Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Elkhorn River at Norfolk

Highest listed crest 17.22 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft34 crests since 1949

The Elkhorn River at Norfolk crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2025. The highest, 17.22 ft on June 15, 2010, was major flooding, 5.22 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Elkhorn River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.22 ft
June 15, 2010; 41,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2019
15.59 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Madison County
Near Norfolk (1.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elkhorn River at Norfolk
Action stage10.02Jun 8, 2008The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.03Mar 14, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.01Jun 15, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1949 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhorn River at Norfolk, 1949 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Mar 11, 1949: 15.63 ft, moderate floodingJun 14, 1967: 8.52 ft, below flood stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1995: 13.05 ft, moderate flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1996: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 7,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1997: 10.18 ft, action stageJun 18, 1998: 9.53 ft, below flood stage; 9,090 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1999: 8.93 ft, below flood stage; 8,170 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2000: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2001: 7.43 ft, below flood stage; 4,680 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2002: 5.42 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 2002: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 640 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 5.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2005: 8.05 ft, below flood stage; 5,340 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2006: 6.34 ft, below flood stage; 3,100 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2007: 9.13 ft, below flood stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2008: 11.42 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2009: 9.28 ft, below flood stageJun 15, 2010: 17.22 ft, major flooding; 41,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2011: 5.22 ft, below flood stageMay 1, 2012: 4.01 ft, below flood stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2013: 4.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2014: 4.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,780 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2015: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2016: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 6,810 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2017: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 5,410 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2018: 5.68 ft, below flood stageMar 14, 2019: 15.59 ft, moderate flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2020: 5.52 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 2021: 4.44 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2022: 4.44 ft, below flood stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2023: 6.06 ft, below flood stageFeb 4, 2024: 8.04 ft, below flood stageJul 11, 2025: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 4,250 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.22 ft, Jun 15, 2010 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhorn River at Norfolk 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 61 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 6.95 ft on Apr 8, 1897; 5.40 ft on Jun 5, 1898; 3.75 ft on Jun 28, 1899; 3.70 ft on Apr 29, 1900; 6.00 ft on Sep 30, 1902; 9.60 ft on May 30, 1903; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Elkhorn River at Norfolk
1Jun 15, 201017.22+5.22Major41,100
2Mar 11, 194915.63+3.63Moderate—
3Mar 14, 201915.59+3.59Moderate30,100
4May 31, 199513.05+1.05Moderate19,200
5Jun 8, 200811.42−0.58Action13,800
6Feb 19, 199710.18−1.82Action—
7Jun 18, 19989.53−2.47Below flood stage9,090
8Feb 10, 20099.28−2.72Below flood stage—
9May 30, 20079.13−2.87Below flood stage7,800
10May 8, 19998.93−3.07Below flood stage8,170
11Jun 2, 19968.60−3.40Below flood stage7,640
12Jun 14, 19678.52−3.48Below flood stage16,900
13Jun 21, 20058.05−3.95Below flood stage5,340
14Feb 4, 20248.04−3.96Below flood stage—
15Apr 26, 20017.43−4.57Below flood stage4,680
16May 3, 20167.13−4.87Below flood stage6,810
17Jul 6, 20007.00−5.00Below flood stage3,030
18May 23, 20046.88−5.12Below flood stage2,840
19Oct 10, 20176.62−5.38Below flood stage5,410
20Jul 11, 20256.42−5.58Below flood stage4,250
21Mar 30, 20066.34−5.66Below flood stage3,100
22Feb 27, 20236.06−5.94Below flood stage—
23Jun 26, 20185.68−6.32Below flood stage—
24May 6, 20035.63−6.37Below flood stage1,240
25May 25, 20205.52−6.48Below flood stage—
26Feb 10, 20025.42−6.58Below flood stage—
27Feb 16, 20115.22−6.78Below flood stage—
28Mar 15, 20024.84−7.16Below flood stage640
29Aug 28, 20154.79−7.21Below flood stage2,280
30Mar 15, 20214.44−7.56Below flood stage2,020
31May 3, 20224.44−7.56Below flood stage1,730
32Jun 16, 20144.31−7.69Below flood stage1,780
33May 31, 20134.17−7.83Below flood stage1,680
34May 1, 20124.01−7.99Below flood stage1,730

The worst floods along the Elkhorn River

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

June 15, 2010: 17.22 ft here, major flooding

  • NelighNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 15.54 ft · Major · its highest
  • EwingNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 13.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • AtkinsonNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 10.27 ft · Major · its highest
  • WinslowNE · Jun 15, 2010 · 20.40 ft · Moderate
  • WaterlooNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 18.77 ft · Moderate
  • TildenNE · Jun 14, 2010 · 16.14 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • PilgerNE · Jun 16, 2010 · 15.18 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Jun 17, 2010 · 15.21 ft · Minor

March 14, 2019: 15.59 ft here, moderate flooding

  • WaterlooNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 24.68 ft · Major · its highest
  • WinslowNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 24.14 ft · Major · its highest
  • PilgerNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 19.60 ft · Major
  • West PointNE · Mar 13, 2019 · 17.66 ft · Major
  • AtkinsonNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 9.10 ft · Moderate
  • NelighNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 11.48 ft · Minor
  • EwingNE · Mar 17, 2019 · 9.99 ft · Minor

May 31, 1995: 13.05 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NelighNE · May 30, 1995 · 13.37 ft · Moderate
  • AtkinsonNE · May 29, 1995 · 9.27 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Jun 1, 1995 · 12.67 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Elkhorn River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Elkhorn River
EwingNE9.013.26 ft, Jun 14, 20101
NelighNE11.015.54 ft, Jun 14, 20101
Norfolk this gaugeNE12.017.22 ft, Jun 15, 20101
PilgerNE12.019.85 ft, Feb 26, 20022
WaterlooNE14.024.68 ft, Mar 16, 20191
West PointNE12.018.60 ft, Mar 9, 19934
AtkinsonNE7.510.27 ft, Jun 14, 20101
TildenNE15.016.14 ft, Jun 14, 20100
WinslowNE17.024.14 ft, Mar 14, 20191

Other gauges in Madison County

Flood gauges in Madison County
Tilden15.016.14 ft, Jun 14, 20100
Norfolk1,506.01,513.95 ft, Mar 14, 20190
Madison20.025.72 ft, Jun 16, 19902

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NFKN1, 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.