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Pearl River near Columbia

Highest listed crest 27.80 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft82 crests since 1935

The Pearl River near Columbia crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 82 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1935 to 2022. The highest, 27.80 ft on April 22, 1979, was major flooding, 10.80 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Pearl River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 5 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
27.80 ft
April 22, 1979; 120,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 26.0 ft
Crests at major
5
15th of 74 gauges in Mississippi
Most recent flood crest
September 3, 2022
21.63 ft, minor flooding
Location
Marion 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 near Columbia
Action stage16.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.053Sep 3, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.024Feb 23, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage26.05Apr 8, 1983Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

82 crests from 1935 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pearl River near Columbia, 1935 to 2022 16182022242628ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 26.0 ft Mar 18, 1935: 24.88 ft, moderate flooding; 62,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1936: 22.10 ft, minor flooding; 39,500 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1937: 22.35 ft, minor flooding; 43,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1938: 26.40 ft, major flooding; 72,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1939: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1940: 22.58 ft, minor flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1943: 21.84 ft, minor flooding; 38,100 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1944: 22.69 ft, minor flooding; 42,300 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1945: 20.94 ft, minor flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1946: 23.78 ft, moderate flooding; 49,300 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1947: 24.18 ft, moderate flooding; 52,500 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1948: 22.11 ft, minor flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1949: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 50,900 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1950: 24.30 ft, moderate flooding; 53,300 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1951: 21.80 ft, minor flooding; 38,100 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1953: 23.99 ft, moderate flooding; 50,900 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1955: 23.40 ft, moderate flooding; 46,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1956: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 31,700 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1957: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1958: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 34,100 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1960: 19.30 ft, minor flooding; 30,200 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1961: 24.60 ft, moderate flooding; 55,800 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1961: 25.15 ft, moderate flooding; 60,800 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1964: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1965: 18.75 ft, minor flooding; 28,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1966: 22.85 ft, minor flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1969: 21.95 ft, minor flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1971: 19.40 ft, minor flooding; 30,500 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1972: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 31,700 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1973: 23.50 ft, moderate flooding; 47,200 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1974: 27.00 ft, major flooding; 93,900 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1975: 23.91 ft, moderate flooding; 50,200 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1976: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1977: 21.56 ft, minor flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1978: 18.45 ft, minor flooding; 27,900 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1979: 23.47 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1979: 23.50 ft, moderate floodingApr 22, 1979: 27.80 ft, major flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 26.20 ft, major flooding; 90,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1982: 18.00 ft, minor flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1982: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 1983: 22.50 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1983: 20.30 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1983: 26.20 ft, major flooding; 90,300 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1983: 24.53 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1984: 19.20 ft, minor flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1984: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1987: 23.50 ft, moderate flooding; 58,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1989: 18.40 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1990: 24.60 ft, moderate flooding; 73,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1990: 23.50 ft, moderate floodingMay 15, 1990: 21.90 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1991: 24.55 ft, moderate flooding; 71,700 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1991: 24.60 ft, moderate flooding; 72,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1993: 18.21 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1994: 21.40 ft, minor flooding; 47,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1994: 19.50 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 1995: 19.74 ft, minor flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1996: 18.91 ft, minor flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1997: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 42,700 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1998: 18.47 ft, minor flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2001: 23.33 ft, moderate flooding; 66,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2003: 23.12 ft, moderate flooding; 55,800 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2003: 20.26 ft, minor floodingFeb 14, 2004: 21.59 ft, minor flooding; 47,700 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2004: 18.09 ft, minor flooding; 35,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2009: 22.22 ft, minor flooding; 60,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2013: 19.41 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2013: 19.15 ft, minor flooding; 41,600 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2014: 22.81 ft, minor flooding; 60,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2016: 19.25 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2016: 22.02 ft, minor flooding; 54,500 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2017: 18.28 ft, minor flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2019: 20.41 ft, minor flooding; 44,600 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2019: 18.64 ft, minor flooding; 36,300 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2019: 19.54 ft, minor flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2019: 19.57 ft, minor flooding; 40,400 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2020: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 59,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2020: 25.82 ft, moderate flooding; 87,600 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2020: 19.89 ft, minor flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2021: 19.70 ft, minor flooding; 40,900 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2022: 21.63 ft, minor flooding; 51,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 27.80 ft, Apr 22, 1979 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pearl River near Columbia 1930s: 5 1940s: 8 1950s: 7 1960s: 7 1970s: 11 1980s: 11 1990s: 12 12 2000s: 6 2010s: 10 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 82 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Pearl River near Columbia
1Apr 22, 197927.80+10.80Major120,000
2Apr 15, 197427.00+10.00Major93,900
3Apr 9, 193826.40+9.40Major72,600
4Mar 30, 198026.20+9.20Major90,300
5Apr 8, 198326.20+9.20Major90,300
6Feb 23, 202025.82+8.82Moderate87,600
7Dec 27, 196125.15+8.15Moderate60,800
8Mar 18, 193524.88+7.88Moderate62,500
9Apr 2, 196124.60+7.60Moderate55,800
10Jan 27, 199024.60+7.60Moderate73,000
11May 10, 199124.60+7.60Moderate72,000
12May 6, 199124.55+7.55Moderate71,700
13May 30, 198324.53+7.53Moderate—
14Jan 11, 195024.30+7.30Moderate53,300
15Jan 23, 194724.18+7.18Moderate52,500
16Apr 3, 194924.00+7.00Moderate50,900
17Apr 6, 197624.00+7.00Moderate52,000
18May 22, 195323.99+6.99Moderate50,900
19May 10, 197523.91+6.91Moderate50,200
20Feb 23, 194623.78+6.78Moderate49,300
21Mar 28, 197323.50+6.50Moderate47,200
22Mar 8, 197923.50+6.50Moderate—
23Mar 2, 198723.50+6.50Moderate58,000
24Feb 18, 199023.50+6.50Moderate—
25Jan 31, 197923.47+6.47Moderate—
26Apr 16, 195523.40+6.40Moderate46,500
27Mar 5, 200123.33+6.33Moderate66,600
28Feb 25, 200323.12+6.12Moderate55,800
29Dec 12, 198223.00+6.00Moderate—
30Jan 20, 202022.93+5.93Minor59,700
31Feb 18, 196622.85+5.85Minor43,100
32Apr 13, 201422.81+5.81Minor60,600
33Apr 10, 194422.69+5.69Minor42,300
34Jul 13, 194022.58+5.58Minor41,800
35Feb 17, 198322.50+5.50Minor—
36Jan 22, 193722.35+5.35Minor43,000
37Mar 30, 200922.22+5.22Minor60,100
38Mar 7, 194822.11+5.11Minor39,300
39Feb 7, 193622.10+5.10Minor39,500
40Mar 22, 201622.02+5.02Minor54,500
41Apr 27, 196921.95+4.95Minor38,700
42May 15, 199021.90+4.90Minor—
43Mar 22, 194321.84+4.84Minor38,100
44Apr 13, 195121.80+4.80Minor38,100
45Sep 3, 202221.63+4.63Minor51,400
46Feb 14, 200421.59+4.59Minor47,700
47Apr 16, 197721.56+4.56Minor37,100
48Jan 30, 199421.40+4.40Minor47,800
49Mar 9, 194520.94+3.94Minor35,000
50May 16, 195820.60+3.60Minor34,100

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 22, 1979: 27.80 ft here, major flooding

  • JacksonMS · Apr 17, 1979 · 43.28 ft · Major · its highest
  • 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
  • BogalusaLA · Apr 24, 1979 · 23.23 ft · Major · its highest
  • Pearl RiverLA · Apr 26, 1979 · 19.25 ft · Major

April 15, 1974: 27.00 ft here, major flooding

  • Pearl RiverLA · Apr 19, 1974 · 18.10 ft · Major
  • MonticelloMS · Apr 14, 1974 · 32.28 ft · Moderate
  • EdinburgMS · Apr 15, 1974 · 26.72 ft · Moderate
  • CarthageMS · Apr 16, 1974 · 24.54 ft · Moderate
  • BogalusaLA · Apr 17, 1974 · 22.13 ft · Moderate
  • JacksonMS · Apr 19, 1974 · 32.16 ft · Minor

April 9, 1938: 26.40 ft here, major flooding

  • RockportMS · Apr 9, 1938 · 35.25 ft · Moderate
  • MonticelloMS · Apr 8, 1938 · 27.70 ft · Moderate
  • BogalusaLA · Apr 11, 1938 · 21.00 ft · Moderate
  • Pearl RiverLA · Apr 13, 1938 · 17.00 ft · Moderate
  • JacksonMS · Apr 9, 1938 · 30.87 ft · Minor
  • EdinburgMS · Apr 10, 1938 · 24.64 ft · Minor

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
RockportMS25.042.83 ft, Apr 18, 19794
MonticelloMS22.034.08 ft, Apr 20, 19791
Columbia this gaugeMS17.027.80 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLMM6, 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.