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James River (MO) near Springfield

Highest listed crest 22.20 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft103 crests since 1956

The James River (MO) near Springfield crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 103 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2023. The highest, 22.20 ft on June 19, 2015, was major flooding, 10.20 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the James River (MO) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.20 ft
June 19, 2015; 88,305 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
2
81st of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
May 16, 2023
13.86 ft, minor flooding
Location
Greene County
Near Springfield (5.8 mi), Ozark (8.1 mi), Nixa (8.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, James River (MO) near Springfield
Action stage8.07Dec 21, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.040May 16, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.054Mar 24, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.02Apr 30, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

103 crests from 1956 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the James River (MO) near Springfield, 1956 to 2023 510152025ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft May 15, 1956: 15.20 ft, moderate flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1957: 15.57 ft, moderate flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1957: 18.20 ft, moderate flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1959: 8.22 ft, action stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1960: 14.66 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1961: 15.95 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1962: 11.04 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1963: 15.95 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1964: 12.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,220 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1965: 17.05 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1966: 16.10 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1967: 13.43 ft, minor flooding; 6,150 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1967: 15.05 ft, moderate flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1969: 16.20 ft, moderate flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1970: 15.30 ft, moderate flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1970: 14.05 ft, minor flooding; 7,860 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1971: 13.90 ft, minor flooding; 7,520 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1972: 16.87 ft, moderate flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1973: 15.68 ft, moderate flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1975: 15.71 ft, moderate flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1976: 13.97 ft, minor flooding; 7,890 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1977: 18.14 ft, moderate flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1978: 15.32 ft, moderate flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1979: 17.45 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1980: 9.94 ft, action stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1981: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 5,420 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1982: 15.38 ft, moderate flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1982: 16.20 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1984: 14.74 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 17.41 ft, moderate flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1985: 13.48 ft, minor flooding; 6,390 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1986: 15.55 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1987: 16.08 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1989: 14.97 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1990: 16.24 ft, moderate flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1990: 14.61 ft, minor flooding; 9,400 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1991: 10.89 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1993: 19.45 ft, moderate flooding; 41,100 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1993: 17.30 ft, moderate flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1995: 15.87 ft, moderate flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1996: 13.52 ft, minor flooding; 6,650 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1996: 13.67 ft, minor flooding; 7,020 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1998: 14.82 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1999: 14.97 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2000: 10.76 ft, action stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2001: 14.64 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2002: 17.34 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2003: 9.79 ft, action stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2004: 16.50 ft, moderate flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2005: 15.69 ft, moderate flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2006: 14.57 ft, minor flooding; 9,540 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2007: 17.36 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2008: 19.32 ft, moderate flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 18.53 ft, moderate flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 17.52 ft, moderate flooding; 22,600 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2009: 15.05 ft, moderate floodingOct 9, 2009: 17.39 ft, moderate floodingOct 30, 2009: 15.52 ft, moderate floodingMar 26, 2010: 13.74 ft, minor flooding; 7,149 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2011: 18.85 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 2012: 14.83 ft, minor flooding; 10,243 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2013: 12.52 ft, minor flooding; 4,646 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 12.09 ft, minor flooding; 4,120 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2013: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 5,029 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 16.98 ft, moderate flooding; 19,101 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2013: 15.54 ft, moderate flooding; 9,612 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 2013: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 5,814 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2013: 10.62 ft, action stageMay 30, 2015: 17.04 ft, moderate flooding; 16,148 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2015: 22.20 ft, major flooding; 88,305 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2015: 19.45 ft, moderate flooding; 33,642 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2015: 17.04 ft, moderate flooding; 16,148 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 2015: 14.05 ft, minor flooding; 5,731 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 2015: 12.23 ft, minor flooding; 3,950 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2015: 18.92 ft, moderate flooding; 28,905 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2016: 16.33 ft, moderate flooding; 11,394 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2016: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 6,367 cubic feet per secondOct 20, 2016: 12.36 ft, minor flooding; 4,041 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2017: 14.77 ft, minor flooding; 7,014 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2017: 20.90 ft, major flooding; 41,100 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2017: 15.30 ft, moderate flooding; 8,256 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 14.49 ft, minor flooding; 6,446 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2018: 17.62 ft, moderate flooding; 16,641 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2018: 15.78 ft, moderate flooding; 9,618 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2019: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 15.58 ft, moderate flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2020: 16.75 ft, moderate flooding; 14,503 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2020: 13.17 ft, minor flooding; 6,310 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2020: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 5,420 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2020: 16.51 ft, moderate flooding; 13,629 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2020: 14.03 ft, minor flooding; 7,419 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2020: 16.02 ft, moderate flooding; 11,774 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2020: 12.59 ft, minor flooding; 5,594 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2021: 15.48 ft, moderate flooding; 10,178 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2021: 13.66 ft, minor flooding; 6,938 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2021: 12.72 ft, minor flooding; 5,744 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2021: 13.29 ft, minor flooding; 6,464 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 13.14 ft, minor flooding; 6,272 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2022: 14.30 ft, minor flooding; 7,788 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2022: 18.29 ft, moderate flooding; 21,909 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2023: 15.32 ft, moderate flooding; 9,791 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2023: 18.71 ft, moderate flooding; 24,246 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2023: 13.86 ft, minor flooding; 7,083 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.20 ft, Jun 19, 2015 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, James River (MO) near Springfield 1950s: 3 1960s: 9 1970s: 10 1980s: 9 1990s: 9 2000s: 12 2010s: 27 27 2020s: 17 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 22.00 ft on Jul 1, 1909.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 103 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, James River (MO) near Springfield
1Jun 19, 201522.20+10.20Major88,305
2Apr 30, 201720.90+8.90Major41,100
3Sep 25, 199319.45+7.45Moderate41,100
4Jul 2, 201519.45+7.45Moderate33,642
5Mar 18, 200819.32+7.32Moderate34,200
6Dec 27, 201518.92+6.92Moderate28,905
7Apr 26, 201118.85+6.85Moderate—
8Mar 24, 202318.71+6.71Moderate24,246
9Jun 14, 200818.53+6.53Moderate28,400
10May 5, 202218.29+6.29Moderate21,909
11Dec 17, 195718.20+6.20Moderate24,800
12Sep 27, 197718.14+6.14Moderate24,500
13Feb 24, 201817.62+5.62Moderate16,641
14Sep 14, 200817.52+5.52Moderate22,600
15May 20, 197917.45+5.45Moderate21,300
16Feb 23, 198517.41+5.41Moderate21,000
17Oct 9, 200917.39+5.39Moderate—
18Jun 12, 200717.36+5.36Moderate21,300
19May 8, 200217.34+5.34Moderate21,500
20Nov 14, 199317.30+5.30Moderate19,600
21Apr 6, 196517.05+5.05Moderate19,800
22May 30, 201517.04+5.04Moderate16,148
23Jul 10, 201517.04+5.04Moderate16,148
24Jun 1, 201316.98+4.98Moderate19,101
25Nov 1, 197216.87+4.87Moderate19,200
26Jan 11, 202016.75+4.75Moderate14,503
27Mar 19, 202016.51+4.51Moderate13,629
28May 1, 200416.50+4.50Moderate16,900
29May 17, 201616.33+4.33Moderate11,394
30Mar 15, 199016.24+4.24Moderate14,600
31Jan 29, 196916.20+4.20Moderate16,400
32Dec 3, 198216.20+4.20Moderate16,000
33Feb 9, 196616.10+4.10Moderate16,000
34Dec 20, 198716.08+4.08Moderate15,600
35May 17, 202016.02+4.02Moderate11,774
36May 5, 196115.95+3.95Moderate15,600
37May 26, 196315.95+3.95Moderate15,600
38Jan 14, 199515.87+3.87Moderate14,400
39Mar 28, 201815.78+3.78Moderate9,618
40Jun 17, 197515.71+3.71Moderate14,200
41Jan 5, 200515.69+3.69Moderate13,500
42Nov 25, 197315.68+3.68Moderate14,300
43May 21, 201915.58+3.58Moderate10,300
44May 23, 195715.57+3.57Moderate14,100
45Oct 1, 198615.55+3.55Moderate13,700
46Aug 3, 201315.54+3.54Moderate9,612
47Oct 30, 200915.52+3.52Moderate—
48Mar 13, 202115.48+3.48Moderate10,178
49Jan 31, 198215.38+3.38Moderate14,700
50Mar 24, 197815.32+3.32Moderate12,500

The worst floods along the James River (MO)

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

June 19, 2015: 22.20 ft here, major flooding

  • GalenaMO · Jun 20, 2015 · 26.14 ft · Moderate
  • BoazMO · Jun 20, 2015 · 22.96 ft · Moderate

April 30, 2017: 20.90 ft here, major flooding

  • GalenaMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 35.97 ft · Major · its highest
  • BoazMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 25.10 ft · Major · its highest

September 25, 1993: 19.45 ft here, moderate flooding

  • GalenaMO · Sep 25, 1993 · 33.46 ft · Major

Gauges on the James River (MO)

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

Flood gauges on the James River (MO)
Springfield this gaugeMO12.022.20 ft, Jun 19, 20152
BoazMO10.025.10 ft, Apr 30, 20171
GalenaMO15.035.97 ft, Apr 30, 20174

Other gauges in Greene County

Flood gauges in Greene County
Springfield6.011.10 ft, Jun 13, 20081
Springfield .5.09.63 ft, Aug 17, 20020
Springfield6.010.19 ft, Dec 26, 20150
Brookline10.014.97 ft, Jun 13, 20080
Springfield7.010.16 ft, Dec 26, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SGFM7, 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.