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Black River at Poplar Bluff

Highest listed crest 22.15 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft37 crests since 1927

The Black River at Poplar Bluff crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2025. The highest, 22.15 ft on March 20, 2008, was major flooding, 6.15 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Black River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.15 ft
March 20, 2008; 81,148 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major
5
41st of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
19.90 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Butler County
Near Poplar Bluff (1.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Black River at Poplar Bluff
Action stage12.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.017May 28, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.015Apr 6, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage21.05May 1, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

37 crests from 1927 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Black River at Poplar Bluff, 1927 to 2025 1618202224ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 21.0 ft Apr 16, 1927: 20.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 15, 1927: 20.10 ft, moderate flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1929: 20.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 16, 1933: 20.60 ft, moderate floodingMar 12, 1935: 21.10 ft, major floodingMay 12, 1943: 20.77 ft, moderate flooding; 52,600 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1945: 20.80 ft, moderate floodingMay 26, 1946: 20.02 ft, moderate floodingMar 22, 1955: 16.85 ft, minor floodingNov 18, 1958: 16.35 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1964: 19.72 ft, moderate flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1966: 17.42 ft, minor floodingJan 30, 1969: 19.00 ft, moderate floodingNov 26, 1973: 18.30 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1977: 20.17 ft, moderate flooding; 21,700 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1979: 17.69 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 1982: 19.69 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1982: 21.68 ft, major floodingMar 31, 1985: 19.94 ft, moderate flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1999: 16.35 ft, minor floodingDec 17, 2001: 16.32 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 2002: 18.45 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 2006: 16.80 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2007: 17.29 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2008: 22.15 ft, major flooding; 81,148 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2009: 18.63 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 2011: 21.41 ft, major flooding; 30,331 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2013: 18.86 ft, minor flooding; 14,111 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2014: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 10,101 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2015: 19.57 ft, moderate flooding; 14,608 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2016: 20.21 ft, moderate flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2017: 21.96 ft, major flooding; 27,727 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 16.42 ft, minor flooding; 7,570 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 18.71 ft, minor flooding; 12,315 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2023: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 8,957 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2024: 17.27 ft, minor flooding; 8,713 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 19.90 ft, moderate flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.15 ft, Mar 20, 2008 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Black River at Poplar Bluff 1920s: 3 1930s: 2 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 1 2000s: 6 2010s: 7 7 2020s: 4 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

Highest listed crests, Black River at Poplar Bluff
1Mar 20, 200822.15+6.15Major81,148
2May 1, 201721.96+5.96Major27,727
3Dec 4, 198221.68+5.68Major—
4Apr 26, 201121.41+5.41Major30,331
5Mar 12, 193521.10+5.10Major—
6Jun 10, 194520.80+4.80Moderate—
7May 12, 194320.77+4.77Moderate52,600
8May 16, 193320.60+4.60Moderate—
9Apr 16, 192720.30+4.30Moderate—
10Aug 16, 201620.21+4.21Moderate16,400
11May 15, 192920.20+4.20Moderate—
12Mar 28, 197720.17+4.17Moderate21,700
13Dec 15, 192720.10+4.10Moderate30,700
14May 26, 194620.02+4.02Moderate—
15Mar 31, 198519.94+3.94Moderate19,500
16Apr 6, 202519.90+3.90Moderate18,400
17Mar 10, 196419.72+3.72Moderate17,200
18Feb 1, 198219.69+3.69Moderate17,100
19Dec 30, 201519.57+3.57Moderate14,608
20Jan 30, 196919.00+3.00Moderate—
21Dec 23, 201318.86+2.86Minor14,111
22Jan 12, 202018.71+2.71Minor12,315
23Nov 13, 200918.63+2.63Minor—
24May 9, 200218.45+2.45Minor—
25Nov 26, 197318.30+2.30Minor—
26May 4, 197917.69+1.69Minor—
27Apr 29, 201417.60+1.60Minor10,101
28Apr 24, 196617.42+1.42Minor—
29Mar 4, 202317.40+1.40Minor8,957
30May 5, 200717.29+1.29Minor—
31May 28, 202417.27+1.27Minor8,713
32Mar 22, 195516.85+0.85Minor—
33Mar 10, 200616.80+0.80Minor—
34Feb 25, 201816.42+0.42Minor7,570
35Nov 18, 195816.35+0.35Minor—
36Jan 22, 199916.35+0.35Minor—
37Dec 17, 200116.32+0.32Minor—

The worst floods along the Black River

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

March 20, 2008: 22.15 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · Mar 20, 2008 · 29.74 ft · Major
  • PocahontasAR · Mar 22, 2008 · 26.56 ft · Major
  • AnnapolisMO · Mar 19, 2008 · 20.03 ft · Moderate
  • CorningAR · Mar 22, 2008 · 15.92 ft · Moderate

May 1, 2017: 21.96 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · May 1, 2017 · 30.00 ft · Major
  • PocahontasAR · May 3, 2017 · 28.95 ft · Major · its highest
  • AnnapolisMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 23.23 ft · Moderate
  • CorningAR · May 4, 2017 · 15.89 ft · Moderate

December 4, 1982: 21.68 ft here, major flooding

  • Black RockAR · Dec 4, 1982 · 31.51 ft · Major
  • PocahontasAR · Dec 7, 1982 · 25.22 ft · Major
  • AnnapolisMO · Dec 3, 1982 · 17.64 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Black River

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

Flood gauges on the Black River
AnnapolisMO8.028.73 ft, Jul 10, 20263
Poplar Bluff this gaugeMO16.022.15 ft, Mar 20, 20085
CorningAR15.018.12 ft, Apr 28, 20112
PocahontasAR17.028.95 ft, May 3, 20179
Black RockAR14.031.90 ft, Aug 21, 191512

Butler County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Missouri

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PPBM7, 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.