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Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin

Highest listed crest 23.39 ftFlood stage 11.5 ft53 crests since 1968

The Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1968 to 2023. The highest, 23.39 ft on December 27, 2015, was major flooding, 11.89 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.39 ft
December 27, 2015; 56,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.5 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
4
52nd of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
March 25, 2023
15.46 ft, minor flooding
Location
Newton County
Near Joplin (3.8 mi), Webb City (8.7 mi), Carthage (13.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin
Action stage7.016May 31, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.519Mar 25, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.010May 6, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.04Apr 29, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1968 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin, 1968 to 2023 0510152025ft Flood stage 11.5 ftMajor 18.0 ft Feb 2, 1968: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 9,880 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1969: 8.22 ft, action stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1970: 10.24 ft, action stage; 7,110 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1972: 14.85 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1974: 13.64 ft, minor flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1974: 16.62 ft, moderate flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1976: 16.43 ft, moderate flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1977: 9.08 ft, action stage; 5,190 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1978: 9.86 ft, action stage; 6,250 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1979: 8.41 ft, action stage; 4,430 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1983: 12.63 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1984: 10.88 ft, action stage; 7,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 12.46 ft, minor flooding; 8,860 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1986: 15.29 ft, minor flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1987: 13.91 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1990: 11.77 ft, minor flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1993: 15.50 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 1993: 16.84 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1995: 17.24 ft, moderate flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1996: 9.74 ft, action stage; 6,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 8.17 ft, action stage; 4,650 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1998: 7.26 ft, action stageMar 4, 1999: 9.95 ft, action stage; 7,600 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2000: 9.52 ft, action stage; 6,950 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2001: 9.48 ft, action stage; 6,890 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2002: 11.31 ft, action stage; 9,360 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2003: 6.29 ft, below flood stageApr 25, 2004: 11.73 ft, minor flooding; 9,280 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2005: 12.98 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2006: 6.99 ft, below flood stageJun 12, 2007: 10.34 ft, action stage; 7,270 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2008: 13.30 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2008: 18.28 ft, major flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2008: 16.45 ft, moderate flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2009: 6.60 ft, below flood stageOct 10, 2009: 18.81 ft, major flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2011: 16.70 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2011: 15.96 ft, minor flooding; 18,103 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2012: 7.36 ft, action stageMay 31, 2013: 7.32 ft, action stageJun 10, 2014: 4.10 ft, below flood stageJul 11, 2015: 12.38 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2015: 23.39 ft, major flooding; 56,100 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2017: 22.96 ft, major flooding; 56,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 13.76 ft, minor flooding; 11,940 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2019: 12.48 ft, minor flooding; 9,898 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2019: 16.30 ft, moderate flooding; 17,913 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2019: 16.63 ft, moderate flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2020: 12.66 ft, minor flooding; 10,180 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2021: 16.15 ft, moderate flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2021: 12.20 ft, minor flooding; 9,238 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2022: 16.87 ft, moderate flooding; 19,394 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2023: 15.46 ft, minor flooding; 14,820 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.39 ft, Dec 27, 2015 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 1980s: 4 1990s: 4 2000s: 6 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 5 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.
  3. 17 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 28.00 ft on Apr 19, 1941; 11.86 ft on Oct 5, 1941; 16.80 ft on May 18, 1943; 10.00 ft on Jun 20, 1944; 13.30 ft on Apr 13, 1945; 10.56 ft on May 31, 1946; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Shoal Creek (MO) near Joplin
1Dec 27, 201523.39+11.89Major56,100
2Apr 29, 201722.96+11.46Major56,100
3Oct 10, 200918.81+7.31Major25,600
4Mar 19, 200818.28+6.78Major24,100
5Jun 11, 199517.24+5.74Moderate21,900
6May 6, 202216.87+5.37Moderate19,394
7Sep 25, 199316.84+5.34Moderate19,900
8Apr 26, 201116.70+5.20Moderate19,900
9Jun 24, 201916.63+5.13Moderate19,100
10Nov 4, 197416.62+5.12Moderate18,300
11Apr 11, 200816.45+4.95Moderate19,300
12Jul 3, 197616.43+4.93Moderate18,100
13May 23, 201916.30+4.80Moderate17,913
14May 28, 202116.15+4.65Moderate16,800
15May 24, 201115.96+4.46Minor18,103
16Jul 7, 199315.50+4.00Minor—
17Mar 25, 202315.46+3.96Minor14,820
18Sep 30, 198615.29+3.79Minor12,700
19Nov 1, 197214.85+3.35Minor14,900
20Nov 24, 198713.91+2.41Minor10,800
21Feb 25, 201813.76+2.26Minor11,940
22Jun 8, 197413.64+2.14Minor12,700
23Jan 19, 200813.30+1.80Minor11,200
24Jan 6, 200512.98+1.48Minor11,500
25Mar 19, 202012.66+1.16Minor10,180
26May 1, 198312.63+1.13Minor10,800
27May 1, 201912.48+0.98Minor9,898
28Feb 23, 198512.46+0.96Minor8,860
29Jul 11, 201512.38+0.88Minor10,400
30Jun 26, 202112.20+0.70Minor9,238
31Mar 15, 199011.77+0.27Minor8,340
32Apr 25, 200411.73+0.23Minor9,280
33Feb 2, 196811.70+0.20Minor9,880
34May 18, 200211.31−0.19Action9,360
35Mar 5, 198410.88−0.62Action7,830
36Jun 12, 200710.34−1.16Action7,270
37Sep 9, 197010.24−1.26Action7,110
38Mar 4, 19999.95−1.55Action7,600
39Apr 11, 19789.86−1.64Action6,250
40Sep 26, 19969.74−1.76Action6,300
41May 9, 20009.52−1.98Action6,950
42Feb 25, 20019.48−2.02Action6,890
43Sep 29, 19779.08−2.42Action5,190
44Apr 12, 19798.41−3.09Action4,430
45Jan 30, 19698.22−3.28Action3,780
46Feb 21, 19978.17−3.33Action4,650
47Mar 20, 20127.36−4.14Action—
48May 31, 20137.32−4.18Action—
49Mar 20, 19987.26−4.24Action—
50May 11, 20066.99−4.51Below flood stage—

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JOPM7, 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.