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Big Sunflower River at Sunflower

Highest listed crest 28.37 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft122 crests since 1935

The Big Sunflower River at Sunflower crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 122 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1935 to 2021. The highest, 28.37 ft on March 18, 1973, was major flooding, 7.37 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
28.37 ft
March 18, 1973; 15,640 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
5
15th of 74 gauges in Mississippi
Most recent flood crest
June 15, 2021
28.04 ft, major flooding
Location
Sunflower 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 Sunflower River at Sunflower
Action stage20.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.067Apr 23, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.050Mar 3, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.05Jun 15, 2021Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

122 crests from 1935 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Sunflower River at Sunflower, 1935 to 2021 202224262830ft Flood stage 21.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jan 26, 1935: 24.80 ft, minor floodingJan 27, 1937: 26.60 ft, moderate floodingFeb 7, 1939: 23.60 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1939: 25.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 13, 1942: 25.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 1, 1944: 22.30 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1944: 26.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 4, 1945: 26.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 7, 1945: 25.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 1946: 27.40 ft, moderate floodingFeb 14, 1946: 26.30 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 1947: 22.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 16, 1948: 26.60 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1948: 24.50 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1948: 23.20 ft, minor floodingNov 30, 1948: 23.50 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1949: 23.90 ft, minor floodingJan 18, 1950: 25.60 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 1950: 24.20 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1950: 26.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 8, 1951: 24.20 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 1953: 25.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 26, 1955: 25.40 ft, moderate floodingApr 17, 1955: 24.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 1956: 26.10 ft, moderate floodingFeb 5, 1957: 25.60 ft, moderate floodingNov 23, 1957: 26.90 ft, moderate floodingMay 5, 1958: 28.30 ft, major floodingJul 31, 1958: 22.20 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1958: 27.30 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 1959: 23.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1961: 27.30 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 1961: 25.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 19, 1961: 23.10 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 1964: 25.45 ft, moderate flooding; 9,050 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1965: 23.56 ft, minor flooding; 7,555 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 24.10 ft, minor flooding; 7,892 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1968: 24.54 ft, minor flooding; 8,710 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1968: 24.70 ft, minor flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1969: 22.60 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1970: 23.31 ft, minor flooding; 8,720 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1970: 22.50 ft, minor floodingDec 17, 1972: 22.70 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 1973: 28.37 ft, major flooding; 15,640 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1973: 25.60 ft, moderate floodingNov 30, 1973: 24.30 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 1973: 22.20 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 1974: 25.95 ft, moderate flooding; 9,600 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1974: 22.00 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 1974: 22.80 ft, minor floodingJun 20, 1974: 22.60 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1975: 25.22 ft, moderate flooding; 9,880 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1978: 24.81 ft, minor flooding; 7,000 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1979: 22.60 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1979: 24.00 ft, minor floodingJan 24, 1979: 23.90 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1979: 23.10 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1979: 25.04 ft, moderate flooding; 7,470 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1980: 25.70 ft, moderate flooding; 7,820 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1980: 22.80 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1980: 22.60 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1982: 22.40 ft, minor flooding; 6,690 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1982: 26.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1983: 27.60 ft, moderate flooding; 12,440 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1983: 24.20 ft, minor floodingDec 6, 1983: 27.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 11, 1983: 25.80 ft, moderate floodingFeb 16, 1984: 22.00 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1984: 23.50 ft, minor floodingOct 25, 1984: 23.70 ft, minor flooding; 7,622 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1986: 23.50 ft, minor floodingNov 27, 1986: 23.60 ft, minor flooding; 7,555 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1987: 24.10 ft, minor flooding; 7,892 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1987: 23.60 ft, minor floodingJan 2, 1989: 22.00 ft, minor floodingJan 17, 1989: 26.00 ft, moderate flooding; 9,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1989: 24.50 ft, minor floodingMar 2, 1989: 23.60 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1989: 22.20 ft, minor floodingJun 17, 1989: 25.10 ft, moderate floodingJul 7, 1989: 26.90 ft, moderate flooding; 10,860 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1989: 24.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 11, 1990: 26.40 ft, moderate flooding; 10,160 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1990: 25.60 ft, moderate flooding; 9,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1991: 28.00 ft, major floodingApr 20, 1991: 26.50 ft, moderate flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1991: 28.10 ft, major flooding; 13,960 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1991: 26.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 31, 1994: 24.49 ft, minor flooding; 8,153 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1994: 24.40 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1995: 24.00 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1997: 24.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 2, 1999: 25.50 ft, moderate floodingNov 28, 2000: 22.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 2001: 24.70 ft, minor floodingOct 16, 2001: 22.10 ft, minor floodingDec 3, 2001: 27.50 ft, moderate floodingDec 18, 2001: 27.60 ft, moderate floodingJan 27, 2002: 25.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 23, 2002: 22.10 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 2002: 22.10 ft, minor floodingOct 14, 2002: 23.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 28, 2003: 22.90 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2003: 22.20 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 2004: 23.88 ft, minor floodingJan 30, 2006: 24.13 ft, minor floodingFeb 3, 2006: 22.86 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2009: 26.15 ft, moderate floodingOct 17, 2009: 25.07 ft, moderate floodingJan 16, 2013: 25.42 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 2015: 22.44 ft, minor flooding; 5,210 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2016: 27.95 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 2018: 27.31 ft, moderate flooding; 6,690 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2019: 24.23 ft, minor flooding; 5,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2019: 27.83 ft, moderate flooding; 6,860 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2019: 25.25 ft, moderate flooding; 6,020 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2019: 25.75 ft, moderate flooding; 6,180 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2020: 26.04 ft, moderate flooding; 6,360 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2020: 22.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,780 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2020: 23.38 ft, minor flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2021: 25.25 ft, moderate flooding; 7,380 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2021: 28.04 ft, major flooding Highest, 28.37 ft, Mar 18, 1973 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Sunflower River at Sunflower 1930s: 4 1940s: 13 1950s: 14 1960s: 9 1970s: 18 1980s: 24 24 1990s: 11 2000s: 16 2010s: 8 2020s: 5 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 122 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Big Sunflower River at Sunflower
1Mar 18, 197328.37+7.37Major15,640
2May 5, 195828.30+7.30Major—
3May 2, 199128.10+7.10Major13,960
4Jun 15, 202128.04+7.04Major—
5Feb 24, 199128.00+7.00Major—
6Mar 16, 201627.95+6.95Moderate—
7Feb 26, 201927.83+6.83Moderate6,860
8Jan 1, 198327.60+6.60Moderate12,440
9Dec 18, 200127.60+6.60Moderate—
10Dec 3, 200127.50+6.50Moderate—
11Jan 15, 194627.40+6.40Moderate—
12Feb 26, 201827.31+6.31Moderate6,690
13Sep 26, 195827.30+6.30Moderate—
14Feb 25, 196127.30+6.30Moderate—
15Dec 6, 198327.30+6.30Moderate—
16Nov 23, 195726.90+5.90Moderate—
17Jul 7, 198926.90+5.90Moderate10,860
18Jan 27, 193726.60+5.60Moderate—
19Feb 16, 194826.60+5.60Moderate—
20Jan 4, 194526.50+5.50Moderate—
21Apr 20, 199126.50+5.50Moderate10,300
22Feb 11, 199026.40+5.40Moderate10,160
23Feb 14, 194626.30+5.30Moderate—
24Mar 31, 194426.20+5.20Moderate—
25Mar 20, 195026.20+5.20Moderate—
26Dec 7, 198226.20+5.20Moderate—
27May 13, 200926.15+5.15Moderate—
28Feb 10, 195626.10+5.10Moderate—
29Feb 14, 202026.04+5.04Moderate6,360
30Jan 17, 198926.00+5.00Moderate9,600
31Dec 6, 199126.00+5.00Moderate—
32Jan 15, 197425.95+4.95Moderate9,600
33May 20, 195325.90+4.90Moderate—
34Jan 27, 200225.90+4.90Moderate—
35Dec 11, 198325.80+4.80Moderate—
36May 13, 201925.75+4.75Moderate6,180
37Mar 22, 198025.70+4.70Moderate7,820
38Jan 18, 195025.60+4.60Moderate—
39Feb 5, 195725.60+4.60Moderate—
40Apr 3, 196125.60+4.60Moderate—
41Apr 23, 197325.60+4.60Moderate—
42Dec 24, 199025.60+4.60Moderate9,160
43Feb 2, 199925.50+4.50Moderate—
44Apr 28, 196425.45+4.45Moderate9,050
45Jan 16, 201325.42+4.42Moderate—
46Mar 26, 195525.40+4.40Moderate—
47Apr 13, 194225.30+4.30Moderate—
48Apr 16, 201925.25+4.25Moderate6,020
49Mar 3, 202125.25+4.25Moderate7,380
50Mar 16, 197525.22+4.22Moderate9,880

The worst floods along the Big Sunflower River

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

May 5, 1958: 28.30 ft here, major flooding

  • AnguillaMS · May 11, 1958 · 48.20 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Big Sunflower River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Sunflower River
Sunflower this gaugeMS21.028.37 ft, Mar 18, 19735
AnguillaMS45.050.52 ft, May 20, 19731

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SUNM6, 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.