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Missouri River at Bismarck

Highest listed crest 31.60 ftFlood stage 14.5 ft57 crests since 1881

The Missouri River at Bismarck crested at major flood stage 27 times among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1881 to 2021. The highest, 31.60 ft on March 31, 1881, was major flooding, 17.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.60 ft
March 31, 1881
Flood stage
14.5 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
27
2nd of 54 gauges in North Dakota
Most recent flood crest
July 1, 2011
19.25 ft, major flooding
Location
Burleigh County
Near Bismarck (2.5 mi), Mandan (3.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missouri River at Bismarck
Action stage12.54Jun 29, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.52Jan 13, 1983Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.014Mar 24, 2009Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.027Jul 1, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1881 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River at Bismarck, 1881 to 2021 010203040ft Flood stage 14.5 ftMajor 18.0 ft Mar 31, 1881: 31.60 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1883: 21.60 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1884: 27.40 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1885: 17.90 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1887: 31.10 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1888: 20.90 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1891: 16.30 ft, moderate floodingJul 6, 1892: 18.70 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1893: 19.20 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1894: 22.20 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1896: 19.30 ft, major floodingApr 8, 1897: 27.70 ft, major floodingApr 14, 1899: 25.20 ft, major floodingApr 3, 1900: 16.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 1903: 16.40 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1904: 18.20 ft, major floodingApr 2, 1906: 16.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 14, 1910: 30.40 ft, major floodingApr 6, 1912: 21.20 ft, major floodingApr 7, 1913: 22.60 ft, major floodingMar 20, 1916: 19.30 ft, major floodingApr 8, 1917: 27.60 ft, major floodingMar 23, 1918: 17.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 5, 1919: 19.60 ft, major floodingMar 29, 1920: 22.50 ft, major floodingMar 29, 1925: 17.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 22, 1926: 18.60 ft, major floodingMar 24, 1928: 17.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 2, 1930: 16.60 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1936: 16.50 ft, moderate flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1938: 19.60 ft, major flooding; 190,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1939: 22.20 ft, major flooding; 222,000 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1943: 21.86 ft, major flooding; 282,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1944: 16.90 ft, moderate flooding; 136,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1947: 21.80 ft, major flooding; 262,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1949: 16.21 ft, moderate flooding; 157,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1950: 18.72 ft, major flooding; 192,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1951: 16.00 ft, moderate flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1952: 27.90 ft, major flooding; 500,000 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1975: 14.24 ft, action stage; 68,900 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1979: 12.37 ft, below flood stage; 54,900 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1980: 14.58 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1983: 14.80 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1989: 14.44 ft, action stageMar 25, 1997: 13.66 ft, action stageMar 24, 2009: 16.11 ft, moderate flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2010: 10.72 ft, below flood stageJul 1, 2011: 19.25 ft, major flooding; 155,000 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2012: 12.08 ft, below flood stageJun 4, 2013: 6.45 ft, below flood stageJul 1, 2014: 8.53 ft, below flood stageApr 28, 2015: 6.54 ft, below flood stageJul 26, 2016: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 23,800 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 2017: 9.05 ft, below flood stage; 36,600 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2018: 13.41 ft, action stage; 61,600 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 2019: 11.91 ft, below flood stage; 51,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2021: 11.23 ft, below flood stage; 24,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.60 ft, Mar 31, 1881 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River at Bismarck 1880s: 6 1890s: 7 7 1900s: 4 1910s: 7 1920s: 4 1930s: 4 1940s: 4 1950s: 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 57 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Missouri River at Bismarck
1Mar 31, 188131.60+17.10Major—
2Jan 1, 188731.10+16.60Major—
3Mar 14, 191030.40+15.90Major—
4Apr 6, 195227.90+13.40Major500,000
5Apr 8, 189727.70+13.20Major—
6Apr 8, 191727.60+13.10Major—
7Jan 1, 188427.40+12.90Major—
8Apr 14, 189925.20+10.70Major—
9Apr 7, 191322.60+8.10Major—
10Mar 29, 192022.50+8.00Major—
11Jan 1, 189422.20+7.70Major—
12Mar 28, 193922.20+7.70Major222,000
13Apr 3, 194321.86+7.36Major282,000
14Mar 29, 194721.80+7.30Major262,000
15Jan 1, 188321.60+7.10Major—
16Apr 6, 191221.20+6.70Major—
17Jan 1, 188820.90+6.40Major—
18Apr 5, 191919.60+5.10Major—
19Mar 19, 193819.60+5.10Major190,000
20Jan 1, 189619.30+4.80Major—
21Mar 20, 191619.30+4.80Major—
22Jul 1, 201119.25+4.75Major155,000
23Jan 1, 189319.20+4.70Major—
24Apr 17, 195018.72+4.22Major192,000
25Jul 6, 189218.70+4.20Major—
26Mar 22, 192618.60+4.10Major—
27Apr 7, 190418.20+3.70Major—
28Jan 1, 188517.90+3.40Moderate—
29Mar 24, 192817.80+3.30Moderate—
30Mar 23, 191817.60+3.10Moderate—
31Mar 29, 192517.00+2.50Moderate—
32Apr 2, 190616.90+2.40Moderate—
33Apr 7, 194416.90+2.40Moderate136,000
34Apr 3, 190016.80+2.30Moderate—
35Apr 2, 193016.60+2.10Moderate—
36Mar 20, 193616.50+2.00Moderate117,000
37Apr 6, 190316.40+1.90Moderate—
38Jan 1, 189116.30+1.80Moderate—
39Apr 6, 194916.21+1.71Moderate157,000
40Mar 24, 200916.11+1.61Moderate30,000
41Apr 5, 195116.00+1.50Moderate130,000
42Jan 13, 198314.80+0.30Minor—
43Dec 18, 198014.58+0.08Minor25,000
44Jan 1, 198914.44−0.06Action—
45Jul 13, 197514.24−0.26Action68,900
46Mar 25, 199713.66−0.84Action—
47Jun 29, 201813.41−1.09Action61,600
48Apr 19, 197912.37−2.13Below flood stage54,900
49Jan 23, 201212.08−2.42Below flood stage—
50Nov 10, 201911.91−2.59Below flood stage51,000

Other gauges in Burleigh County

Flood gauges in Burleigh County
Menoken15.017.46 ft, Apr 19, 19794

Burleigh County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Dakota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BIWN8, 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.