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St. Francis River at Patterson

Highest listed crest 37.13 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft51 crests since 1915

The St. Francis River at Patterson crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 51 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1915 to 2025. The highest, 37.13 ft on April 30, 2017, was major flooding, 21.13 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the St. Francis River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
37.13 ft
April 30, 2017; 126,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major
4
52nd of 173 gauges in Missouri
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
28.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Wayne County
Missouri

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Francis River at Patterson
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.024Nov 5, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.023Apr 6, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage32.04Apr 30, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

51 crests from 1915 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Francis River at Patterson, 1915 to 2025 152025303540ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 32.0 ft Aug 1, 1915: 33.80 ft, major flooding; 1,000,007 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1927: 27.00 ft, moderate flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1927: 27.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 14, 1933: 28.80 ft, moderate floodingMar 11, 1935: 30.70 ft, moderate flooding; 79,200 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1937: 26.50 ft, moderate flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1943: 29.70 ft, moderate flooding; 68,100 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1945: 29.20 ft, moderate flooding; 64,900 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1949: 28.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 4, 1950: 26.37 ft, moderate flooding; 53,400 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1969: 25.45 ft, moderate flooding; 48,300 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1977: 29.10 ft, moderate floodingDec 3, 1982: 35.77 ft, major flooding; 155,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1985: 25.77 ft, moderate flooding; 50,700 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1985: 25.81 ft, moderate flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1987: 20.93 ft, minor floodingFeb 14, 1989: 18.92 ft, minor floodingDec 30, 1990: 21.33 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1992: 20.72 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1993: 26.97 ft, moderate flooding; 62,300 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 1993: 34.50 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1996: 16.90 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 1997: 22.58 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1998: 17.83 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1999: 30.79 ft, moderate floodingDec 17, 2001: 18.84 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2002: 31.06 ft, moderate flooding; 77,500 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 23.49 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 2004: 16.71 ft, minor flooding; 17,295 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 19.43 ft, minor flooding; 25,344 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2006: 16.01 ft, minor floodingMay 4, 2007: 18.31 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 2008: 30.82 ft, moderate flooding; 76,429 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2009: 25.24 ft, moderate flooding; 48,200 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2011: 30.92 ft, moderate flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2013: 21.56 ft, minor flooding; 32,666 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 26.59 ft, moderate flooding; 54,728 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2016: 20.82 ft, minor flooding; 30,239 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2017: 37.13 ft, major flooding; 126,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2018: 21.10 ft, minor flooding; 31,084 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2019: 18.70 ft, minor flooding; 23,198 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 25.22 ft, moderate flooding; 47,726 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2021: 21.36 ft, minor flooding; 32,079 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2021: 20.99 ft, minor flooding; 30,701 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 24.69 ft, minor flooding; 45,375 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2022: 18.02 ft, minor flooding; 21,249 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2023: 25.51 ft, moderate flooding; 49,136 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2023: 17.78 ft, minor flooding; 20,561 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2023: 20.58 ft, minor floodingNov 5, 2024: 23.20 ft, minor flooding; 39,079 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 28.76 ft, moderate flooding; 65,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 37.13 ft, Apr 30, 2017 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Francis River at Patterson 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 1930s: 3 1940s: 3 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 5 1990s: 8 2000s: 9 2010s: 7 2020s: 10 10 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 51 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, St. Francis River at Patterson
1Apr 30, 201737.13+21.13Major126,000
2Dec 3, 198235.77+19.77Major155,000
3Nov 15, 199334.50+18.50Major130,000
4Aug 1, 191533.80+17.80Major1,000,007
5May 13, 200231.06+15.06Moderate77,500
6May 3, 201130.92+14.92Moderate80,000
7Mar 19, 200830.82+14.82Moderate76,429
8Apr 4, 199930.79+14.79Moderate—
9Mar 11, 193530.70+14.70Moderate79,200
10May 11, 194329.70+13.70Moderate68,100
11Jun 9, 194529.20+13.20Moderate64,900
12Mar 28, 197729.10+13.10Moderate—
13May 14, 193328.80+12.80Moderate—
14Apr 6, 202528.76+12.76Moderate65,400
15Jan 25, 194928.20+12.20Moderate—
16Dec 14, 192727.20+11.20Moderate—
17Apr 14, 192727.00+11.00Moderate51,000
18Jan 5, 199326.97+10.97Moderate62,300
19Dec 29, 201526.59+10.59Moderate54,728
20Jan 15, 193726.50+10.50Moderate55,200
21Jan 4, 195026.37+10.37Moderate53,400
22Nov 19, 198525.81+9.81Moderate51,000
23Mar 31, 198525.77+9.77Moderate50,700
24Mar 25, 202325.51+9.51Moderate49,136
25Jan 30, 196925.45+9.45Moderate48,300
26Oct 31, 200925.24+9.24Moderate48,200
27Jan 12, 202025.22+9.22Moderate47,726
28Feb 18, 202224.69+8.69Minor45,375
29Nov 19, 200323.49+7.49Minor—
30Nov 5, 202423.20+7.20Minor39,079
31May 31, 199722.58+6.58Minor—
32Dec 22, 201321.56+5.56Minor32,666
33Mar 13, 202121.36+5.36Minor32,079
34Dec 30, 199021.33+5.33Minor—
35Mar 30, 201821.10+5.10Minor31,084
36Dec 19, 202120.99+4.99Minor30,701
37Dec 26, 198720.93+4.93Minor—
38Aug 16, 201620.82+4.82Minor30,239
39Apr 20, 199220.72+4.72Minor—
40Aug 14, 202320.58+4.58Minor—
41Jan 14, 200519.43+3.43Minor25,344
42Feb 14, 198918.92+2.92Minor—
43Dec 17, 200118.84+2.84Minor—
44May 3, 201918.70+2.70Minor23,198
45May 4, 200718.31+2.31Minor—
46Mar 31, 202218.02+2.02Minor21,249
47Mar 20, 199817.83+1.83Minor—
48Aug 4, 202317.78+1.78Minor20,561
49May 7, 199616.90+0.90Minor—
50Mar 5, 200416.71+0.71Minor17,295

The worst floods along the St. Francis River

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

April 30, 2017: 37.13 ft here, major flooding

  • SacoMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 33.42 ft · Major
  • FiskMO · May 3, 2017 · 26.13 ft · Major
  • RoselleMO · Apr 30, 2017 · 21.02 ft · Major
  • Mill CreekMO · Apr 29, 2017 · 24.53 ft · Minor

November 15, 1993: 34.50 ft here, major flooding

  • SacoMO · Nov 14, 1993 · 36.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • Mill CreekMO · Nov 14, 1993 · 33.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • RoselleMO · Nov 14, 1993 · 26.50 ft · Major · its highest

May 13, 2002: 31.06 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RoselleMO · May 13, 2002 · 21.19 ft · Major
  • Mill CreekMO · May 13, 2002 · 26.47 ft · Minor
  • St. FrancisMO · May 18, 2002 · 24.35 ft · Minor
  • FiskMO · May 18, 2002 · 20.94 ft · Minor

Gauges on the St. Francis River

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

Flood gauges on the St. Francis River
FiskMO20.028.00 ft, Apr 18, 19276
Lake CityAR10.014.37 ft, Apr 2, 19790
MadisonAR32.041.80 ft, Apr 21, 19127
Mill CreekMO16.033.10 ft, Nov 14, 19931
Patterson this gaugeMO16.037.13 ft, Apr 30, 20174
St. FrancisMO22.028.20 ft, Mar 15, 19350
RoselleMO15.026.50 ft, Nov 14, 19934
SacoMO21.036.10 ft, Nov 14, 19935

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PAZM7, 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.