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Pearl River at Rockport

Highest listed crest 42.83 ftFlood stage 25.0 ft53 crests since 1874

The Pearl River at Rockport crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1874 to 2022. The highest, 42.83 ft on April 18, 1979, was major flooding, 17.83 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
42.83 ft
April 18, 1979; 123,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
25.0 ft
Major flooding from 39.0 ft
Crests at major
4
20th of 74 gauges in Mississippi
Most recent flood crest
August 31, 2022
34.13 ft, minor flooding
Location
Copiah County
Mississippi

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 Rockport
Action stage24.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)25.044Aug 31, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage35.05Apr 10, 2014Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage39.04Feb 21, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 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 Rockport, 1874 to 2022 2530354045ft Flood stage 25.0 ftMajor 39.0 ft Apr 26, 1874: 41.00 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1900: 40.00 ft, major floodingApr 9, 1938: 35.25 ft, moderate flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1940: 30.87 ft, minor flooding; 37,600 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1944: 32.39 ft, minor flooding; 45,800 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1945: 30.34 ft, minor flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1946: 34.31 ft, minor flooding; 54,600 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1947: 33.48 ft, minor flooding; 50,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1949: 32.56 ft, minor flooding; 40,600 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1950: 33.81 ft, minor flooding; 45,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1950: 33.37 ft, minor flooding; 43,700 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1951: 31.88 ft, minor flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1961: 37.40 ft, moderate flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1979: 42.83 ft, major flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1983: 36.83 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1987: 32.86 ft, minor flooding; 56,100 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1989: 30.50 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1990: 34.20 ft, minor flooding; 58,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1990: 32.19 ft, minor flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1990: 29.46 ft, minor flooding; 46,500 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1991: 29.52 ft, minor flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1991: 32.73 ft, minor flooding; 46,800 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1991: 35.66 ft, moderate flooding; 65,000 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1994: 30.08 ft, minor flooding; 40,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1994: 29.63 ft, minor flooding; 39,200 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1995: 29.17 ft, minor flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1995: 30.89 ft, minor flooding; 44,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1996: 30.10 ft, minor flooding; 40,900 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1997: 29.95 ft, minor flooding; 40,300 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1998: 30.02 ft, minor flooding; 40,600 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2001: 32.04 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2001: 29.60 ft, minor flooding; 39,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2003: 34.56 ft, minor flooding; 61,500 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2003: 32.65 ft, minor flooding; 49,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2004: 30.38 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 2004: 28.89 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2009: 32.46 ft, minor flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2013: 30.21 ft, minor flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2013: 28.50 ft, minor flooding; 34,567 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2014: 35.79 ft, moderate flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2016: 31.30 ft, minor flooding; 44,923 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2016: 32.05 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2016: 29.70 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 2017: 31.04 ft, minor flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2019: 32.03 ft, minor flooding; 44,100 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2019: 30.72 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2019: 30.73 ft, minor flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2020: 34.96 ft, minor flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2020: 39.16 ft, major flooding; 86,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2020: 30.55 ft, minor flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2020: 32.36 ft, minor flooding; 45,200 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2021: 29.09 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2022: 34.13 ft, minor flooding; 54,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 42.83 ft, Apr 18, 1979 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pearl River at Rockport 1870s: 1 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 6 1950s: 3 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 3 1990s: 13 13 2000s: 7 2010s: 10 2020s: 6 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 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Pearl River at Rockport
1Apr 18, 197942.83+17.83Major123,000
2Apr 26, 187441.00+16.00Major—
3Jan 1, 190040.00+15.00Major—
4Feb 21, 202039.16+14.16Major86,900
5Dec 23, 196137.40+12.40Moderate66,000
6May 1, 198336.83+11.83Moderate75,000
7Apr 10, 201435.79+10.79Moderate66,000
8May 5, 199135.66+10.66Moderate65,000
9Apr 9, 193835.25+10.25Moderate60,000
10Jan 19, 202034.96+9.96Minor61,000
11Feb 25, 200334.56+9.56Minor61,500
12Feb 20, 194634.31+9.31Minor54,600
13Jan 27, 199034.20+9.20Minor58,800
14Aug 31, 202234.13+9.13Minor54,200
15Jan 8, 195033.81+8.81Minor45,300
16Jan 21, 194733.48+8.48Minor50,000
17Feb 24, 195033.37+8.37Minor43,700
18Mar 2, 198732.86+7.86Minor56,100
19Apr 23, 199132.73+7.73Minor46,800
20Apr 12, 200332.65+7.65Minor49,500
21Apr 1, 194932.56+7.56Minor40,600
22Mar 30, 200932.46+7.46Minor51,100
23Apr 7, 194432.39+7.39Minor45,800
24Apr 25, 202032.36+7.36Minor45,200
25Feb 17, 199032.19+7.19Minor51,100
26Mar 19, 201632.05+7.05Minor—
27Mar 4, 200132.04+7.04Minor49,200
28Jan 6, 201932.03+7.03Minor44,100
29Apr 9, 195131.88+6.88Minor38,200
30Feb 4, 201631.30+6.30Minor44,923
31Apr 7, 201731.04+6.04Minor41,000
32Apr 27, 199530.89+5.89Minor44,200
33May 1, 194030.87+5.87Minor37,600
34May 13, 201930.73+5.73Minor38,200
35Apr 20, 201930.72+5.72Minor—
36Mar 6, 202030.55+5.55Minor37,700
37Jan 17, 198930.50+5.50Minor24,800
38Feb 8, 200430.38+5.38Minor42,000
39Mar 6, 194530.34+5.34Minor37,100
40Feb 14, 201330.21+5.21Minor41,400
41Feb 4, 199630.10+5.10Minor40,900
42Jan 29, 199430.08+5.08Minor40,800
43Jan 26, 199830.02+5.02Minor40,600
44Apr 28, 199729.95+4.95Minor40,300
45Apr 16, 201629.70+4.70Minor—
46Feb 12, 199429.63+4.63Minor39,200
47Aug 13, 200129.60+4.60Minor39,100
48Mar 3, 199129.52+4.52Minor36,000
49May 13, 199029.46+4.46Minor46,500
50Mar 16, 199529.17+4.17Minor37,700

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 18, 1979: 42.83 ft here, major flooding

  • JacksonMS · Apr 17, 1979 · 43.28 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

April 26, 1874: 41.00 ft here, major flooding

  • JacksonMS · Apr 25, 1874 · 36.00 ft · Major

January 1, 1900: 40.00 ft here, major flooding

  • CarthageMS · Jan 1, 1900 · 25.60 ft · Moderate

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
JacksonMS28.043.28 ft, Apr 17, 19798
Rockport this gaugeMS25.042.83 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ROCM6, 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.