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Osage River at Warsaw

Highest listed crest 44.54 ftFlood stage 34.0 ft20 crests since 1844

The Osage River at Warsaw crested above flood stage 12 times among the 20 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1844 to 2015. The highest, 44.54 ft on May 21, 1943, was minor flooding, 10.54 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Osage River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
44.54 ft
May 21, 1943; 220,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
34.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
12 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 7, 1951
40.10 ft, minor flooding
Location
Benton County
Missouri

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Osage River at Warsaw
Flood stage (minor)34.012Jul 7, 1951Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

20 crests from 1844 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Osage River at Warsaw, 1844 to 2015 1020304050ft Flood stage 34.0 ft Jun 1, 1844: 44.46 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 1895: 38.40 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1905: 37.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 1916: 35.50 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 1922: 34.90 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1927: 34.45 ft, minor floodingOct 9, 1927: 28.20 ft, below flood stageMay 19, 1929: 34.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 1930: 16.40 ft, below flood stageJun 3, 1935: 34.10 ft, minor floodingNov 2, 1941: 34.50 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 1943: 44.54 ft, minor flooding; 220,000 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1946: 34.40 ft, minor floodingJul 7, 1951: 40.10 ft, minor flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2009: 31.78 ft, below flood stageJun 14, 2011: 30.17 ft, below flood stageMay 29, 2012: 30.06 ft, below flood stageJun 30, 2013: 29.99 ft, below flood stageJun 1, 2015: 32.35 ft, below flood stageDec 28, 2015: 32.16 ft, below flood stage Highest, 44.54 ft, May 21, 1943 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Osage River at Warsaw 1840s: 1 1850s: 0 1860s: 0 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 1 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 3 3 1930s: 1 1940s: 3 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s
  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, Osage River at Warsaw
1May 21, 194344.54+10.54Minor220,000
2Jun 1, 184444.46+10.46Minor—
3Jul 7, 195140.10+6.10Minor120,000
4Dec 1, 189538.40+4.40Minor—
5Apr 1, 190537.40+3.40Minor—
6Feb 1, 191635.50+1.50Minor—
7Apr 12, 192234.90+0.90Minor—
8May 19, 192934.80+0.80Minor—
9Nov 2, 194134.50+0.50Minor—
10Apr 17, 192734.45+0.45Minor—
11Aug 14, 194634.40+0.40Minor—
12Jun 3, 193534.10+0.10Minor—
13Jun 1, 201532.35−1.65Below flood stage—
14Dec 28, 201532.16−1.84Below flood stage—
15Jun 12, 200931.78−2.22Below flood stage—
16Jun 14, 201130.17−3.83Below flood stage—
17May 29, 201230.06−3.94Below flood stage—
18Jun 30, 201329.99−4.01Below flood stage—
19Oct 9, 192728.20−5.80Below flood stage—
20Feb 9, 193016.40−17.60Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Osage River

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

May 21, 1943: 44.54 ft here, minor flooding

  • BagnellMO · May 19, 1943 · 38.90 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Osage River

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

Flood gauges on the Osage River
Mari-Osa CampgroundMO19.030.30 ft, Dec 29, 20153
TuscumbiaMO20.034.39 ft, Dec 29, 20150
Warsaw this gaugeMO34.044.54 ft, May 21, 19430
BagnellMO22.038.90 ft, May 19, 19430
Schell CityMO30.051.50 ft, Oct 5, 19862
St. ThomasMO23.029.53 ft, Dec 29, 20150
TabervilleMO23.043.65 ft, May 27, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WRSM7, 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.