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Elkhorn River at Waterloo

Highest listed crest 24.68 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft67 crests since 1960

The Elkhorn River at Waterloo crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1960 to 2025. The highest, 24.68 ft on March 16, 2019, was major flooding, 10.68 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Elkhorn River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.68 ft
March 16, 2019; 117,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
March 16, 2019
24.68 ft, major flooding
Location
Douglas County
Near Omaha (12.2 mi), La Vista (13.6 mi), Fremont (14.6 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 Waterloo
Action stage12.015Jun 27, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.08May 31, 2008Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.04Jun 14, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage21.01Mar 16, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1960 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhorn River at Waterloo, 1960 to 2025 0510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 21.0 ft Apr 2, 1960: 19.11 ft, moderate flooding; 46,900 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1961: 10.85 ft, below flood stage; 9,480 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1963: 9.83 ft, below flood stage; 7,350 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1964: 13.27 ft, action stage; 18,800 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1965: 12.75 ft, action stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1966: 15.35 ft, minor flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 17.80 ft, minor flooding; 39,600 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1968: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 6,540 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1969: 12.71 ft, action stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1970: 6.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1971: 18.22 ft, moderate flooding; 41,700 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1972: 9.48 ft, below flood stage; 9,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1973: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1974: 12.23 ft, action stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1975: 9.91 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1976: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1977: 9.42 ft, below flood stage; 9,200 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1978: 17.44 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1979: 11.71 ft, below flood stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1980: 9.43 ft, below flood stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1981: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 5,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 14.68 ft, minor flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1982: 12.65 ft, action stage; 19,800 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1983: 12.12 ft, action stage; 18,700 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1984: 18.12 ft, moderate flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1985: 11.71 ft, below flood stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1986: 12.35 ft, action stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1987: 13.24 ft, action stage; 23,500 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1988: 6.55 ft, below flood stage; 6,210 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1989: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 9,950 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1990: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1991: 13.41 ft, action stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1992: 11.53 ft, below flood stage; 19,100 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1993: 15.76 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1994: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1995: 12.32 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1996: 16.53 ft, minor flooding; 35,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1997: 11.56 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1998: 13.56 ft, action stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1999: 13.89 ft, action stage; 27,300 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 2000: 9.11 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2001: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2002: 11.71 ft, below flood stageJun 12, 2002: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2003: 10.38 ft, below flood stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 12.04 ft, action stage; 21,600 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2005: 9.80 ft, below flood stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2006: 6.79 ft, below flood stage; 5,470 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 10.84 ft, below flood stage; 18,300 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2008: 16.15 ft, minor flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2009: 9.01 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2010: 18.77 ft, moderate flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2011: 11.95 ft, below flood stage; 23,800 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2012: 7.93 ft, below flood stage; 8,050 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2013: 6.37 ft, below flood stage; 5,050 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2014: 11.47 ft, below flood stage; 19,100 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2015: 9.51 ft, below flood stageJun 19, 2016: 12.91 ft, action stage; 27,700 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2017: 10.17 ft, below flood stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 13.90 ft, action stage; 27,800 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2019: 24.68 ft, major flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2020: 7.33 ft, below flood stageSep 1, 2021: 6.77 ft, below flood stage; 6,850 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2022: 4.98 ft, below flood stageFeb 28, 2023: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2024: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 17,600 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2025: 7.58 ft, below flood stage; 11,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.68 ft, Mar 16, 2019 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhorn River at Waterloo 1960s: 3 3 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 20 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 10.72 ft on Jun 19, 1929; 13.30 ft on May 12, 1930; 8.60 ft on Nov 21, 1930; 12.19 ft on May 7, 1932; 11.04 ft on Jul 13, 1933; 11.46 ft on Jun 9, 1934; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Elkhorn River at Waterloo
1Mar 16, 201924.68+10.68Major117,000
2Apr 2, 196019.11+5.11Moderate46,900
3Jun 14, 201018.77+4.77Moderate55,200
4Feb 22, 197118.22+4.22Moderate41,700
5Jun 18, 198418.12+4.12Moderate43,100
6Jun 16, 196717.80+3.80Minor39,600
7Mar 21, 197817.44+3.44Minor38,900
8Jun 19, 199017.30+3.30Minor37,000
9Aug 7, 199616.53+2.53Minor35,100
10May 31, 200816.15+2.15Minor35,800
11Mar 11, 199315.76+1.76Minor33,500
12Feb 11, 196615.35+1.35Minor30,100
13Feb 21, 198214.68+0.68Minor17,700
14Jun 27, 201813.90−0.10Action27,800
15Aug 8, 199913.89−0.11Action27,300
16Sep 6, 199813.56−0.44Action26,300
17Jun 6, 199113.41−0.59Action24,300
18Jun 17, 196413.27−0.73Action18,800
19Mar 25, 198713.24−0.76Action23,500
20Jun 19, 201612.91−1.09Action27,700
21Sep 30, 196512.75−1.25Action19,200
22Jun 27, 196912.71−1.29Action18,500
23May 20, 198212.65−1.35Action19,800
24Mar 19, 198612.35−1.65Action20,500
25May 29, 199512.32−1.68Action23,400
26May 19, 197412.23−1.77Action19,200
27Jun 19, 198312.12−1.88Action18,700
28May 23, 200412.04−1.96Action21,600
29Jun 20, 201111.95−2.05Below flood stage23,800
30Mar 18, 197911.71−2.29Below flood stage14,800
31Apr 27, 198511.71−2.29Below flood stage18,500
32Feb 2, 200211.71−2.29Below flood stage—
33Jun 21, 199711.56−2.44Below flood stage20,200
34Jun 17, 199211.53−2.47Below flood stage19,100
35Jun 21, 201411.47−2.53Below flood stage19,100
36Jun 2, 196110.85−3.15Below flood stage9,480
37Aug 24, 200710.84−3.16Below flood stage18,300
38Apr 30, 200310.38−3.62Below flood stage16,200
39Mar 6, 199410.29−3.71Below flood stage15,800
40Oct 7, 201710.17−3.83Below flood stage18,500
41May 21, 202410.14−3.86Below flood stage17,600
42Jun 22, 19759.91−4.09Below flood stage10,800
43Jun 25, 19639.83−4.17Below flood stage7,350
44May 12, 20059.80−4.20Below flood stage13,600
45Jun 12, 20029.75−4.25Below flood stage14,000
46Jun 12, 20159.51−4.49Below flood stage—
47Jul 27, 19729.48−4.52Below flood stage9,160
48May 28, 19809.43−4.57Below flood stage12,200
49May 28, 19779.42−4.58Below flood stage9,200
50May 10, 20019.41−4.59Below flood stage15,400

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.

March 16, 2019: 24.68 ft here, major flooding

  • 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
  • NorfolkNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 15.59 ft · Moderate
  • AtkinsonNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 9.10 ft · Moderate
  • NelighNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 11.48 ft · Minor
  • EwingNE · Mar 17, 2019 · 9.99 ft · Minor

April 2, 1960: 19.11 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NelighNE · Mar 29, 1960 · 12.24 ft · Moderate
  • EwingNE · Mar 29, 1960 · 10.66 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Mar 31, 1960 · 12.70 ft · Minor

June 14, 2010: 18.77 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NorfolkNE · Jun 15, 2010 · 17.22 ft · Major · its highest
  • 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
  • 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

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
NorfolkNE12.017.22 ft, Jun 15, 20101
PilgerNE12.019.85 ft, Feb 26, 20022
Waterloo this gaugeNE14.024.68 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 Douglas County

Flood gauges in Douglas County
Fort Street at Omaha23.526.66 ft, May 21, 20240
Pacific Street at Omaha32.032.10 ft, Oct 1, 20260
Q Street at Omaha36.036.97 ft, Oct 1, 20260
Blondo Street at Omaha21.522.58 ft, Oct 1, 20260
Irvington19.520.74 ft, Oct 1, 20260
Highway 92 at Omaha27.532.90 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Omaha27.036.29 ft, Jul 2, 20110
Leshara8.011.84 ft, Feb 9, 19960
Standing Bear Lake and Dam1,108.91,109.80 ft, Oct 1, 20260
Elkhorn9.513.02 ft, Oct 1, 20262
Millard29.032.56 ft, Oct 1, 20260

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WTRN1, 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.