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Elkhorn River near Atkinson

Highest listed crest 10.27 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft35 crests since 1990

The Elkhorn River near Atkinson crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 35 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1990 to 2025. The highest, 10.27 ft on June 14, 2010, was major flooding, 2.77 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
10.27 ft
June 14, 2010; 6,790 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
February 6, 2024
8.20 ft, minor flooding
Location
Holt County
Nebraska
Identifiers
NWS ATNN1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elkhorn River near Atkinson
Action stage6.010May 1, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.59Feb 6, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.02Mar 16, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.01Jun 14, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

35 crests from 1990 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhorn River near Atkinson, 1990 to 2025 24681012ft Flood stage 7.5 ftMajor 10.0 ft Aug 23, 1990: 3.26 ft, below flood stage; 85 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1991: 6.63 ft, action stage; 940 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1992: 6.04 ft, action stage; 653 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1993: 8.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1994: 7.47 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1995: 9.27 ft, moderate flooding; 4,060 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1996: 8.37 ft, minor flooding; 2,110 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1997: 6.37 ft, action stage; 659 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1998: 7.07 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1999: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 3,340 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2000: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 74 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2001: 8.29 ft, minor flooding; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2002: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 103 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2003: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 275 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2004: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 68 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2005: 7.78 ft, minor flooding; 1,670 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2006: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 2,290 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2007: 6.46 ft, action stage; 795 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2008: 6.96 ft, action stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2009: 5.81 ft, below flood stage; 571 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2010: 10.27 ft, major flooding; 6,790 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2011: 8.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,110 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2012: 5.56 ft, below flood stage; 512 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2013: 4.08 ft, below flood stage; 179 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2014: 5.44 ft, below flood stage; 425 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2015: 4.74 ft, below flood stage; 260 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2016: 8.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2017: 6.15 ft, action stage; 725 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2018: 6.50 ft, action stage; 871 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2019: 9.10 ft, moderate flooding; 3,500 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2021: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 652 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2022: 6.21 ft, action stage; 760 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 4.31 ft, below flood stage; 261 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2024: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2025: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 100 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.27 ft, Jun 14, 2010 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhorn River near Atkinson 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 4 2020s: 1 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Elkhorn River near Atkinson
1Jun 14, 201010.27+2.77Major6,790
2May 29, 19959.27+1.77Moderate4,060
3Mar 16, 20199.10+1.60Moderate3,500
4Jun 22, 20118.83+1.33Minor3,110
5May 5, 19998.66+1.16Minor3,340
6Jul 14, 19938.46+0.96Minor1,990
7Jun 1, 19968.37+0.87Minor2,110
8Apr 24, 20018.29+0.79Minor2,260
9Apr 8, 20068.27+0.77Minor2,290
10Feb 6, 20248.20+0.70Minor1,990
11May 10, 20168.12+0.62Minor2,360
12Jun 12, 20057.78+0.28Minor1,670
13Mar 6, 19947.47−0.03Action1,240
14Apr 4, 19987.07−0.43Action1,030
15May 30, 20086.96−0.54Action1,000
16May 19, 19916.63−0.87Action940
17Apr 19, 20186.50−1.00Action871
18Apr 25, 20076.46−1.04Action795
19Apr 16, 19976.37−1.13Action659
20May 1, 20226.21−1.29Action760
21May 22, 20176.15−1.35Action725
22Aug 28, 19926.04−1.46Action653
23Apr 9, 20095.81−1.69Below flood stage571
24Mar 20, 20215.72−1.78Below flood stage652
25Apr 29, 20125.56−1.94Below flood stage512
26Jun 11, 20145.44−2.06Below flood stage425
27May 11, 20034.75−2.75Below flood stage275
28Jun 13, 20154.74−2.76Below flood stage260
29May 17, 20234.31−3.19Below flood stage261
30May 28, 20134.08−3.42Below flood stage179
31May 3, 20023.67−3.83Below flood stage103
32May 21, 20003.51−3.99Below flood stage74
33Jun 6, 20043.33−4.17Below flood stage68
34Jun 24, 20253.33−4.17Below flood stage100
35Aug 23, 19903.26−4.24Below flood stage85

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 14, 2010: 10.27 ft here, major 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
  • 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

May 29, 1995: 9.27 ft here, moderate flooding

  • NelighNE · May 30, 1995 · 13.37 ft · Moderate
  • NorfolkNE · May 31, 1995 · 13.05 ft · Moderate
  • West PointNE · Jun 1, 1995 · 12.67 ft · Minor

March 16, 2019: 9.10 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
  • NorfolkNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 15.59 ft · Moderate
  • NelighNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 11.48 ft · Minor
  • EwingNE · Mar 17, 2019 · 9.99 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
WaterlooNE14.024.68 ft, Mar 16, 20191
West PointNE12.018.60 ft, Mar 9, 19934
Atkinson this gaugeNE7.510.27 ft, Jun 14, 20101
TildenNE15.016.14 ft, Jun 14, 20100
WinslowNE17.024.14 ft, Mar 14, 20191

Other gauges in Holt County

Flood gauges in Holt County
Ewing9.013.26 ft, Jun 14, 20101
Butte5.519.41 ft, Mar 14, 20191

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ATNN1, 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.