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Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine

Highest listed crest 11.58 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft67 crests since 1968

The Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1968 to 2025. The highest, 11.58 ft on December 22, 2013, was major flooding, 3.58 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Sugar Creek (central) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.58 ft
December 22, 2013; 5,020 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
1
96th of 206 gauges in Indiana
Most recent flood crest
April 5, 2025
10.35 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Hancock County
Near Greenfield (8.1 mi), Beech Grove (10.7 mi), Lawrence (11.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine
Action stage6.521Nov 2, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.038Jan 12, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.05Apr 5, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.01Dec 22, 2013Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1968 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine, 1968 to 2025 681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Feb 2, 1968: 9.34 ft, minor flooding; 1,740 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1969: 8.56 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1970: 6.96 ft, action stage; 951 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1971: 8.51 ft, minor flooding; 1,570 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1971: 6.77 ft, action stage; 886 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1973: 7.73 ft, action stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1974: 9.12 ft, minor flooding; 1,850 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1975: 8.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1976: 6.96 ft, action stage; 797 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1977: 6.83 ft, action stage; 908 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1978: 8.60 ft, minor flooding; 1,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1979: 10.34 ft, moderate floodingMar 4, 1979: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 1,650 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1980: 8.91 ft, minor flooding; 1,350 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1981: 9.04 ft, minor flooding; 1,810 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1982: 8.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1983: 7.51 ft, action stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1984: 7.22 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1985: 9.19 ft, minor flooding; 1,880 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1986: 9.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,880 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1986: 8.29 ft, minor flooding; 1,410 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1988: 6.56 ft, action stage; 881 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1989: 8.59 ft, minor flooding; 1,520 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1990: 7.84 ft, action stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 10.31 ft, moderate flooding; 2,220 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1992: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 1,870 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 1992: 7.48 ft, action stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1993: 10.08 ft, moderate flooding; 2,340 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1995: 7.89 ft, action stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1996: 8.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,030 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 7.99 ft, action stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1998: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 1,840 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1999: 8.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,470 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2000: 6.97 ft, action stage; 853 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 2000: 6.45 ft, below flood stage; 799 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2002: 9.09 ft, minor flooding; 1,690 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2003: 8.79 ft, minor floodingSep 3, 2003: 8.83 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 2004: 9.38 ft, minor flooding; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2005: 10.80 ft, moderate flooding; 3,400 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 9.68 ft, minor flooding; 1,950 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2006: 8.52 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 2007: 8.19 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 2008: 8.26 ft, minor floodingFeb 13, 2009: 6.86 ft, action stageAug 4, 2009: 6.46 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 2010: 8.42 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 2011: 9.11 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2011: 9.00 ft, minor floodingJan 13, 2013: 9.33 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 2013: 11.58 ft, major flooding; 5,020 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2015: 7.94 ft, action stageJul 8, 2015: 8.74 ft, minor floodingDec 29, 2015: 7.94 ft, action stageJan 22, 2017: 7.09 ft, action stageMay 5, 2017: 8.14 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 2017: 7.18 ft, action stageJul 12, 2017: 8.32 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 2018: 7.74 ft, action stageApr 3, 2018: 9.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,850 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2018: 7.84 ft, action stageNov 2, 2018: 7.78 ft, action stageFeb 8, 2019: 9.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,713 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2019: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 1,316 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2019: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 1,840 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 8.09 ft, minor flooding; 1,320 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2025: 10.35 ft, moderate flooding; 2,668 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.58 ft, Dec 22, 2013 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine 1960s: 2 1970s: 6 1980s: 7 1990s: 6 2000s: 9 2010s: 12 12 2020s: 2 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Sugar Creek (central) at New Palestine
1Dec 22, 201311.58+3.58Major5,020
2Jan 6, 200510.80+2.80Moderate3,400
3Apr 5, 202510.35+2.35Moderate2,668
4Feb 23, 197910.34+2.34Moderate—
5Dec 30, 199010.31+2.31Moderate2,220
6Nov 14, 199310.08+2.08Moderate2,340
7Jan 13, 20059.68+1.68Minor1,950
8Oct 4, 19869.50+1.50Minor1,880
9Apr 3, 20189.50+1.50Minor1,850
10Jun 18, 19929.47+1.47Minor1,870
11Jun 15, 19989.47+1.47Minor1,840
12Jun 16, 20199.47+1.47Minor1,840
13Jan 5, 20049.38+1.38Minor1,800
14Feb 2, 19689.34+1.34Minor1,740
15Jan 13, 20139.33+1.33Minor—
16Feb 24, 19859.19+1.19Minor1,880
17Feb 8, 20199.15+1.15Minor1,713
18Jun 23, 19749.12+1.12Minor1,850
19Mar 5, 20119.11+1.11Minor—
20May 14, 20029.09+1.09Minor1,690
21May 27, 19819.04+1.04Minor1,810
22Apr 20, 20119.00+1.00Minor—
23Jun 8, 19808.91+0.91Minor1,350
24Feb 24, 19758.85+0.85Minor1,560
25Feb 18, 19828.85+0.85Minor1,720
26Sep 3, 20038.83+0.83Minor—
27Apr 29, 19968.82+0.82Minor2,030
28Jul 7, 20038.79+0.79Minor—
29Jul 8, 20158.74+0.74Minor—
30Mar 4, 19798.69+0.69Minor1,650
31Mar 15, 19788.60+0.60Minor1,600
32Sep 16, 19898.59+0.59Minor1,520
33Jan 31, 19698.56+0.56Minor1,590
34Mar 13, 20068.52+0.52Minor—
35Feb 4, 19718.51+0.51Minor1,570
36Jan 23, 19998.50+0.50Minor1,470
37Jun 24, 20108.42+0.42Minor—
38Jul 12, 20178.32+0.32Minor—
39Dec 13, 19868.29+0.29Minor1,410
40Feb 7, 20088.26+0.26Minor—
41Jan 15, 20078.19+0.19Minor—
42May 5, 20178.14+0.14Minor—
43Jan 12, 20208.09+0.09Minor1,320
44Apr 26, 20198.08+0.08Minor1,316
45Nov 8, 19967.99−0.01Action1,580
46Jun 29, 20157.94−0.06Action—
47Dec 29, 20157.94−0.06Action—
48May 19, 19957.89−0.11Action1,440
49May 17, 19907.84−0.16Action1,250
50Sep 9, 20187.84−0.16Action—

The worst floods along the Sugar Creek (central)

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

December 22, 2013: 11.58 ft here, major flooding

  • EdinburghIN · Dec 23, 2013 · 16.83 ft · Moderate

January 6, 2005: 10.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EdinburghIN · Jan 6, 2005 · 16.95 ft · Moderate

April 5, 2025: 10.35 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EdinburghIN · Apr 6, 2025 · 16.51 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Sugar Creek (central)

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

Flood gauges on the Sugar Creek (central)
EdenIN6.07.53 ft, Jun 23, 20100
EdenIN7.08.83 ft, Jun 23, 20100
New Palestine this gaugeIN8.011.58 ft, Dec 22, 20131
EdinburghIN10.019.23 ft, Jun 7, 20082

Other gauges in Hancock County

Flood gauges in Hancock County
Greenfield9.011.18 ft, Apr 6, 20250
Mohawk5.57.31 ft, Dec 21, 20130
Stringtown5.07.10 ft, Jan 8, 20080
Eden6.07.53 ft, Jun 23, 20100
Eden7.08.83 ft, Jun 23, 20100

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NPLI3, 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.