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Missouri River at Washington

Highest listed crest 35.40 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft104 crests since 1844

The Missouri River at Washington crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 104 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1844 to 2024. The highest, 35.40 ft on July 31, 1993, was major flooding, 15.40 feet above flood stage. 15 other gauges on the Missouri River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 10 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
35.40 ft
July 31, 1993
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 31.0 ft
Crests at major
5
41st of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
May 1, 2024
22.69 ft, minor flooding
Location
Franklin County
Near Washington (0.7 mi), Union (8.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missouri River at Washington
Action stage18.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.090May 1, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage28.09Jun 8, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage31.05May 4, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

104 crests from 1844 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River at Washington, 1844 to 2024 2025303540ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 31.0 ft Jun 1, 1844: 32.25 ft, major floodingJun 1, 1903: 26.25 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1941: 20.00 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1943: 21.50 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 1947: 23.90 ft, minor floodingJul 19, 1951: 30.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 28, 1952: 24.20 ft, minor floodingJul 1, 1953: 27.70 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1960: 25.60 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1961: 27.20 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1962: 22.00 ft, minor floodingJul 24, 1965: 21.70 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1965: 24.90 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 1967: 27.60 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1968: 22.60 ft, minor floodingJul 5, 1969: 25.70 ft, minor floodingOct 14, 1969: 26.10 ft, minor floodingMay 16, 1970: 24.90 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 1970: 24.10 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1973: 26.30 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1973: 30.10 ft, moderate floodingJul 30, 1981: 23.30 ft, minor floodingDec 7, 1982: 28.30 ft, moderate floodingOct 6, 1986: 32.50 ft, major floodingApr 16, 1987: 21.50 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 1990: 28.40 ft, moderate floodingJun 18, 1990: 20.30 ft, minor floodingDec 17, 1992: 25.00 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1993: 25.00 ft, minor floodingJul 31, 1993: 35.40 ft, major floodingSep 24, 1993: 29.60 ft, moderate floodingNov 18, 1993: 21.00 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1994: 29.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 1995: 32.90 ft, major floodingApr 29, 1996: 21.00 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1996: 24.40 ft, minor floodingJul 24, 1996: 20.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1997: 23.90 ft, minor floodingApr 15, 1997: 23.80 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 1997: 20.00 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1998: 23.80 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 1998: 25.90 ft, minor floodingNov 13, 1998: 20.00 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 1999: 25.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 28, 2001: 21.40 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 2001: 20.00 ft, minor floodingJun 8, 2001: 26.30 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 2001: 20.60 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 2002: 26.70 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 2004: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 245,100 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2005: 22.89 ft, minor flooding; 283,000 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2007: 24.20 ft, minor flooding; 306,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2008: 22.65 ft, minor flooding; 275,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2008: 22.00 ft, minor flooding; 263,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2008: 23.04 ft, minor flooding; 282,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2008: 21.80 ft, minor flooding; 259,000 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2008: 22.31 ft, minor flooding; 269,000 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2008: 27.86 ft, minor flooding; 372,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2009: 23.61 ft, minor flooding; 296,900 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2009: 23.76 ft, minor flooding; 299,000 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2009: 20.16 ft, minor flooding; 242,000 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2009: 20.86 ft, minor flooding; 253,200 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2010: 20.57 ft, minor flooding; 238,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2010: 20.96 ft, minor flooding; 245,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2010: 21.17 ft, minor flooding; 249,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2010: 25.06 ft, minor flooding; 324,000 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2010: 23.65 ft, minor flooding; 296,000 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2010: 22.39 ft, minor flooding; 270,000 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2010: 21.46 ft, minor flooding; 254,000 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2011: 20.37 ft, minor flooding; 232,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2011: 21.06 ft, minor flooding; 245,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2011: 22.88 ft, minor floodingJun 6, 2011: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 234,000 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2011: 22.38 ft, minor flooding; 267,000 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 21.77 ft, minor flooding; 259,300 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2013: 28.99 ft, moderate flooding; 407,600 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2015: 21.63 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 2015: 24.31 ft, minor floodingJun 20, 2015: 26.48 ft, minor flooding; 342,000 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2015: 23.48 ft, minor floodingDec 18, 2015: 22.87 ft, minor flooding; 298,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2015: 30.17 ft, moderate flooding; 471,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2016: 20.66 ft, minor flooding; 255,000 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2016: 21.68 ft, minor flooding; 274,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2017: 20.52 ft, minor flooding; 257,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2017: 31.88 ft, major flooding; 520,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2017: 20.69 ft, minor flooding; 260,000 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2018: 21.14 ft, minor flooding; 263,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2019: 24.95 ft, minor flooding; 331,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2019: 26.03 ft, minor flooding; 353,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2019: 21.99 ft, minor flooding; 275,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2019: 29.28 ft, moderate flooding; 405,000 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2019: 20.41 ft, minor flooding; 239,000 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2019: 20.73 ft, minor flooding; 244,000 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2019: 21.96 ft, minor flooding; 264,000 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 22.83 ft, minor flooding; 280,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2020: 22.05 ft, minor flooding; 273,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2020: 22.35 ft, minor flooding; 275,000 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2020: 20.51 ft, minor flooding; 240,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2021: 24.50 ft, minor flooding; 314,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2021: 21.22 ft, minor flooding; 253,000 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2021: 24.33 ft, minor flooding; 316,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2022: 21.66 ft, minor flooding; 268,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2024: 22.69 ft, minor flooding; 293,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 35.40 ft, Jul 31, 1993 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River at Washington 1840s: 1 1850s: 0 1860s: 0 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 1950s: 3 1960s: 9 1970s: 4 1980s: 4 1990s: 19 2000s: 18 2010s: 33 33 2020s: 9 1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 26.10 ft on Jun 28, 1942; 24.80 ft on Apr 20, 1945.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 104 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Missouri River at Washington
1Jul 31, 199335.40+15.40Major—
2May 19, 199532.90+12.90Major—
3Oct 6, 198632.50+12.50Major—
4Jun 1, 184432.25+12.25Major—
5May 4, 201731.88+11.88Major520,000
6Jul 19, 195130.90+10.90Moderate—
7Dec 30, 201530.17+10.17Moderate471,000
8Apr 24, 197330.10+10.10Moderate—
9Sep 24, 199329.60+9.60Moderate—
10Jun 8, 201929.28+9.28Moderate405,000
11Apr 14, 199429.20+9.20Moderate—
12Jun 2, 201328.99+8.99Moderate407,600
13May 28, 199028.40+8.40Moderate—
14Dec 7, 198228.30+8.30Moderate—
15Sep 16, 200827.86+7.86Minor372,000
16Jul 1, 195327.70+7.70Minor—
17Jun 26, 196727.60+7.60Minor—
18May 10, 196127.20+7.20Minor—
19May 14, 200226.70+6.70Minor—
20Jun 20, 201526.48+6.48Minor342,000
21Mar 15, 197326.30+6.30Minor—
22Jun 8, 200126.30+6.30Minor—
23Jun 1, 190326.25+6.25Minor—
24Oct 14, 196926.10+6.10Minor—
25May 3, 201926.03+6.03Minor353,000
26Oct 8, 199825.90+5.90Minor—
27May 9, 199925.80+5.80Minor—
28Jul 5, 196925.70+5.70Minor—
29Apr 8, 196025.60+5.60Minor—
30May 18, 201025.06+5.06Minor324,000
31Dec 17, 199225.00+5.00Minor—
32Apr 16, 199325.00+5.00Minor—
33Mar 31, 201924.95+4.95Minor331,000
34Sep 26, 196524.90+4.90Minor—
35May 16, 197024.90+4.90Minor—
36Mar 19, 202124.50+4.50Minor314,000
37Jun 1, 199624.40+4.40Minor—
38Jun 29, 202124.33+4.33Minor316,000
39Jun 9, 201524.31+4.31Minor—
40Apr 28, 195224.20+4.20Minor—
41May 12, 200724.20+4.20Minor306,000
42Sep 25, 197024.10+4.10Minor—
43Apr 12, 194723.90+3.90Minor—
44Feb 24, 199723.90+3.90Minor—
45Apr 15, 199723.80+3.80Minor—
46Apr 3, 199823.80+3.80Minor—
47Jun 18, 200923.76+3.76Minor299,000
48Jun 21, 201023.65+3.65Minor296,000
49May 1, 200923.61+3.61Minor296,900
50Jun 29, 201523.48+3.48Minor—

The worst floods along the Missouri River

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

July 31, 1993: 35.40 ft here, major flooding

  • BrownvilleNE · Jul 24, 1993 · 44.30 ft · Major
  • St. CharlesMO · Aug 2, 1993 · 40.04 ft · Major
  • GlasgowMO · Jul 29, 1993 · 39.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • Jefferson CityMO · Jul 30, 1993 · 38.65 ft · Major · its highest
  • BoonvilleMO · Jul 29, 1993 · 37.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • HermannMO · Jul 31, 1993 · 36.97 ft · Major · its highest
  • PlattsmouthNE · Jul 25, 1993 · 35.65 ft · Major
  • LeavenworthKS · Jul 28, 1993 · 35.34 ft · Major · its highest
  • ChamoisMO · Jul 31, 1993 · 33.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • MiamiMO · Jul 30, 1993 · 32.60 ft · Major · its highest

May 19, 1995: 32.90 ft here, major flooding

  • St. CharlesMO · May 21, 1995 · 36.50 ft · Major
  • HermannMO · May 19, 1995 · 36.22 ft · Major
  • Jefferson CityMO · May 19, 1995 · 33.05 ft · Major
  • BoonvilleMO · May 19, 1995 · 33.14 ft · Moderate
  • MiamiMO · May 20, 1995 · 28.40 ft · Moderate
  • NapoleonMO · May 19, 1995 · 27.40 ft · Moderate
  • St. JosephMO · May 14, 1995 · 23.84 ft · Moderate
  • RuloNE · May 13, 1995 · 22.41 ft · Moderate
  • Kansas CityMO · May 19, 1995 · 33.77 ft · Minor
  • WaverlyMO · May 18, 1995 · 28.82 ft · Minor

October 6, 1986: 32.50 ft here, major flooding

  • St. CharlesMO · Oct 7, 1986 · 37.50 ft · Major
  • HermannMO · Oct 5, 1986 · 35.79 ft · Major
  • Jefferson CityMO · Oct 5, 1986 · 32.60 ft · Major
  • GlasgowMO · Sep 29, 1986 · 32.45 ft · Major
  • BoonvilleMO · Oct 5, 1986 · 31.85 ft · Moderate
  • BrownvilleNE · Oct 12, 1986 · 36.00 ft · Minor
  • WaverlyMO · Oct 4, 1986 · 24.40 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Missouri River
ParkvilleMO25.035.01 ft, Mar 23, 20191
AtchisonKS22.031.63 ft, Jul 26, 19933
BoonvilleMO21.037.10 ft, Jul 29, 19931
BrownvilleNE34.045.73 ft, Mar 16, 20193
ChamberlainSD65.075.08 ft, Jul 8, 20113
DecaturNE35.044.41 ft, Apr 16, 19521
Farm IslandSD26.029.52 ft, Jun 21, 20111
Gavins Point DamNE1,210.01,212.02 ft, Mar 15, 20190
GlasgowMO25.039.50 ft, Jul 29, 199324
HermannMO21.036.97 ft, Jul 31, 19939
Highway 370 at BellevueNE30.033.78 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Highway 92 at OmahaNE27.532.90 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Jefferson CityMO23.038.65 ft, Jul 30, 199310
Kansas CityMO32.048.87 ft, Jul 27, 19930
La Framboise IslandSD29.033.45 ft, Jun 22, 20111
LeavenworthKS20.035.34 ft, Jul 28, 19933
MiamiMO18.032.60 ft, Jul 30, 19935
NapoleonMO17.029.73 ft, Jun 2, 20190
Nebraska CityNE18.030.12 ft, Mar 16, 20193
NiobraraNE21.026.76 ft, Jun 26, 20111
OmahaNE27.036.29 ft, Jul 2, 20110
PierreSD13.025.35 ft, Apr 10, 19525
PlattsmouthNE26.040.62 ft, Mar 16, 20193
RuloNE17.028.13 ft, Mar 20, 20193
Sioux CityNE30.035.25 ft, Jul 21, 20110
SpringfieldSD11.017.73 ft, Mar 14, 20191
St. CharlesMO25.040.11 ft, Jun 24, 18449
St. JosephMO17.032.07 ft, Jul 26, 19934
Washington this gaugeMO20.035.40 ft, Jul 31, 19935
YanktonSD20.050.50 ft, Apr 5, 188138
BlairNE26.533.50 ft, Apr 17, 19521
ChamoisMO17.033.30 ft, Jul 31, 19931
GreenwoodSD30.038.78 ft, Jul 7, 20112
MaskellNE30.031.86 ft, Jun 29, 20110
PoncaNE20.029.15 ft, Jul 20, 20111
VerdelNE24.029.12 ft, Jun 30, 20112
WaverlyMO20.031.92 ft, Jun 1, 20193

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
Union15.034.31 ft, Dec 29, 20155

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WHGM7, 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.