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Tensas River near Newlight

Highest listed crest 60.58 ftFlood stage 55.0 ft18 crests since 1961

The Tensas River near Newlight crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1961 to 2020. The highest, 60.58 ft on May 19, 1973, was major flooding, 5.58 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tensas River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
60.58 ft
May 19, 1973
Flood stage
55.0 ft
Major flooding from 60.0 ft
Crests at major
1
66th of 107 gauges in Louisiana
Most recent flood crest
February 22, 2020
55.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Tensas 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 near Newlight
Action stage54.01Mar 15, 2001The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)55.09Feb 22, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage57.03Apr 1, 2016Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage60.01May 19, 1973Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1961 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tensas River near Newlight, 1961 to 2020 4550556065ft Flood stage 55.0 ftMajor 60.0 ft Apr 1, 1961: 55.94 ft, minor floodingDec 19, 1961: 55.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 16, 1966: 55.03 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1973: 60.58 ft, major floodingJan 30, 1974: 56.30 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1975: 57.25 ft, moderate floodingApr 23, 1979: 55.40 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 1982: 55.10 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 1983: 56.70 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1991: 59.56 ft, moderate floodingMar 15, 2001: 54.10 ft, action stageSep 5, 2009: 53.98 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2011: 48.77 ft, below flood stageJan 28, 2016: 51.03 ft, below flood stageApr 1, 2016: 57.47 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 2018: 53.71 ft, below flood stageMay 20, 2019: 55.64 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 2020: 55.27 ft, minor flooding Highest, 60.58 ft, May 19, 1973 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tensas River near Newlight 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 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

Highest listed crests, Tensas River near Newlight
1May 19, 197360.58+5.58Major—
2May 12, 199159.56+4.56Moderate—
3Apr 1, 201657.47+2.47Moderate—
4May 10, 197557.25+2.25Moderate—
5Jan 15, 198356.70+1.70Minor—
6Jan 30, 197456.30+1.30Minor—
7Apr 1, 196155.94+0.94Minor—
8May 20, 201955.64+0.64Minor—
9Apr 23, 197955.40+0.40Minor—
10Feb 22, 202055.27+0.27Minor—
11Dec 19, 196155.10+0.10Minor—
12Dec 31, 198255.10+0.10Minor—
13Feb 16, 196655.03+0.03Minor—
14Mar 15, 200154.10−0.90Action—
15Sep 5, 200953.98−1.02Below flood stage—
16Mar 19, 201853.71−1.29Below flood stage—
17Jan 28, 201651.03−3.97Below flood stage—
18May 26, 201148.77−6.23Below 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 19, 1973: 60.58 ft here, major flooding

  • ClaytonLA · May 17, 1973 · 60.00 ft · Moderate

May 12, 1991: 59.56 ft here, moderate flooding

  • TendalLA · May 5, 1991 · 27.21 ft · Major
  • ClaytonLA · May 18, 1991 · 58.10 ft · Moderate

April 1, 2016: 57.47 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ClaytonLA · Apr 1, 2016 · 55.89 ft · Minor

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
Newlight this gaugeLA55.060.58 ft, May 19, 19731
ClaytonLA55.060.10 ft, Apr 26, 19450

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NLGL1, 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.