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Big Blue River near Barneston

Highest listed crest 30.21 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft51 crests since 1980

The Big Blue River near Barneston crested above flood stage 25 times among the 51 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1980 to 2025. The highest, 30.21 ft on June 14, 1984, was moderate flooding, 10.21 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Big Blue River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.21 ft
June 14, 1984; 55,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 33.0 ft
Crests at major
0
25 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 19, 2020
22.97 ft, minor flooding
Location
Gage 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 near Barneston
Action stage18.04Jun 2, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.020Jun 19, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.05May 8, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage33.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

51 crests from 1980 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Blue River near Barneston, 1980 to 2025 010203040ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 33.0 ft Mar 25, 1980: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1981: 18.09 ft, action stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1982: 20.27 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1983: 21.91 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1984: 20.39 ft, minor flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1984: 21.24 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1984: 30.21 ft, moderate flooding; 55,800 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1984: 22.38 ft, minor flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1985: 17.68 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1986: 28.49 ft, moderate flooding; 28,900 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1986: 25.39 ft, minor flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1987: 28.11 ft, moderate flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1987: 21.87 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1988: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1989: 17.15 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1990: 20.62 ft, minor flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1991: 13.02 ft, below flood stage; 6,910 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1992: 25.00 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1993: 27.87 ft, moderate flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1994: 13.57 ft, below flood stage; 8,460 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1995: 22.65 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 20.22 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1997: 19.29 ft, action stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1998: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1999: 20.37 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2000: 16.57 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2001: 18.12 ft, action stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2002: 14.75 ft, below flood stage; 9,990 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2003: 16.07 ft, below flood stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2004: 22.80 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2005: 14.05 ft, below flood stage; 9,740 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2006: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 5,310 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 24.61 ft, minor flooding; 24,900 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2008: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2009: 14.04 ft, below flood stage; 9,660 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2010: 18.42 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2011: 13.14 ft, below flood stage; 8,160 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2012: 14.01 ft, below flood stage; 9,540 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 15.57 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2014: 14.81 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2015: 27.78 ft, moderate flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2016: 16.61 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 17.14 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2018: 21.99 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2019: 25.32 ft, minor flooding; 25,700 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2020: 22.97 ft, minor flooding; 20,400 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2021: 15.88 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2022: 13.51 ft, below flood stage; 7,930 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2023: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2024: 9.45 ft, below flood stage; 3,850 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2025: 10.73 ft, below flood stage; 4,960 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.21 ft, Jun 14, 1984 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Blue River near Barneston 1980s: 11 11 1990s: 7 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 1 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. 56 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 16.23 ft on Jun 4, 1932; 13.28 ft on Aug 23, 1933; 7.05 ft on Sep 4, 1934; 20.75 ft on Jun 2, 1935; 20.15 ft on Feb 25, 1936; 9.30 ft on Jul 25, 1937; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 51 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Big Blue River near Barneston
1Jun 14, 198430.21+10.21Moderate55,800
2Jul 6, 198628.49+8.49Moderate28,900
3Mar 25, 198728.11+8.11Moderate37,500
4Jul 27, 199327.87+7.87Moderate32,100
5May 8, 201527.78+7.78Moderate33,500
6Oct 13, 198625.39+5.39Minor22,300
7Mar 17, 201925.32+5.32Minor25,700
8Jul 25, 199225.00+5.00Minor25,000
9May 7, 200724.61+4.61Minor24,900
10Jun 19, 202022.97+2.97Minor20,400
11May 30, 200422.80+2.80Minor22,700
12May 13, 199522.65+2.65Minor21,400
13Jun 19, 198422.38+2.38Minor20,700
14Sep 5, 201821.99+1.99Minor18,800
15Jun 18, 198321.91+1.91Minor17,800
16Apr 15, 198721.87+1.87Minor18,800
17May 19, 198421.24+1.24Minor18,100
18Mar 30, 199820.80+0.80Minor19,100
19Apr 25, 200820.70+0.70Minor18,100
20Jun 16, 199020.62+0.62Minor16,900
21Apr 3, 198420.39+0.39Minor16,400
22May 21, 199920.37+0.37Minor16,500
23May 26, 198220.27+0.27Minor14,800
24May 27, 199620.22+0.22Minor18,400
25Mar 25, 198020.000.00Minor14,400
26Jun 25, 199719.29−0.71Action15,100
27Jun 2, 201018.42−1.58Action12,700
28Sep 17, 200118.12−1.88Action15,800
29Sep 25, 198118.09−1.91Action12,100
30Sep 13, 198517.68−2.32Below flood stage12,100
31Sep 4, 198917.15−2.85Below flood stage11,300
32May 20, 201717.14−2.86Below flood stage12,900
33May 28, 201616.61−3.39Below flood stage12,000
34Jul 4, 200016.57−3.43Below flood stage11,600
35Jun 12, 200316.07−3.93Below flood stage12,100
36Mar 17, 202115.88−4.12Below flood stage10,500
37Jun 1, 201315.57−4.43Below flood stage11,500
38Jun 7, 201414.81−5.19Below flood stage10,500
39May 28, 200214.75−5.25Below flood stage9,990
40May 17, 200514.05−5.95Below flood stage9,740
41Jun 16, 200914.04−5.96Below flood stage9,660
42Apr 15, 201214.01−5.99Below flood stage9,540
43May 15, 199413.57−6.43Below flood stage8,460
44May 26, 202213.51−6.49Below flood stage7,930
45May 21, 201113.14−6.86Below flood stage8,160
46Jun 8, 199113.02−6.98Below flood stage6,910
47Sep 3, 202510.73−9.27Below flood stage4,960
48Aug 21, 200610.41−9.59Below flood stage5,310
49Jul 5, 20249.45−10.55Below flood stage3,850
50Jul 4, 19888.13−11.87Below flood stage2,650

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.

June 14, 1984: 30.21 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BeatriceNE · Jun 14, 1984 · 31.27 ft · Moderate
  • CreteNE · Jun 18, 1984 · 25.16 ft · Moderate
  • SewardNE · Jun 16, 1984 · 18.47 ft · Minor
  • SurpriseNE · Jun 16, 1984 · 7.15 ft · Minor

July 6, 1986: 28.49 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MarysvilleKS · Jul 6, 1986 · 38.90 ft · Moderate
  • CreteNE · Jul 3, 1986 · 29.86 ft · Moderate
  • BeatriceNE · Jul 4, 1986 · 26.07 ft · Moderate
  • SewardNE · Jul 2, 1986 · 22.37 ft · Moderate
  • SurpriseNE · Jun 30, 1986 · 10.64 ft · Moderate

March 25, 1987: 28.11 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CreteNE · Mar 25, 1987 · 27.84 ft · Moderate
  • BeatriceNE · Mar 26, 1987 · 27.44 ft · Moderate
  • MarysvilleKS · Mar 26, 1987 · 38.12 ft · Minor
  • SewardNE · Mar 25, 1987 · 19.35 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
SewardNE18.024.11 ft, Mar 14, 20190
CreteNE21.030.64 ft, Mar 15, 20190
BeatriceNE18.033.02 ft, Oct 12, 19731
Barneston this gaugeNE20.030.21 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 Gage County

Flood gauges in Gage County
Beatrice18.033.02 ft, Oct 12, 19731
DeWitt23.530.34 ft, May 7, 20152

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BARN1, 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.