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Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract

Highest listed crest 23.00 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft85 crests since 1950

The Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract crested above flood stage 61 times among the 85 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2025. The highest, 23.00 ft on December 30, 1990, was moderate flooding, 8.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.00 ft
December 30, 1990; 12,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
61 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
22.44 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Owen County
Indiana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract
Action stage10.022Nov 2, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.043Mar 26, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.018Apr 6, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

85 crests from 1950 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract, 1950 to 2025 510152025ft Flood stage 15.0 ft Jan 5, 1950: 21.35 ft, moderate flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1951: 14.92 ft, action stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1952: 19.10 ft, moderate flooding; 6,760 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1953: 17.07 ft, minor flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1954: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 950 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1955: 12.50 ft, action stage; 2,440 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 1955: 19.08 ft, moderate flooding; 6,720 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1957: 19.64 ft, moderate flooding; 7,180 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 18.63 ft, minor flooding; 6,740 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1960: 22.58 ft, moderate flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1961: 22.20 ft, moderate flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 22.06 ft, moderate flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1964: 17.97 ft, minor flooding; 5,920 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1965: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1966: 13.15 ft, action stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1966: 16.34 ft, minor flooding; 4,770 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1968: 21.54 ft, moderate flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1969: 19.19 ft, moderate flooding; 7,350 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1970: 14.57 ft, action stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1971: 15.46 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1972: 13.30 ft, action stage; 2,930 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1973: 16.12 ft, minor flooding; 4,620 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1973: 14.77 ft, action stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1975: 16.83 ft, minor flooding; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1976: 12.33 ft, action stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1977: 13.14 ft, action stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1978: 18.90 ft, minor flooding; 7,010 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1979: 20.17 ft, moderate flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1979: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,960 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1981: 15.85 ft, minor flooding; 4,490 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1982: 14.75 ft, action stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1982: 16.01 ft, minor flooding; 4,770 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1984: 15.55 ft, minor flooding; 4,440 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 5,840 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1985: 17.88 ft, minor flooding; 6,130 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1987: 15.74 ft, minor flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1988: 15.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,300 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1989: 14.17 ft, action stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1990: 16.63 ft, minor flooding; 5,190 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 23.00 ft, moderate flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1992: 15.66 ft, minor flooding; 4,510 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1993: 22.11 ft, moderate flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 1993: 21.12 ft, moderate flooding; 9,070 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1995: 14.82 ft, action stage; 3,980 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1996: 17.32 ft, minor flooding; 5,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1997: 16.41 ft, minor flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1998: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 4,250 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1999: 19.42 ft, moderate flooding; 7,400 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2000: 12.46 ft, action stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 2000: 15.08 ft, minor flooding; 4,150 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2002: 18.12 ft, minor flooding; 6,340 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2003: 17.62 ft, minor flooding; 5,950 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2004: 13.74 ft, action stageJan 16, 2007: 16.09 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 2008: 15.46 ft, minor floodingJun 7, 2008: 22.61 ft, moderate flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2009: 17.88 ft, minor floodingAug 5, 2009: 9.13 ft, below flood stageJun 23, 2010: 12.60 ft, action stageMar 1, 2011: 15.64 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 2011: 16.44 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 2011: 18.90 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2013: 18.96 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2013: 21.61 ft, moderate flooding; 9,610 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2013: 18.55 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 2014: 16.41 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 2015: 11.99 ft, action stageJul 9, 2015: 13.86 ft, action stageJul 15, 2015: 15.82 ft, minor floodingDec 29, 2015: 17.28 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 2017: 14.56 ft, action stageMay 1, 2017: 18.44 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2017: 11.76 ft, action stageJun 24, 2017: 11.73 ft, action stageJul 13, 2017: 14.73 ft, action stageFeb 25, 2018: 16.26 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 2018: 20.56 ft, moderate flooding; 8,480 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2018: 13.26 ft, action stageNov 2, 2018: 13.97 ft, action stageFeb 8, 2019: 17.29 ft, minor flooding; 5,833 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2019: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 5,475 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2020: 15.10 ft, minor flooding; 4,364 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2020: 15.25 ft, minor flooding; 4,459 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2023: 16.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,045 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 22.44 ft, moderate flooding; 6,601 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.00 ft, Dec 30, 1990 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract 1950s: 6 1960s: 8 1970s: 6 1980s: 7 1990s: 9 2000s: 7 2010s: 14 14 2020s: 4 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 85 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Mill Creek (IN) near Cataract
1Dec 30, 199023.00+8.00Moderate12,200
2Jun 7, 200822.61+7.61Moderate10,800
3Jun 24, 196022.58+7.58Moderate11,400
4Apr 6, 202522.44+7.44Moderate6,601
5May 9, 196122.20+7.20Moderate10,700
6Aug 17, 199322.11+7.11Moderate10,200
7Mar 5, 196322.06+7.06Moderate10,600
8Apr 20, 201321.61+6.61Moderate9,610
9May 24, 196821.54+6.54Moderate10,200
10Jan 5, 195021.35+6.35Moderate9,480
11Nov 15, 199321.12+6.12Moderate9,070
12Apr 4, 201820.56+5.56Moderate8,480
13Jul 14, 197920.17+5.17Moderate8,340
14Jun 29, 195719.64+4.64Moderate7,180
15Jan 23, 199919.42+4.42Moderate7,400
16Jan 30, 196919.19+4.19Moderate7,350
17Jun 23, 195219.10+4.10Moderate6,760
18Nov 17, 195519.08+4.08Moderate6,720
19Jan 14, 201318.96+3.96Minor—
20Mar 15, 197818.90+3.90Minor7,010
21Apr 21, 201118.90+3.90Minor—
22Jan 22, 195918.63+3.63Minor6,740
23Dec 22, 201318.55+3.55Minor—
24May 1, 201718.44+3.44Minor—
25May 14, 200218.12+3.12Minor6,340
26Apr 21, 196417.97+2.97Minor5,920
27Nov 20, 198517.88+2.88Minor6,130
28Feb 12, 200917.88+2.88Minor—
29Sep 3, 200317.62+2.62Minor5,950
30Feb 23, 198517.50+2.50Minor5,840
31Apr 30, 199617.32+2.32Minor5,720
32Feb 8, 201917.29+2.29Minor5,833
33Dec 29, 201517.28+2.28Minor—
34Mar 4, 195317.07+2.07Minor5,260
35Feb 24, 197516.83+1.83Minor5,160
36Jun 17, 201916.78+1.78Minor5,475
37May 17, 199016.63+1.63Minor5,190
38Mar 6, 201116.44+1.44Minor—
39Feb 28, 199716.41+1.41Minor5,230
40Apr 4, 201416.41+1.41Minor—
41Dec 10, 196616.34+1.34Minor4,770
42Feb 25, 201816.26+1.26Minor—
43Mar 26, 202316.15+1.15Minor5,045
44Jul 22, 197316.12+1.12Minor4,620
45Jan 16, 200716.09+1.09Minor—
46Dec 26, 198216.01+1.01Minor4,770
47May 28, 198115.85+0.85Minor4,490
48Jul 15, 201515.82+0.82Minor—
49Jul 6, 198715.74+0.74Minor4,560
50Feb 11, 196515.70+0.70Minor4,260

The worst floods along the Mill Creek (IN)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Mill Creek (IN) that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 7, 2008: 22.61 ft here, moderate flooding

April 6, 2025: 22.44 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Mill Creek (IN)

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

Flood gauges on the Mill Creek (IN)
Cataract this gaugeIN15.023.00 ft, Dec 30, 19900
Cagles MillIN14.021.00 ft, Aug 1, 18750

Other gauges in Owen County

Flood gauges in Owen County
Spencer14.028.50 ft, Mar 26, 19134

Owen County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Indiana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CATI3, 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.