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Big Blue River at Seward

Highest listed crest 24.11 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft42 crests since 1984

The Big Blue River at Seward crested above flood stage 13 times among the 42 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1984 to 2024. The highest, 24.11 ft on March 14, 2019, was moderate flooding, 6.11 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Big Blue River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.11 ft
March 14, 2019; 15,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
0
13 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2019
24.11 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Seward County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Blue River at Seward
Action stage16.07Jul 4, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.010Aug 20, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.03Mar 14, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

42 crests from 1984 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Blue River at Seward, 1984 to 2024 51015202530ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Jun 16, 1984: 18.47 ft, minor flooding; 5,290 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1985: 20.28 ft, minor flooding; 5,710 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1986: 22.37 ft, moderate flooding; 9,080 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1987: 19.35 ft, minor flooding; 5,700 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1987: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1988: 7.07 ft, below flood stage; 760 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1989: 18.75 ft, minor flooding; 4,080 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1990: 15.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1991: 18.14 ft, minor flooding; 4,620 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1992: 14.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1993: 20.86 ft, minor flooding; 7,640 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1994: 17.25 ft, action stage; 2,830 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1995: 9.64 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1996: 17.10 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1997: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 620 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1998: 19.54 ft, minor flooding; 3,970 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1999: 17.13 ft, action stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2000: 9.72 ft, below flood stage; 967 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2001: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 779 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2002: 12.62 ft, below flood stage; 779 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2003: 13.43 ft, below flood stage; 706 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2004: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 716 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2005: 19.53 ft, minor flooding; 4,880 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2006: 12.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2007: 14.23 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2008: 22.15 ft, moderate flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2009: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2010: 17.01 ft, action stage; 2,700 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2011: 14.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2012: 9.73 ft, below flood stageJun 1, 2013: 9.93 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2014: 17.68 ft, action stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2015: 15.23 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2016: 16.94 ft, action stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 2017: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2018: 16.18 ft, action stage; 3,410 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 24.11 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2020: 10.92 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 2021: 15.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2022: 9.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2023: 5.17 ft, below flood stageJul 3, 2024: 15.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.11 ft, Mar 14, 2019 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Blue River at Seward 1980s: 6 6 1990s: 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 12.64 ft on Feb 21, 1983; 12.39 ft on Jun 14, 1983.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Blue River at Seward
1Mar 14, 201924.11+6.11Moderate15,600
2Jul 2, 198622.37+4.37Moderate9,080
3Jul 7, 200822.15+4.15Moderate12,700
4Mar 11, 199320.86+2.86Minor7,640
5Jul 20, 198520.28+2.28Minor5,710
6May 23, 199819.54+1.54Minor3,970
7May 14, 200519.53+1.53Minor4,880
8Mar 25, 198719.35+1.35Minor5,700
9Aug 26, 198719.00+1.00Minor4,230
10Sep 10, 198918.75+0.75Minor4,080
11Jun 16, 198418.47+0.47Minor5,290
12Aug 20, 201718.20+0.20Minor4,010
13Jun 6, 199118.14+0.14Minor4,620
14May 12, 201417.68−0.32Action3,620
15Jun 24, 199417.25−0.75Action2,830
16Jul 1, 199917.13−0.87Action2,900
17May 28, 199617.10−0.90Action3,500
18Jun 23, 201017.01−0.99Action2,700
19May 30, 201616.94−1.06Action2,730
20Jul 4, 201816.18−1.82Action3,410
21Jul 3, 202415.80−2.20Below flood stage2,700
22Mar 15, 202115.46−2.54Below flood stage2,400
23May 7, 201515.23−2.77Below flood stage2,560
24Jul 27, 199015.18−2.82Below flood stage2,450
25May 21, 201114.96−3.04Below flood stage2,160
26Jul 30, 199214.29−3.71Below flood stage2,260
27Apr 26, 200714.23−3.77Below flood stage2,110
28Jun 10, 200313.43−4.57Below flood stage706
29Aug 17, 200612.84−5.16Below flood stage1,650
30Aug 22, 200212.62−5.38Below flood stage779
31Feb 3, 202010.92−7.08Below flood stage—
32Jun 1, 20139.93−8.07Below flood stage1,240
33Jun 15, 20129.73−8.27Below flood stage—
34Jul 5, 20009.72−8.28Below flood stage967
35May 29, 19959.64−8.36Below flood stage1,210
36Jun 18, 20229.31−8.69Below flood stage1,300
37Jun 21, 20097.22−10.78Below flood stage1,090
38Sep 30, 19887.07−10.93Below flood stage760
39Jun 14, 20016.91−11.09Below flood stage779
40Jun 21, 20046.76−11.24Below flood stage716
41Aug 12, 19976.07−11.93Below flood stage620
42Jul 8, 20235.17−12.83Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Big Blue River

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

March 14, 2019: 24.11 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CreteNE · Mar 15, 2019 · 30.64 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • BeatriceNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 25.93 ft · Minor
  • BarnestonNE · Mar 17, 2019 · 25.32 ft · Minor
  • SurpriseNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 9.86 ft · Minor

July 2, 1986: 22.37 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MarysvilleKS · Jul 6, 1986 · 38.90 ft · Moderate
  • CreteNE · Jul 3, 1986 · 29.86 ft · Moderate
  • BarnestonNE · Jul 6, 1986 · 28.49 ft · Moderate
  • BeatriceNE · Jul 4, 1986 · 26.07 ft · Moderate
  • SurpriseNE · Jun 30, 1986 · 10.64 ft · Moderate

March 11, 1993: 20.86 ft here, minor flooding

  • CreteNE · Mar 12, 1993 · 28.80 ft · Moderate
  • SurpriseNE · Mar 10, 1993 · 9.57 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Big Blue River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Blue River
SurpriseNE7.011.52 ft, Jul 19, 19650
Seward this gaugeNE18.024.11 ft, Mar 14, 20190
CreteNE21.030.64 ft, Mar 15, 20190
BeatriceNE18.033.02 ft, Oct 12, 19731
BarnestonNE20.030.21 ft, Jun 14, 19840
MarysvilleKS35.045.39 ft, Jun 9, 19413
Blue RapidsKS26.063.30 ft, Jul 22, 19930
Tuttle Creek LakeKS1,136.01,137.76 ft, Jul 23, 19930
ManhattanKS19.036.04 ft, Jul 12, 19512

Other gauges in Seward County

Flood gauges in Seward County
Seward15.020.53 ft, Jun 17, 19571
Twin Lakes Reservoir1,344.81,346.90 ft, Jun 29, 19830
Dorchester15.024.80 ft, Jul 10, 19501

Seward County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Nebraska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SWRN1, 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.