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Big Black River near Bentonia

Highest listed crest 32.48 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft103 crests since 1948

The Big Black River near Bentonia crested at major flood stage 13 times among the 103 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2021. The highest, 32.48 ft on May 23, 1983, was major flooding, 10.48 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Big Black River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.48 ft
May 23, 1983; 86,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 29.0 ft
Crests at major
13
6th of 74 gauges in Mississippi
Most recent flood crest
July 23, 2021
25.57 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Madison County
Mississippi

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Black River near Bentonia
Action stage21.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.09Apr 14, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.081Jul 23, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage29.013Feb 13, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

103 crests from 1948 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Black River near Bentonia, 1948 to 2021 22242628303234ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 29.0 ft Feb 17, 1948: 28.38 ft, moderate flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1949: 29.40 ft, major flooding; 49,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1950: 27.45 ft, moderate flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1951: 31.64 ft, major flooding; 66,500 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1952: 24.59 ft, minor flooding; 7,900 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1953: 27.12 ft, moderate flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1954: 26.74 ft, moderate flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1955: 27.68 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1956: 27.80 ft, moderate flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1957: 26.70 ft, moderate flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1958: 30.80 ft, major flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1959: 25.62 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1960: 27.12 ft, moderate floodingFeb 24, 1961: 26.80 ft, moderate floodingDec 19, 1961: 31.35 ft, major flooding; 64,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1964: 26.90 ft, moderate floodingFeb 16, 1965: 28.15 ft, moderate floodingFeb 13, 1966: 28.05 ft, moderate floodingMay 27, 1967: 25.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 21, 1967: 28.30 ft, moderate floodingApr 18, 1969: 29.12 ft, major floodingJan 6, 1970: 27.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1971: 27.82 ft, moderate floodingJan 13, 1972: 28.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1973: 29.50 ft, major flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1974: 27.85 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 1975: 27.99 ft, moderate floodingMar 31, 1976: 28.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 9, 1977: 27.88 ft, moderate floodingMay 12, 1978: 28.21 ft, moderate floodingApr 15, 1979: 31.81 ft, major flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1979: 28.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 1981: 26.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 26, 1982: 26.80 ft, moderate floodingMay 23, 1983: 32.48 ft, major flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1983: 29.40 ft, major floodingMar 8, 1984: 27.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 1, 1985: 26.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 1, 1987: 27.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 5, 1988: 24.14 ft, minor floodingJan 18, 1989: 28.32 ft, moderate floodingDec 28, 1990: 28.11 ft, moderate flooding; 32,160 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1991: 29.66 ft, major flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1993: 26.49 ft, moderate flooding; 18,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1994: 27.65 ft, moderate flooding; 28,250 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1995: 28.88 ft, moderate flooding; 41,450 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1996: 24.14 ft, minor flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1997: 27.52 ft, moderate flooding; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1998: 26.12 ft, moderate flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1999: 28.53 ft, moderate flooding; 36,900 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2000: 29.76 ft, major flooding; 49,500 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2001: 28.10 ft, moderate flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2001: 25.77 ft, moderate flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2001: 27.56 ft, moderate flooding; 26,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2002: 26.03 ft, moderate flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2002: 24.98 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 27.90 ft, moderate flooding; 29,700 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2003: 27.59 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2003: 27.99 ft, moderate flooding; 30,600 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2004: 26.52 ft, moderate flooding; 20,400 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2005: 26.68 ft, moderate flooding; 20,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2006: 25.18 ft, moderate flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2006: 27.50 ft, moderate flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2007: 26.25 ft, moderate flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2008: 27.46 ft, moderate flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2009: 26.91 ft, moderate flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2009: 26.92 ft, moderate flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2009: 25.37 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2009: 25.97 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2009: 25.11 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 2009: 28.09 ft, moderate flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2011: 25.82 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2012: 25.56 ft, moderate flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2013: 27.67 ft, moderate flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2013: 26.28 ft, moderate flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2013: 26.52 ft, moderate flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2014: 28.99 ft, moderate flooding; 40,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2015: 25.03 ft, moderate flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2015: 25.30 ft, moderate flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2015: 24.93 ft, minor flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2016: 28.79 ft, moderate flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2016: 24.84 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2016: 26.36 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2017: 27.78 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2017: 25.89 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2018: 25.31 ft, moderate flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2018: 25.45 ft, moderate flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2018: 26.10 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2019: 27.22 ft, moderate flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2019: 25.72 ft, moderate flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2019: 28.55 ft, moderate flooding; 30,200 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2019: 29.47 ft, major flooding; 38,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2019: 26.46 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2019: 27.55 ft, moderate flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2019: 24.32 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2020: 28.51 ft, moderate flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2020: 31.20 ft, major flooding; 66,200 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2020: 26.84 ft, moderate flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2020: 27.50 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2020: 24.75 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2021: 24.32 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2021: 28.47 ft, moderate floodingJul 23, 2021: 25.57 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 32.48 ft, May 23, 1983 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Black River near Bentonia 1940s: 2 1950s: 10 1960s: 9 1970s: 11 1980s: 9 1990s: 9 2000s: 21 2010s: 24 24 2020s: 8 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 103 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Big Black River near Bentonia
1May 23, 198332.48+10.48Major86,000
2Apr 15, 197931.81+9.81Major80,000
3Mar 30, 195131.64+9.64Major66,500
4Dec 19, 196131.35+9.35Major64,000
5Feb 13, 202031.20+9.20Major66,200
6May 2, 195830.80+8.80Major57,000
7Apr 7, 200029.76+7.76Major49,500
8May 2, 199129.66+7.66Major50,000
9Mar 20, 197329.50+7.50Major46,000
10Apr 16, 201929.47+7.47Major38,800
11Jan 9, 194929.40+7.40Major49,400
12Dec 9, 198329.40+7.40Major—
13Apr 18, 196929.12+7.12Major—
14Apr 15, 201428.99+6.99Moderate40,600
15Apr 27, 199528.88+6.88Moderate41,450
16Mar 13, 201628.79+6.79Moderate32,300
17Feb 27, 201928.55+6.55Moderate30,200
18Feb 1, 199928.53+6.53Moderate36,900
19Jan 17, 202028.51+6.51Moderate31,200
20Jun 15, 202128.47+6.47Moderate—
21Feb 17, 194828.38+6.38Moderate38,900
22Jan 18, 198928.32+6.32Moderate—
23Dec 21, 196728.30+6.30Moderate—
24Jan 13, 197228.30+6.30Moderate—
25May 12, 197828.21+6.21Moderate—
26Nov 30, 197928.20+6.20Moderate—
27Feb 16, 196528.15+6.15Moderate—
28Dec 28, 199028.11+6.11Moderate32,160
29Jan 24, 200128.10+6.10Moderate31,600
30Oct 17, 200928.09+6.09Moderate31,500
31Feb 13, 196628.05+6.05Moderate—
32Mar 31, 197628.00+6.00Moderate—
33Mar 16, 197527.99+5.99Moderate—
34Apr 9, 200327.99+5.99Moderate30,600
35Feb 24, 200327.90+5.90Moderate29,700
36Mar 9, 197727.88+5.88Moderate—
37Jan 26, 197427.85+5.85Moderate—
38Mar 2, 197127.82+5.82Moderate—
39Apr 8, 195627.80+5.80Moderate28,000
40Mar 1, 198727.80+5.80Moderate—
41Apr 5, 201727.78+5.78Moderate24,300
42Apr 15, 195527.68+5.68Moderate27,000
43Jan 18, 201327.67+5.67Moderate27,700
44Feb 16, 199427.65+5.65Moderate28,250
45Mar 1, 200327.59+5.59Moderate27,000
46Dec 20, 200127.56+5.56Moderate26,800
47Nov 2, 201927.55+5.55Moderate22,800
48Mar 8, 199727.52+5.52Moderate26,600
49Feb 27, 200627.50+5.50Moderate26,300
50Apr 26, 202027.50+5.50Moderate23,000

The worst floods along the Big Black River

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

May 23, 1983: 32.48 ft here, major flooding

  • BovinaMS · May 24, 1983 · 40.77 ft · Major · its highest
  • WestMS · May 21, 1983 · 26.08 ft · Major · its highest

April 15, 1979: 31.81 ft here, major flooding

  • BovinaMS · Apr 16, 1979 · 40.56 ft · Major
  • WestMS · Apr 13, 1979 · 24.27 ft · Moderate

March 30, 1951: 31.64 ft here, major flooding

  • BovinaMS · Apr 1, 1951 · 39.65 ft · Moderate
  • WestMS · Mar 30, 1951 · 24.09 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Big Black River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Black River
WestMS15.026.08 ft, May 21, 19836
Bentonia this gaugeMS22.032.48 ft, May 23, 198313
BovinaMS28.040.77 ft, May 24, 19834

Other gauges in Madison County

Flood gauges in Madison County
Ratliff's Ferry303.0313.10 ft, Apr 14, 19790

Madison County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Mississippi

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BTAM6, 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.