft, below flood stage; 2,820 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1979: 9.02 ft, action stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1980: 9.63 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1981: 5.24 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1982: 6.25 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1983: 9.58 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1984: 8.00 ft, action stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1986: 8.37 ft, action stage; 7,520 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1987: 7.99 ft, below flood stage; 6,850 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1988: 7.17 ft, below flood stage; 5,340 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1989: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1990: 5.63 ft, below flood stage; 2,310 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1991: 6.89 ft, below flood stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1992: 6.75 ft, below flood stage; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1993: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1995: 9.95 ft, action stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 4,510 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1997: 8.42 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1998: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1999: 10.42 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2000: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2001: 6.13 ft, below flood stage; 4,790 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2002: 3.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2003: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,330 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2004: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 2,520 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2005: 6.77 ft, below flood stage; 5,140 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2006: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 2,120 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2007: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2008: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2009: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2010: 9.37 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2011: 8.68 ft, action stage; 8,920 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2012: 3.58 ft, below flood stageSep 14, 2013: 19.20 ft, major flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2014: 9.09 ft, action stage; 9,890 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2015: 10.87 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2016: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 6,450 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 7,750 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2018: 4.74 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2019: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,100 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2020: 3.75 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 2021: 5.38 ft, below flood stage; 3,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.20 ft, Sep 14, 2013 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Platte River near Weldona 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 64 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Platte River near Weldona
1Sep 14, 201319.20+9.20Major60,000
2May 8, 197311.68+1.68Moderate26,800
3May 12, 201510.87+0.87Minor18,100
4May 3, 199910.42+0.42Minor18,400
5Jun 19, 196510.33+0.33Minor18,800
6May 10, 196910.30+0.30Minor17,000
7Jun 11, 19959.95−0.05Action18,100
8May 11, 19579.92−0.08Action14,200
9May 18, 19809.63−0.37Action15,700
10Jun 29, 19839.58−0.42Action16,700
11Jun 16, 20109.37−0.63Action10,500
12Jun 14, 19709.24−0.76Action14,000
13Jun 4, 20149.09−0.91Action9,890
14Jun 11, 19799.02−0.98Action10,800
15Jul 17, 20118.68−1.32Action8,920
16Jun 15, 19978.42−1.58Action12,200
17May 27, 19588.38−1.62Action8,840
18Jun 12, 19868.37−1.63Action7,520
19Jun 6, 19618.22−1.78Action7,740
20May 19, 19848.00−2.00Action8,700
21May 26, 19877.99−2.01Below flood stage6,850
22May 20, 20177.36−2.64Below flood stage7,750
23May 21, 19887.17−2.83Below flood stage5,340
24Jun 15, 20167.06−2.94Below flood stage6,450
25Jun 5, 19897.00−3.00Below flood stage4,000
26Jun 10, 19746.97−3.03Below flood stage4,360
27Jun 4, 19916.89−3.11Below flood stage4,590
28Jun 6, 20056.77−3.23Below flood stage5,140
29Jun 21, 19756.76−3.24Below flood stage3,750
30Aug 26, 19926.75−3.25Below flood stage4,010
31Jun 7, 20096.66−3.34Below flood stage4,590
32Jun 8, 19726.48−3.52Below flood stage3,110
33Jun 26, 19676.44−3.56Below flood stage3,540
34Jun 13, 19786.27−3.73Below flood stage2,820
35Jul 3, 19826.25−3.75Below flood stage2,770
36May 7, 20016.13−3.87Below flood stage4,790
37May 28, 19966.08−3.92Below flood stage4,510
38May 25, 20075.90−4.10Below flood stage3,620
39May 24, 19595.88−4.12Below flood stage2,560
40Jun 24, 20195.86−4.14Below flood stage4,100
41May 8, 19985.84−4.16Below flood stage4,050
42Aug 18, 20085.84−4.16Below flood stage3,050
43Jun 20, 19935.66−4.34Below flood stage2,800
44Mar 8, 19905.63−4.37Below flood stage2,310
45Jun 18, 19635.50−4.50Below flood stage2,060
46May 21, 19605.41−4.59Below flood stage1,810
47Jun 9, 20215.38−4.62Below flood stage3,100
48May 3, 19775.32−4.68Below flood stage1,450
49Aug 4, 19765.25−4.75Below flood stage1,350
50Jun 5, 19815.24−4.76Below flood stage1,880

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.

September 14, 2013: 19.20 ft here, major flooding

  • Fort MorganCO · Sep 15, 2013 · 25.73 ft · Major · its highest
  • AtwoodCO · Sep 15, 2013 · 15.52 ft · Major · its highest
  • KerseyCO · Sep 14, 2013 · 15.09 ft · Major · its highest
  • BalzacCO · Sep 15, 2013 · 13.71 ft · Major · its highest
  • RoscoeNE · Sep 21, 2013 · 12.21 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • CrookCO · Sep 17, 2013 · 10.13 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • HendersonCO · Sep 12, 2013 · 11.65 ft · Minor
  • JulesburgCO · Sep 18, 2013 · 10.74 ft · Minor · its highest

May 8, 1973: 11.68 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HendersonCO · May 6, 1973 · 17.67 ft · Major · its highest
  • KerseyCO · May 8, 1973 · 11.73 ft · Moderate
  • DenverCO · May 7, 1973 · 12.35 ft · Minor

May 12, 2015: 10.87 ft here, minor flooding

  • KerseyCO · May 11, 2015 · 11.54 ft · Moderate
  • RoscoeNE · May 16, 2015 · 11.09 ft · Moderate
  • BalzacCO · May 13, 2015 · 10.39 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
HendersonCO11.017.67 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
Weldona this gaugeCO10.019.20 ft, Sep 14, 20131

Other gauges in Morgan County

Flood gauges in Morgan County
Fort Morgan17.525.73 ft, Sep 15, 20131
Balzac10.013.71 ft, Sep 15, 20131

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WNAC2, 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.