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Spring River near Waco

Highest listed crest 34.06 ftFlood stage 19.0 ft88 crests since 1924

The Spring River near Waco crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 88 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1924 to 2022. The highest, 34.06 ft on September 26, 1993, was major flooding, 15.06 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Spring River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.06 ft
September 26, 1993; 151,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
19.0 ft
Major flooding from 33.0 ft
Crests at major
1
94th of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
May 6, 2022
27.68 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jasper County
Near Webb City (9.0 mi), Joplin (12.3 mi), Pittsburg (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, Spring River near Waco
Action stage15.023Feb 25, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)19.059May 6, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage30.02Dec 28, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage33.01Sep 26, 1993Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

88 crests from 1924 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Spring River near Waco, 1924 to 2022 010203040ft Flood stage 19.0 ftMajor 33.0 ft May 29, 1924: 20.12 ft, minor flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1926: 16.40 ft, action stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1928: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1929: 22.65 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1932: 20.88 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1932: 17.84 ft, action stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1935: 20.23 ft, minor flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1936: 15.70 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1937: 19.42 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1938: 18.50 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1939: 15.34 ft, action stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1941: 24.66 ft, minor flooding; 38,800 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1941: 24.40 ft, minor flooding; 37,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1943: 30.94 ft, moderate flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1944: 16.60 ft, action stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1945: 24.65 ft, minor flooding; 38,300 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1946: 19.10 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1947: 24.60 ft, minor flooding; 38,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1948: 24.63 ft, minor flooding; 38,300 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1949: 15.50 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1950: 24.50 ft, minor flooding; 37,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1951: 19.52 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1952: 20.08 ft, minor flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1955: 17.70 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1957: 24.20 ft, minor flooding; 34,500 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1958: 17.20 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1959: 15.93 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1959: 21.35 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1961: 25.90 ft, minor flooding; 47,900 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1964: 19.54 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1965: 19.54 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1967: 16.21 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1968: 16.08 ft, action stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 1968: 17.75 ft, action stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1970: 22.73 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1971: 17.52 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1971: 19.33 ft, minor flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1972: 24.02 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1974: 26.29 ft, minor flooding; 50,600 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1974: 20.22 ft, minor flooding; 20,500 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1976: 25.42 ft, minor flooding; 44,600 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1977: 16.64 ft, action stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1978: 18.03 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1979: 22.35 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1979: 19.72 ft, minor flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1982: 15.99 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1983: 20.68 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1983: 19.95 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1985: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 69,700 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1985: 23.22 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1986: 28.39 ft, minor flooding; 64,800 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1987: 25.03 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1990: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 28,700 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1992: 19.12 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1993: 34.06 ft, major flooding; 151,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1994: 27.17 ft, minor flooding; 52,600 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1995: 23.71 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1996: 15.12 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1997: 18.75 ft, action stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1998: 16.20 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1998: 24.91 ft, minor floodingJul 23, 2000: 16.14 ft, action stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2001: 19.90 ft, minor flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2002: 24.74 ft, minor flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2003: 6.62 ft, below flood stageMar 5, 2004: 19.19 ft, minor flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2005: 22.34 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2006: 6.00 ft, below flood stageJun 12, 2007: 29.58 ft, minor flooding; 70,900 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2008: 27.09 ft, minor flooding; 47,900 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2008: 26.57 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 2008: 20.67 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2008: 19.71 ft, minor floodingMay 2, 2009: 13.73 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2009: 25.84 ft, minor flooding; 40,300 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2011: 21.83 ft, minor flooding; 25,248 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2012: 19.49 ft, minor flooding; 18,485 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2013: 19.74 ft, minor flooding; 19,036 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2013: 21.17 ft, minor flooding; 22,328 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2014: 19.74 ft, minor floodingJul 9, 2015: 18.86 ft, action stageDec 28, 2015: 30.82 ft, moderate flooding; 92,700 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2017: 28.14 ft, minor flooding; 54,580 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 18.90 ft, action stageMay 2, 2019: 23.25 ft, minor flooding; 28,881 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2019: 27.97 ft, minor flooding; 54,448 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2020: 20.90 ft, minor flooding; 21,616 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2022: 27.68 ft, minor flooding; 52,226 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.06 ft, Sep 26, 1993 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Spring River near Waco 1920s: 3 1930s: 3 1940s: 7 1950s: 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 8 1980s: 6 1990s: 6 2000s: 10 10 2010s: 9 2020s: 2 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

The 50 highest of 88 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Spring River near Waco
1Sep 26, 199334.06+15.06Major151,000
2May 19, 194330.94+11.94Moderate103,000
3Dec 28, 201530.82+11.82Moderate92,700
4Jun 12, 200729.58+10.58Minor70,900
5Feb 24, 198528.80+9.80Minor69,700
6Oct 2, 198628.39+9.39Minor64,800
7Apr 30, 201728.14+9.14Minor54,580
8May 24, 201927.97+8.97Minor54,448
9May 6, 202227.68+8.68Minor52,226
10Apr 12, 199427.17+8.17Minor52,600
11Mar 20, 200827.09+8.09Minor47,900
12Apr 11, 200826.57+7.57Minor—
13Mar 11, 197426.29+7.29Minor50,600
14May 9, 196125.90+6.90Minor47,900
15Oct 10, 200925.84+6.84Minor40,300
16Jul 4, 197625.42+6.42Minor44,600
17Nov 25, 198725.03+6.03Minor37,200
18Oct 6, 199824.91+5.91Minor—
19May 9, 200224.74+5.74Minor35,900
20Apr 20, 194124.66+5.66Minor38,800
21Apr 16, 194524.65+5.65Minor38,300
22Jun 22, 194824.63+5.63Minor38,300
23Apr 25, 194724.60+5.60Minor38,300
24Aug 28, 195024.50+5.50Minor37,800
25Oct 5, 194124.40+5.40Minor37,300
26Jun 9, 195724.20+5.20Minor34,500
27Nov 2, 197224.02+5.02Minor31,800
28Jun 10, 199523.71+4.71Minor31,800
29May 2, 201923.25+4.25Minor28,881
30Nov 20, 198523.22+4.22Minor29,900
31Mar 15, 199022.93+3.93Minor28,700
32May 1, 197022.73+3.73Minor29,200
33May 13, 192922.65+3.65Minor25,000
34May 21, 197922.35+3.35Minor27,900
35Jan 6, 200522.34+3.34Minor26,300
36Apr 27, 201121.83+2.83Minor25,248
37Oct 3, 195921.35+2.35Minor22,400
38Jul 31, 201321.17+2.17Minor22,328
39Mar 20, 202020.90+1.90Minor21,616
40Jun 28, 193220.88+1.88Minor19,800
41Jun 10, 192820.80+1.80Minor19,800
42Apr 24, 198320.68+1.68Minor21,900
43May 9, 200820.67+1.67Minor—
44Mar 12, 193520.23+1.23Minor18,700
45Nov 4, 197420.22+1.22Minor20,500
46May 29, 192420.12+1.12Minor18,200
47Feb 2, 195220.08+1.08Minor20,700
48Oct 21, 198319.95+0.95Minor19,600
49Feb 25, 200119.90+0.90Minor19,300
50Jun 2, 201319.74+0.74Minor19,036

The worst floods along the Spring River

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

September 26, 1993: 34.06 ft here, major flooding

  • QuapawOK · Sep 26, 1993 · 46.15 ft · Major · its highest

May 19, 1943: 30.94 ft here, moderate flooding

  • QuapawOK · May 19, 1943 · 43.40 ft · Major

December 28, 2015: 30.82 ft here, moderate flooding

  • QuapawOK · Dec 29, 2015 · 39.77 ft · Major
  • Baxter SpringsKS · Dec 28, 2015 · 31.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • CarthageMO · Dec 27, 2015 · 20.33 ft · Major · its highest
  • LaRussellMO · Dec 27, 2015 · 15.70 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Spring River

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

Flood gauges on the Spring River
LaRussellMO8.016.85 ft, May 20, 19790
CarthageMO10.020.33 ft, Dec 27, 20151
Waco this gaugeMO19.034.06 ft, Sep 26, 19931
Baxter SpringsKS14.031.80 ft, Dec 28, 20151
QuapawOK20.046.15 ft, Sep 26, 199315

Other gauges in Jasper County

Flood gauges in Jasper County
Purcell11.033.77 ft, Jun 12, 20076
Carthage10.020.33 ft, Dec 27, 20151
LaRussell8.016.85 ft, May 20, 19790

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WCOM7, 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.