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Little Blue River near Fairbury

Highest listed crest 25.48 ftFlood stage 18.5 ft22 crests since 2003

The Little Blue River near Fairbury crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2003 to 2024. The highest, 25.48 ft on May 7, 2015, was major flooding, 6.98 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Little Blue River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.48 ft
May 7, 2015; 62,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.5 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
2
23rd of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
October 2, 2019
19.52 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Blue River near Fairbury
Action stage17.06Jul 27, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.53Oct 2, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.02May 7, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

22 crests from 2003 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Blue River near Fairbury, 2003 to 2024 51015202530ft Flood stage 18.5 ftMajor 23.0 ft Jun 24, 2003: 23.17 ft, major flooding; 71,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2004: 16.87 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2005: 13.52 ft, below flood stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2006: 13.44 ft, below flood stage; 4,750 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2007: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2008: 19.24 ft, minor flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2009: 13.00 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2010: 17.07 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2011: 17.56 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2012: 14.53 ft, below flood stage; 6,320 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 2013: 14.69 ft, below flood stage; 6,170 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 2014: 13.30 ft, below flood stage; 4,200 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2015: 25.48 ft, major flooding; 62,700 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2016: 17.00 ft, action stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 17.20 ft, action stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2018: 17.47 ft, action stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2019: 19.52 ft, minor flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2020: 17.85 ft, action stageMar 16, 2021: 12.88 ft, below flood stage; 4,520 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2022: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2023: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2024: 9.73 ft, below flood stage Highest, 25.48 ft, May 7, 2015 20052010201520202025

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Blue River near Fairbury 2000s: 3 3 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 2000s2010s2020s
  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. 46 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.17 ft on Jun 19, 1957; 17.78 ft on Jul 25, 1958; 16.68 ft on Jul 6, 1959; 20.80 ft on Mar 28, 1960; 17.78 ft on May 24, 1961; 12.90 ft on Mar 24, 1962; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Little Blue River near Fairbury
1May 7, 201525.48+6.98Major62,700
2Jun 24, 200323.17+4.67Major71,200
3Aug 2, 200719.60+1.10Minor20,300
4Oct 2, 201919.52+1.02Minor18,500
5Jun 5, 200819.24+0.74Minor17,100
6Jul 27, 202017.85−0.65Action—
7May 20, 201117.56−0.94Action12,700
8Sep 5, 201817.47−1.03Action11,700
9May 20, 201717.20−1.30Action11,000
10Jun 21, 201017.07−1.43Action10,100
11May 28, 201617.00−1.50Action10,600
12Jun 15, 200416.87−1.63Below flood stage11,000
13Oct 4, 201314.69−3.81Below flood stage6,170
14Apr 15, 201214.53−3.97Below flood stage6,320
15Jul 26, 200513.52−4.98Below flood stage5,000
16Aug 19, 200613.44−5.06Below flood stage4,750
17Aug 30, 201413.30−5.20Below flood stage4,200
18Jun 21, 200913.00−5.50Below flood stage3,700
19Mar 16, 202112.88−5.62Below flood stage4,520
20Jul 8, 202310.74−7.76Below flood stage1,990
21Jul 8, 202210.39−8.11Below flood stage1,610
22Jun 8, 20249.73−8.77Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Little Blue River

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

May 7, 2015: 25.48 ft here, major flooding

  • BarnesKS · May 8, 2015 · 28.02 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • HollenbergKS · May 7, 2015 · 22.97 ft · Moderate

June 24, 2003: 23.17 ft here, major flooding

  • HollenbergKS · Jun 24, 2003 · 20.67 ft · Moderate

October 2, 2019: 19.52 ft here, minor flooding

  • BarnesKS · Oct 3, 2019 · 18.20 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Little Blue River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Blue River
HebronNE13.515.63 ft, May 29, 20190
BarnesKS16.028.02 ft, May 8, 20150
DeshlerNE16.019.35 ft, May 28, 20190
DeweeseNE10.020.57 ft, Aug 31, 19693
Fairbury this gaugeNE18.525.48 ft, May 7, 20152
HollenbergKS19.023.07 ft, Oct 12, 19730

Other gauges in Jefferson County

Flood gauges in Jefferson County
Alexandria13.517.08 ft, May 7, 20154

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRBN1, 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.