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St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend

Highest listed crest 12.70 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft30 crests since 1982

The St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1982 to 2023. The highest, 12.70 ft on February 22, 2018, was major flooding, 7.20 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.70 ft
February 22, 2018; 22,716 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
6
26th of 206 gauges in Indiana
Most recent flood crest
March 6, 2023
5.61 ft, minor flooding
Location
St. Joseph County
Near South Bend (3.0 mi), Mishawaka (6.1 mi), Niles (8.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend
Action stage4.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.522Mar 6, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.02Feb 7, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.06Feb 22, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1982 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend, 1982 to 2023 468101214ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 9.0 ft Mar 15, 1982: 10.90 ft, major floodingApr 15, 1983: 6.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1985: 10.70 ft, major floodingJan 6, 1993: 10.90 ft, major floodingJan 26, 1999: 5.60 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1999: 6.60 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 2001: 6.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 2001: 5.90 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 2002: 6.90 ft, minor floodingJun 13, 2004: 6.40 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 8.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 16, 2005: 5.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 2005: 5.50 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 2006: 6.10 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 2008: 9.60 ft, major floodingFeb 7, 2008: 8.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 4, 2008: 5.50 ft, minor floodingSep 16, 2008: 6.70 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 2008: 6.00 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 2009: 9.00 ft, major flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2009: 6.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 6.90 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2011: 6.10 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 7.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 2018: 12.70 ft, major flooding; 22,716 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2019: 7.13 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 6.83 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2021: 6.43 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 5.89 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2023: 5.61 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.70 ft, Feb 22, 2018 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend 1980s: 3 1990s: 3 2000s: 15 15 2010s: 5 2020s: 4 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. Joseph River (MI/IN) at South Bend
1Feb 22, 201812.70+7.20Major22,716
2Mar 15, 198210.90+5.40Major—
3Jan 6, 199310.90+5.40Major—
4Feb 24, 198510.70+5.20Major—
5Jan 9, 20089.60+4.10Major—
6Mar 12, 20099.00+3.50Major16,200
7Feb 7, 20088.90+3.40Moderate—
8Jan 14, 20058.00+2.50Moderate—
9Apr 20, 20137.80+2.30Minor—
10May 2, 20197.13+1.63Minor13,600
11May 14, 20026.90+1.40Minor—
12Apr 29, 20116.90+1.40Minor12,600
13May 20, 20206.83+1.33Minor12,800
14Sep 16, 20086.70+1.20Minor—
15Apr 24, 19996.60+1.10Minor—
16Feb 10, 20016.50+1.00Minor—
17Jun 28, 20216.43+0.93Minor10,200
18Jun 13, 20046.40+0.90Minor—
19Apr 15, 19836.30+0.80Minor—
20Mar 14, 20066.10+0.60Minor—
21Dec 16, 20116.10+0.60Minor11,300
22Dec 28, 20086.00+0.50Minor—
23Apr 7, 20096.00+0.50Minor11,100
24Feb 26, 20015.90+0.40Minor—
25Feb 16, 20055.90+0.40Minor—
26Feb 18, 20225.89+0.39Minor10,700
27Mar 6, 20235.61+0.11Minor10,300
28Jan 26, 19995.60+0.10Minor—
29Feb 21, 20055.500.00Minor—
30Mar 4, 20085.500.00Minor—

The worst floods along the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) that crested above flood stage within a week.

February 22, 2018: 12.70 ft here, major flooding

  • NilesMI · Feb 22, 2018 · 17.33 ft · Major · its highest
  • Three RiversMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 11.37 ft · Major
  • MottvilleMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 10.17 ft · Major
  • BurlingtonMI · Feb 22, 2018 · 6.93 ft · Minor · its highest

March 15, 1982: 10.90 ft here, major flooding

  • NilesMI · Mar 21, 1982 · 14.97 ft · Moderate
  • Three RiversMI · Mar 21, 1982 · 10.69 ft · Moderate
  • MottvilleMI · Mar 21, 1982 · 9.81 ft · Moderate

January 6, 1993: 10.90 ft here, major flooding

  • Three RiversMI · Jan 1, 1993 · 9.52 ft · Moderate
  • NilesMI · Jan 5, 1993 · 13.77 ft · Minor

Gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)

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

Flood gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)
BurlingtonMI6.56.93 ft, Feb 22, 20180
Three RiversMI7.011.80 ft, Jun 3, 19892
MottvilleMI8.010.76 ft, Apr 27, 19503
ElkhartIN24.030.00 ft, Mar 8, 19081
South Bend this gaugeIN5.512.70 ft, Feb 22, 20186
NilesMI11.017.33 ft, Feb 22, 20182

St. Joseph County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Indiana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SBNI3, 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.