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Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater

Highest listed crest 26.72 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft68 crests since 1923

The Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 68 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1923 to 2020. The highest, 26.72 ft on May 18, 1953, was major flooding, 7.72 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.72 ft
May 18, 1953; 28,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
3
46th of 107 gauges in Louisiana
Most recent flood crest
October 11, 2020
24.17 ft, major flooding
Location
Rapides Parish
Louisiana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater
Action stage17.018Oct 29, 2006The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.017May 6, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.04Apr 12, 1995Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.03Oct 11, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

68 crests from 1923 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater, 1923 to 2020 1015202530ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Apr 14, 1923: 13.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1923: 12.15 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1938: 21.50 ft, moderate flooding; 4,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1939: 14.70 ft, below flood stage; 717 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1940: 18.41 ft, action stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1942: 15.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1943: 12.03 ft, below flood stage; 586 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1945: 16.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1949: 20.88 ft, minor flooding; 3,070 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1950: 17.42 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1951: 12.17 ft, below flood stage; 633 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1952: 13.92 ft, below flood stage; 816 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1953: 26.72 ft, major flooding; 28,200 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1954: 18.62 ft, action stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1955: 18.06 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1956: 16.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1956: 16.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1957: 19.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,470 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1959: 16.16 ft, below flood stage; 986 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1959: 13.90 ft, below flood stage; 686 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1961: 18.69 ft, action stage; 1,560 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1961: 18.11 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1963: 15.72 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1964: 20.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,190 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1964: 18.77 ft, action stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1966: 18.12 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1967: 16.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1968: 18.23 ft, action stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1969: 15.72 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1970: 14.79 ft, below flood stage; 925 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1970: 17.52 ft, action stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1973: 20.49 ft, minor flooding; 2,490 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1974: 20.06 ft, minor flooding; 2,160 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1975: 17.71 ft, action stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1976: 15.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,050 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1977: 16.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1977: 17.52 ft, action stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 20.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,220 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1980: 19.83 ft, minor flooding; 2,020 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1981: 13.80 ft, below flood stage; 854 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1982: 15.06 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1982: 23.28 ft, major flooding; 7,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 19.99 ft, minor flooding; 2,110 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1984: 21.61 ft, moderate flooding; 3,580 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1985: 22.63 ft, moderate flooding; 5,270 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1987: 18.39 ft, action stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1987: 17.15 ft, action stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1990: 18.35 ft, action stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1991: 19.02 ft, minor flooding; 1,710 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1991: 19.69 ft, minor flooding; 1,940 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1993: 16.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1994: 17.48 ft, action stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1995: 22.09 ft, moderate flooding; 3,300 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1998: 19.11 ft, minor flooding; 1,680 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2000: 13.37 ft, below flood stage; 794 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2001: 14.91 ft, below flood stage; 985 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2001: 19.37 ft, minor flooding; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2004: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 2,930 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 2004: 18.17 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2005: 14.01 ft, below flood stage; 817 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2006: 17.83 ft, action stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2008: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 2,380 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2008: 16.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2010: 15.76 ft, below flood stage; 992 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2012: 20.34 ft, minor flooding; 3,762 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2013: 19.96 ft, minor flooding; 3,462 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2017: 19.76 ft, minor floodingOct 11, 2020: 24.17 ft, major flooding; 8,491 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.72 ft, May 18, 1953 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 68 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Bayou Cocodrie near Clearwater
1May 18, 195326.72+7.72Major28,200
2Oct 11, 202024.17+5.17Major8,491
3Dec 28, 198223.28+4.28Major7,240
4Oct 31, 198522.63+3.63Moderate5,270
5Apr 12, 199522.09+3.09Moderate3,300
6Oct 24, 198421.61+2.61Moderate3,580
7Apr 9, 193821.50+2.50Moderate4,000
8Apr 24, 194920.88+1.88Minor3,070
9Mar 26, 197320.49+1.49Minor2,490
10May 19, 200420.43+1.43Minor2,930
11Sep 5, 200820.43+1.43Minor2,380
12Feb 6, 201220.34+1.34Minor3,762
13Sep 22, 197920.15+1.15Minor2,220
14Apr 20, 196420.14+1.14Minor2,190
15Jan 29, 197420.06+1.06Minor2,160
16Feb 14, 198419.99+0.99Minor2,110
17Jan 13, 201319.96+0.96Minor3,462
18Nov 16, 195719.90+0.90Minor1,470
19Mar 31, 198019.83+0.83Minor2,020
20May 6, 201719.76+0.76Minor—
21Dec 15, 199119.69+0.69Minor1,940
22Dec 1, 200119.37+0.37Minor1,790
23Jan 15, 199819.11+0.11Minor1,680
24May 10, 199119.02+0.02Minor1,710
25Dec 13, 196418.77−0.23Action1,590
26Apr 1, 196118.69−0.31Action1,560
27May 5, 195418.62−0.38Action1,540
28Aug 11, 194018.41−0.59Action2,000
29Jan 20, 198718.39−0.61Action1,490
30Jan 27, 199018.35−0.65Action1,480
31Jan 12, 196818.23−0.77Action1,460
32Dec 10, 200418.17−0.83Action1,430
33Apr 28, 196618.12−0.88Action1,430
34Dec 20, 196118.11−0.89Action1,430
35Feb 8, 195518.06−0.94Action1,430
36Oct 29, 200617.83−1.17Action1,280
37May 11, 197517.71−1.29Action1,350
38Oct 14, 197017.52−1.48Action1,310
39Dec 2, 197717.52−1.48Action1,310
40Jan 30, 199417.48−1.52Action1,330
41Jun 6, 195017.42−1.58Action1,300
42Nov 19, 198717.15−1.85Action1,270
43Apr 4, 194516.99−2.01Below flood stage1,260
44May 6, 196716.99−2.01Below flood stage1,220
45Apr 10, 199316.71−2.29Below flood stage1,180
46Oct 1, 200816.50−2.50Below flood stage1,090
47Dec 25, 195616.46−2.54Below flood stage1,160
48Feb 11, 195616.40−2.60Below flood stage1,150
49Feb 5, 195916.16−2.84Below flood stage986
50Apr 23, 197716.10−2.90Below flood stage1,090

Gauges on the Bayou Cocodrie

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Bayou Cocodrie
Clearwater this gaugeLA19.026.72 ft, May 18, 19533
WhitevilleLA32.035.35 ft, Oct 19, 20201

Other gauges in Rapides Parish

Flood gauges in Rapides Parish
Glenmora12.021.55 ft, May 19, 195317
Alexandria32.045.23 ft, Apr 17, 194510

Rapides Parish: every hazard · River floods across the country · Louisiana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLWL1, 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.