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Frenchman Creek at Culbertson

Highest listed crest 14.80 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft96 crests since 1914

The Frenchman Creek at Culbertson crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 96 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1914 to 2025. The highest, 14.80 ft on May 31, 1935, was major flooding, 6.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.80 ft
May 31, 1935; 15,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
September 17, 2025
8.89 ft, minor flooding
Location
Hitchcock County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Frenchman Creek at Culbertson
Action stage7.08Jun 23, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.020Sep 17, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.02May 26, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.01May 31, 1935Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

96 crests from 1914 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Frenchman Creek at Culbertson, 1914 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Jun 13, 1914: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1931: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 652 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1932: 3.00 ft, below flood stage; 408 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1933: 7.00 ft, action stage; 4,410 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1934: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1935: 14.80 ft, major flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1936: 3.60 ft, below flood stage; 491 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1937: 7.30 ft, action stage; 3,120 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1938: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1939: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1940: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 4,250 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1941: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 962 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1942: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1943: 3.96 ft, below flood stage; 604 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1944: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1945: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1946: 4.66 ft, below flood stage; 758 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1947: 5.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1948: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 654 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1949: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1950: 5.64 ft, below flood stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1951: 10.43 ft, moderate flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1952: 5.54 ft, below flood stage; 628 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1953: 3.85 ft, below flood stage; 230 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1954: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 616 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1955: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1956: 9.36 ft, minor flooding; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1957: 8.79 ft, minor flooding; 2,450 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1958: 7.63 ft, action stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1959: 8.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,480 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1960: 8.61 ft, minor flooding; 2,390 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1961: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 373 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1962: 8.95 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1963: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 427 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1964: 6.13 ft, below flood stage; 914 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1965: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 2,440 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1966: 4.36 ft, below flood stage; 329 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1967: 7.22 ft, action stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1968: 6.26 ft, below flood stage; 833 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1969: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 944 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1970: 8.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1971: 3.72 ft, below flood stage; 220 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1972: 8.91 ft, minor flooding; 2,190 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1973: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 331 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1974: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 733 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1975: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 946 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1976: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 498 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1977: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 2,410 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1978: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1979: 4.57 ft, below flood stage; 330 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1980: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 261 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1981: 6.61 ft, below flood stage; 728 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1982: 7.49 ft, action stage; 768 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1983: 3.68 ft, below flood stage; 156 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1984: 7.96 ft, action stage; 864 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1985: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 162 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1986: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 203 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1987: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 180 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1988: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 933 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1989: 6.11 ft, below flood stage; 405 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1990: 4.74 ft, below flood stage; 252 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1991: 2.86 ft, below flood stage; 90 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1992: 8.68 ft, minor flooding; 1,400 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1993: 7.57 ft, action stage; 717 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1994: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 294 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1995: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 172 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1996: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 894 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1997: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 298 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1998: 4.69 ft, below flood stage; 196 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1999: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 246 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2000: 3.03 ft, below flood stage; 75 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2001: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 229 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2002: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 70 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2003: 2.84 ft, below flood stage; 69 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2004: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 225 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2005: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 149 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2006: 3.34 ft, below flood stage; 58 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2007: 9.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,660 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2008: 9.87 ft, minor flooding; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2009: 5.16 ft, below flood stage; 150 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2010: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 707 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2011: 7.18 ft, action stage; 317 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2012: 3.26 ft, below flood stage; 58 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2013: 4.97 ft, below flood stage; 151 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2014: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 157 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2015: 5.76 ft, below flood stage; 183 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2016: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 75 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2017: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 157 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2018: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 547 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2019: 8.02 ft, minor flooding; 405 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2020: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 64 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2021: 5.05 ft, below flood stage; 146 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2022: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 56 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2023: 10.40 ft, moderate flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2024: 5.15 ft, below flood stage; 128 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2025: 8.89 ft, minor flooding; 503 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.80 ft, May 31, 1935 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Frenchman Creek at Culbertson 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 5 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 2020s: 2 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 96 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Frenchman Creek at Culbertson
1May 31, 193514.80+6.80Major15,000
2Jun 17, 195110.43+2.43Moderate5,260
3May 26, 202310.40+2.40Moderate3,600
4Aug 9, 20089.87+1.87Minor1,670
5May 30, 20079.85+1.85Minor1,660
6Jun 18, 19569.36+1.36Minor3,350
7Jul 5, 19658.97+0.97Minor2,440
8Aug 25, 19778.97+0.97Minor2,410
9Jul 31, 19628.95+0.95Minor2,420
10Jun 18, 19728.91+0.91Minor2,190
11Sep 17, 20258.89+0.89Minor503
12Jul 13, 19598.82+0.82Minor2,480
13Jul 8, 19578.79+0.79Minor2,450
14Aug 3, 19928.68+0.68Minor1,400
15Mar 23, 19608.61+0.61Minor2,390
16Jul 29, 20188.34+0.34Minor547
17Jun 11, 19708.15+0.15Minor1,720
18Jun 9, 19408.14+0.14Minor4,250
19Jun 13, 20108.13+0.13Minor707
20Jun 17, 19558.08+0.08Minor1,750
21Jul 19, 19888.08+0.08Minor933
22Aug 11, 20198.02+0.02Minor405
23Sep 18, 19968.000.00Minor894
24Jun 17, 19847.96−0.04Action864
25Jul 20, 19587.63−0.37Action1,390
26Sep 19, 19937.57−0.43Action717
27Aug 14, 19827.49−0.51Action768
28Jun 1, 19377.30−0.70Action3,120
29Jun 8, 19677.22−0.78Action1,210
30Jun 23, 20117.18−0.82Action317
31Aug 28, 19337.00−1.00Action4,410
32May 27, 19786.96−1.04Below flood stage1,140
33May 21, 19696.64−1.36Below flood stage944
34Jul 18, 19816.61−1.39Below flood stage728
35Jun 8, 19756.32−1.68Below flood stage946
36Aug 28, 19686.26−1.74Below flood stage833
37Jun 20, 19396.20−1.80Below flood stage1,750
38Aug 3, 19976.17−1.83Below flood stage298
39Jul 11, 19646.13−1.87Below flood stage914
40Jun 25, 19896.11−1.89Below flood stage405
41Jun 13, 19146.00−2.00Below flood stage1,770
42Jun 7, 19495.80−2.20Below flood stage1,380
43Jun 9, 19745.79−2.21Below flood stage733
44Sep 27, 19455.78−2.22Below flood stage1,310
45Aug 5, 20155.76−2.24Below flood stage183
46Jul 13, 20045.75−2.25Below flood stage225
47Jul 24, 19505.64−2.36Below flood stage1,200
48Aug 29, 19525.54−2.46Below flood stage628
49Oct 6, 19475.52−2.48Below flood stage1,180
50Aug 13, 19995.50−2.50Below flood stage246

The worst floods along the Frenchman Creek

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

June 17, 1951: 10.43 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PalisadeNE · Jun 17, 1951 · 7.44 ft · Minor

May 26, 2023: 10.40 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PalisadeNE · May 26, 2023 · 12.26 ft · Major · its highest

May 30, 2007: 9.85 ft here, minor flooding

  • PalisadeNE · May 30, 2007 · 8.62 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Frenchman Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Frenchman Creek
PalisadeNE7.012.26 ft, May 26, 20231
Culbertson this gaugeNE8.014.80 ft, May 31, 19351

Other gauges in Hitchcock County

Flood gauges in Hitchcock County
Stratton11.013.21 ft, May 26, 20230

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CULN1, 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.