Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Pearl River at Jackson

Highest listed crest 43.28 ftFlood stage 28.0 ft91 crests since 1874

The Pearl River at Jackson crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 91 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1874 to 2022. The highest, 43.28 ft on April 17, 1979, was major flooding, 15.28 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Pearl River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 8 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
43.28 ft
April 17, 1979; 128,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
28.0 ft
Major flooding from 36.0 ft
Crests at major
8
10th of 74 gauges in Mississippi
Most recent flood crest
August 29, 2022
35.38 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Rankin County
Near Jackson (3.1 mi), Pearl (5.1 mi), Flowood (7.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pearl River at Jackson
Action stage24.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)28.051Jan 24, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage33.032Aug 29, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage36.08Feb 17, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

91 crests from 1874 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pearl River at Jackson, 1874 to 2022 2530354045ft Flood stage 28.0 ftMajor 36.0 ft Apr 25, 1874: 36.00 ft, major flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1880: 36.30 ft, major flooding; 70,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1900: 35.50 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1902: 36.30 ft, major flooding; 85,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1903: 32.50 ft, minor flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1909: 34.10 ft, moderate flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1912: 30.50 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1921: 31.70 ft, minor flooding; 37,800 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1929: 31.10 ft, minor flooding; 30,600 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1930: 30.70 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1932: 34.00 ft, moderate flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1935: 33.98 ft, moderate flooding; 56,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1936: 31.26 ft, minor flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1938: 30.87 ft, minor flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1940: 30.74 ft, minor flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1944: 32.83 ft, minor flooding; 46,700 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1945: 31.38 ft, minor flooding; 36,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1946: 33.24 ft, moderate flooding; 49,600 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1949: 31.91 ft, minor flooding; 38,300 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1950: 32.70 ft, minor flooding; 44,700 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1951: 32.16 ft, minor flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1953: 30.45 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1955: 30.30 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1956: 30.58 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1958: 33.03 ft, moderate flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1961: 33.80 ft, moderate flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1961: 36.04 ft, major flooding; 66,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1965: 30.82 ft, minor flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1967: 30.23 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1969: 33.35 ft, moderate flooding; 44,800 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1971: 31.47 ft, minor flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1972: 31.36 ft, minor flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1973: 31.79 ft, minor flooding; 33,400 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1974: 32.16 ft, minor flooding; 40,300 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1975: 31.23 ft, minor flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1976: 35.74 ft, moderate flooding; 50,400 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1977: 32.00 ft, minor floodingApr 10, 1977: 34.90 ft, moderate floodingMay 14, 1978: 32.09 ft, minor flooding; 30,400 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1979: 35.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 10, 1979: 34.70 ft, moderate floodingApr 17, 1979: 43.28 ft, major flooding; 128,000 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1979: 33.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 1980: 35.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 1980: 35.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 15, 1980: 35.63 ft, moderate flooding; 51,800 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1981: 30.26 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1982: 36.07 ft, major floodingJan 2, 1983: 32.75 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 1983: 30.26 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 1983: 35.08 ft, moderate floodingMar 9, 1983: 33.95 ft, moderate floodingApr 8, 1983: 35.58 ft, moderate floodingApr 16, 1983: 34.99 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 1983: 39.58 ft, major flooding; 79,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1987: 32.59 ft, minor flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1989: 30.50 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1990: 33.75 ft, moderate flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1991: 32.74 ft, minor flooding; 35,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1991: 33.56 ft, moderate flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1991: 35.12 ft, moderate flooding; 46,200 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1994: 32.89 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1995: 34.68 ft, moderate flooding; 43,400 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1996: 33.01 ft, moderate flooding; 34,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1997: 30.95 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1997: 30.76 ft, minor floodingJan 24, 1998: 32.37 ft, minor flooding; 31,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1999: 32.73 ft, minor flooding; 32,900 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2000: 31.66 ft, minor flooding; 28,600 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2001: 32.09 ft, minor flooding; 30,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2003: 35.25 ft, moderate flooding; 50,100 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2003: 35.16 ft, moderate floodingFeb 12, 2004: 32.07 ft, minor flooding; 32,600 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2004: 31.09 ft, minor flooding; 29,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2006: 30.74 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2008: 31.84 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2009: 30.31 ft, minor flooding; 27,200 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2011: 32.21 ft, minor flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2013: 32.04 ft, minor flooding; 32,200 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2014: 34.30 ft, moderate flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2016: 31.58 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2016: 33.30 ft, moderate flooding; 36,800 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2017: 33.32 ft, moderate flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2019: 32.37 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 2019: 31.84 ft, minor flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2019: 31.34 ft, minor flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2020: 31.32 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2020: 34.25 ft, moderate flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2020: 30.25 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2020: 36.67 ft, major flooding; 77,200 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2022: 35.38 ft, moderate flooding; 56,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 43.28 ft, Apr 17, 1979 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pearl River at Jackson 1870s: 1 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 4 1910s: 1 1920s: 2 1930s: 5 1940s: 5 1950s: 6 1960s: 5 1970s: 13 1980s: 14 14 1990s: 11 2000s: 9 2010s: 9 2020s: 5 1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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 91 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Pearl River at Jackson
1Apr 17, 197943.28+15.28Major128,000
2May 25, 198339.58+11.58Major79,500
3Feb 17, 202036.67+8.67Major77,200
4Dec 5, 188036.30+8.30Major70,000
5Mar 31, 190236.30+8.30Major85,000
6Dec 7, 198236.07+8.07Major—
7Dec 21, 196136.04+8.04Major66,100
8Apr 25, 187436.00+8.00Major80,000
9Apr 3, 197635.74+7.74Moderate50,400
10Jan 27, 197935.70+7.70Moderate—
11Apr 15, 198035.63+7.63Moderate51,800
12Apr 8, 198335.58+7.58Moderate—
13Apr 21, 190035.50+7.50Moderate75,000
14Aug 29, 202235.38+7.38Moderate56,500
15Feb 24, 200335.25+7.25Moderate50,100
16Apr 8, 200335.16+7.16Moderate—
17May 4, 199135.12+7.12Moderate46,200
18Feb 12, 198335.08+7.08Moderate—
19Mar 21, 198035.00+7.00Moderate—
20Mar 30, 198035.00+7.00Moderate—
21Apr 16, 198334.99+6.99Moderate—
22Apr 10, 197734.90+6.90Moderate—
23Mar 10, 197934.70+6.70Moderate—
24Apr 24, 199534.68+6.68Moderate43,400
25Apr 11, 201434.30+6.30Moderate43,200
26Jan 18, 202034.25+6.25Moderate48,600
27May 30, 190934.10+6.10Moderate58,300
28Dec 19, 193234.00+6.00Moderate60,000
29Mar 12, 193533.98+5.98Moderate56,700
30Mar 9, 198333.95+5.95Moderate—
31Mar 1, 196133.80+5.80Moderate46,000
32Jan 25, 199033.75+5.75Moderate38,000
33Apr 17, 199133.56+5.56Moderate40,200
34Apr 20, 196933.35+5.35Moderate44,800
35Apr 6, 201733.32+5.32Moderate39,900
36Nov 29, 197933.30+5.30Moderate—
37Mar 16, 201633.30+5.30Moderate36,800
38Feb 17, 194633.24+5.24Moderate49,600
39May 8, 195833.03+5.03Moderate38,900
40Jan 30, 199633.01+5.01Moderate34,100
41Jan 30, 199432.89+4.89Minor33,500
42Apr 4, 194432.83+4.83Minor46,700
43Jan 2, 198332.75+4.75Minor—
44Feb 26, 199132.74+4.74Minor35,300
45Feb 2, 199932.73+4.73Minor32,900
46Jan 14, 195032.70+4.70Minor44,700
47Feb 28, 198732.59+4.59Minor32,300
48Feb 14, 190332.50+4.50Minor43,600
49Jan 24, 199832.37+4.37Minor31,400
50Jan 5, 201932.37+4.37Minor—

The worst floods along the Pearl River

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

April 17, 1979: 43.28 ft here, major flooding

  • RockportMS · Apr 18, 1979 · 42.83 ft · Major · its highest
  • MonticelloMS · Apr 20, 1979 · 34.08 ft · Major · its highest
  • LenaMS · Apr 17, 1979 · 32.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • CarthageMS · Apr 14, 1979 · 28.74 ft · Major · its highest
  • ColumbiaMS · Apr 22, 1979 · 27.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • Philadelphia/at BurnsideMS · Apr 13, 1979 · 23.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • BogalusaLA · Apr 24, 1979 · 23.23 ft · Major · its highest
  • Ratliff's FerryMS · Apr 14, 1979 · 313.10 ft · Moderate · its highest

May 25, 1983: 39.58 ft here, major flooding

  • LenaMS · May 25, 1983 · 31.09 ft · Major
  • CarthageMS · May 22, 1983 · 27.07 ft · Major
  • EdinburgMS · May 22, 1983 · 28.35 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • ColumbiaMS · May 30, 1983 · 24.53 ft · Moderate
  • Philadelphia/at BurnsideMS · May 21, 1983 · 19.77 ft · Moderate

February 17, 2020: 36.67 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Pearl River

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

Flood gauges on the Pearl River
Philadelphia/at BurnsideMS13.023.60 ft, Apr 13, 19791
EdinburgMS20.028.35 ft, May 22, 19830
CarthageMS17.028.74 ft, Apr 14, 19793
LenaMS24.032.70 ft, Apr 17, 19792
Ratliff's FerryMS303.0313.10 ft, Apr 14, 19790
Jackson this gaugeMS28.043.28 ft, Apr 17, 19798
RockportMS25.042.83 ft, Apr 18, 19794
MonticelloMS22.034.08 ft, Apr 20, 19791
ColumbiaMS17.027.80 ft, Apr 22, 19795
BogalusaLA18.023.23 ft, Apr 24, 19791
Pearl RiverLA14.021.05 ft, Apr 9, 198315
SlidellLA10.011.12 ft, Mar 15, 20160

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JACM6, 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.