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Big Muddy River at Murphysboro

Highest listed crest 40.47 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft78 crests since 1916

The Big Muddy River at Murphysboro crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 78 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1916 to 2025. The highest, 40.47 ft on May 3, 2011, was major flooding, 18.47 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Big Muddy River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.47 ft
May 3, 2011; 37,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 36.0 ft
Crests at major
8
35th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
April 9, 2025
36.39 ft, major flooding
Location
Jackson County
Near Carbondale (6.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Muddy River at Murphysboro
Action stage20.02Feb 11, 1942The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.030May 13, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage28.036Mar 29, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage36.08Apr 9, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

78 crests from 1916 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Muddy River at Murphysboro, 1916 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 36.0 ft Feb 2, 1916: 29.90 ft, moderate floodingJan 10, 1917: 28.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 19, 1918: 23.05 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1932: 25.95 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1933: 33.51 ft, moderate flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1935: 34.06 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1937: 33.86 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1938: 23.98 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 1939: 30.38 ft, moderate floodingApr 24, 1940: 21.20 ft, action stageFeb 11, 1942: 21.40 ft, action stageMay 14, 1943: 27.50 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1944: 24.29 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1945: 32.57 ft, moderate flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1946: 33.17 ft, moderate flooding; 20,100 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1947: 28.47 ft, moderate floodingFeb 24, 1951: 30.86 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 1952: 28.36 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1953: 19.10 ft, below flood stageMar 25, 1955: 24.17 ft, minor floodingDec 24, 1957: 29.80 ft, moderate floodingAug 22, 1959: 22.17 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 1959: 25.15 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1961: 39.03 ft, major floodingJan 27, 1962: 27.47 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1963: 23.48 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 1964: 31.99 ft, moderate floodingApr 30, 1966: 25.10 ft, minor floodingDec 25, 1967: 26.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 3, 1969: 31.82 ft, moderate floodingMar 9, 1970: 23.47 ft, minor floodingFeb 27, 1971: 25.65 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 1972: 25.96 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 1973: 32.08 ft, moderate flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1973: 26.57 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1975: 28.56 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 1977: 31.78 ft, moderate floodingMar 6, 1979: 34.00 ft, moderate flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1980: 18.87 ft, below flood stageJun 7, 1981: 27.60 ft, minor floodingFeb 3, 1982: 31.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 5, 1983: 36.85 ft, major flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1984: 27.62 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1985: 33.39 ft, moderate flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1987: 25.48 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 1990: 29.63 ft, moderate floodingJan 3, 1991: 27.79 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1993: 33.19 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1993: 35.60 ft, moderate floodingMay 2, 1996: 37.65 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1997: 26.55 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1998: 27.82 ft, minor floodingJan 27, 1999: 29.52 ft, moderate floodingJun 22, 2000: 29.39 ft, moderate floodingDec 21, 2001: 28.69 ft, moderate floodingMay 18, 2002: 33.49 ft, moderate floodingMay 11, 2003: 26.04 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 2004: 22.37 ft, minor flooding; 7,288 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2005: 26.84 ft, minor flooding; 11,102 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2006: 33.80 ft, moderate floodingJan 20, 2007: 24.99 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 2008: 37.24 ft, major flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2009: 27.87 ft, minor flooding; 11,920 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2010: 25.60 ft, minor flooding; 11,136 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2011: 40.47 ft, major flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2013: 30.75 ft, moderate flooding; 16,617 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2014: 29.20 ft, moderate flooding; 14,373 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2015: 31.22 ft, moderate flooding; 17,349 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2016: 36.11 ft, major flooding; 28,515 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2017: 38.56 ft, major flooding; 35,350 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2018: 30.85 ft, moderate flooding; 16,881 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2019: 31.72 ft, moderate flooding; 18,285 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2020: 29.92 ft, moderate flooding; 15,479 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2021: 29.78 ft, moderate flooding; 15,282 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2022: 25.22 ft, minor flooding; 9,911 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2023: 28.91 ft, moderate flooding; 14,065 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2024: 23.80 ft, minor flooding; 8,617 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2025: 36.39 ft, major flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 40.47 ft, May 3, 2011 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Muddy River at Murphysboro 1910s: 3 1920s: 0 1930s: 6 1940s: 5 1950s: 6 1960s: 7 1970s: 8 1980s: 6 1990s: 8 2000s: 10 10 2010s: 9 2020s: 6 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 78 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Big Muddy River at Murphysboro
1May 3, 201140.47+18.47Major37,700
2May 12, 196139.03+17.03Major—
3May 6, 201738.56+16.56Major35,350
4May 2, 199637.65+15.65Major—
5Mar 23, 200837.24+15.24Major31,500
6May 5, 198336.85+14.85Major32,100
7Apr 9, 202536.39+14.39Major29,200
8Jan 2, 201636.11+14.11Major28,515
9Nov 19, 199335.60+13.60Moderate—
10Mar 15, 193534.06+12.06Moderate25,000
11Mar 6, 197934.00+12.00Moderate24,600
12Jan 18, 193733.86+11.86Moderate25,100
13Mar 16, 200633.80+11.80Moderate—
14May 17, 193333.51+11.51Moderate23,100
15May 18, 200233.49+11.49Moderate—
16Apr 3, 198533.39+11.39Moderate22,000
17Jan 9, 199333.19+11.19Moderate12,000
18Aug 22, 194633.17+11.17Moderate20,100
19Apr 3, 194532.57+10.57Moderate23,200
20Apr 26, 197332.08+10.08Moderate19,700
21Mar 14, 196431.99+9.99Moderate—
22Feb 3, 196931.82+9.82Moderate—
23Apr 1, 197731.78+9.78Moderate—
24Jun 11, 201931.72+9.72Moderate18,285
25Jun 23, 201531.22+9.22Moderate17,349
26Feb 3, 198231.20+9.20Moderate—
27Feb 24, 195130.86+8.86Moderate—
28Apr 3, 201830.85+8.85Moderate16,881
29Jun 6, 201330.75+8.75Moderate16,617
30Apr 21, 193930.38+8.38Moderate—
31Jan 16, 202029.92+7.92Moderate15,479
32Feb 2, 191629.90+7.90Moderate—
33Dec 24, 195729.80+7.80Moderate—
34Mar 22, 202129.78+7.78Moderate15,282
35May 21, 199029.63+7.63Moderate—
36Jan 27, 199929.52+7.52Moderate—
37Jun 22, 200029.39+7.39Moderate—
38Apr 8, 201429.20+7.20Moderate14,373
39Mar 29, 202328.91+6.91Moderate14,065
40Dec 21, 200128.69+6.69Moderate—
41Apr 1, 197528.56+6.56Moderate—
42Apr 29, 194728.47+6.47Moderate—
43Mar 16, 195228.36+6.36Moderate—
44Jan 10, 191728.30+6.30Moderate—
45May 14, 200927.87+5.87Minor11,920
46Apr 20, 199827.82+5.82Minor—
47Jan 3, 199127.79+5.79Minor13,600
48Apr 1, 198427.62+5.62Minor—
49Jun 7, 198127.60+5.60Minor—
50May 14, 194327.50+5.50Minor—

The worst floods along the Big Muddy River

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

May 3, 2011: 40.47 ft here, major flooding

  • PlumfieldIL · May 4, 2011 · 34.68 ft · Major · its highest

May 12, 1961: 39.03 ft here, major flooding

  • PlumfieldIL · May 10, 1961 · 34.67 ft · Major

May 6, 2017: 38.56 ft here, major flooding

  • PlumfieldIL · May 2, 2017 · 28.62 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Big Muddy River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Muddy River
PlumfieldIL20.034.68 ft, May 4, 20112
Murphysboro this gaugeIL22.040.47 ft, May 3, 20118

Jackson County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Illinois

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MURI2, 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.