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Tensas River at Clayton

Highest listed crest 60.10 ftFlood stage 55.0 ft18 crests since 1944

The Tensas River at Clayton crested above flood stage 10 times among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1944 to 2019. The highest, 60.10 ft on April 26, 1945, was moderate flooding, 5.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
60.10 ft
April 26, 1945
Flood stage
55.0 ft
Major flooding from 65.0 ft
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 22, 2019
55.03 ft, minor flooding
Location
Concordia Parish
Louisiana

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tensas River at Clayton
Action stage54.04Apr 25, 1979The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)55.07May 22, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage58.03May 18, 1991Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage65.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1944 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tensas River at Clayton, 1944 to 2019 4550556065ft Flood stage 55.0 ftMajor 65.0 ft May 24, 1944: 55.20 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 1945: 60.10 ft, moderate floodingMar 31, 1949: 54.70 ft, action stageMar 6, 1950: 57.71 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 1953: 56.95 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1958: 54.86 ft, action stageApr 15, 1962: 51.05 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 1973: 60.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 2, 1974: 54.90 ft, action stageMay 11, 1975: 56.10 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 1979: 54.10 ft, action stageJan 9, 1983: 55.40 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 1991: 58.10 ft, moderate floodingNov 10, 2009: 49.63 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2011: 48.56 ft, below flood stageJan 27, 2016: 50.24 ft, below flood stageApr 1, 2016: 55.89 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 2019: 55.03 ft, minor flooding Highest, 60.10 ft, Apr 26, 1945 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tensas River at Clayton 1940s: 2 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Tensas River at Clayton
1Apr 26, 194560.10+5.10Moderate—
2May 17, 197360.00+5.00Moderate—
3May 18, 199158.10+3.10Moderate—
4Mar 6, 195057.71+2.71Minor—
5May 25, 195356.95+1.95Minor—
6May 11, 197556.10+1.10Minor—
7Apr 1, 201655.89+0.89Minor—
8Jan 9, 198355.40+0.40Minor—
9May 24, 194455.20+0.20Minor—
10May 22, 201955.03+0.03Minor—
11Feb 2, 197454.90−0.10Action—
12Jun 1, 195854.86−0.14Action—
13Mar 31, 194954.70−0.30Action—
14Apr 25, 197954.10−0.90Action—
15Apr 15, 196251.05−3.95Below flood stage—
16Jan 27, 201650.24−4.76Below flood stage—
17Nov 10, 200949.63−5.37Below flood stage—
18May 26, 201148.56−6.44Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Tensas River

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

May 17, 1973: 60.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NewlightLA · May 19, 1973 · 60.58 ft · Major · its highest

May 18, 1991: 58.10 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NewlightLA · May 12, 1991 · 59.56 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Tensas River

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

Flood gauges on the Tensas River
TendalLA25.034.02 ft, May 15, 19272
NewlightLA55.060.58 ft, May 19, 19731
Clayton this gaugeLA55.060.10 ft, Apr 26, 19450

Other gauges in Concordia Parish

Flood gauges in Concordia Parish
Acme48.062.70 ft, May 17, 19274

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CYNL1, 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.