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Missouri River at Decatur

Highest listed crest 44.41 ftFlood stage 35.0 ft43 crests since 1952

The Missouri River at Decatur crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 43 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1952 to 2025. The highest, 44.41 ft on April 16, 1952, was major flooding, 9.41 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Missouri River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
44.41 ft
April 16, 1952
Flood stage
35.0 ft
Major flooding from 41.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
June 26, 2024
37.55 ft, minor flooding
Location
Burt County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missouri River at Decatur
Action stage33.01Jun 26, 1984The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)35.04Jun 26, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage38.01Jul 21, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage41.01Apr 16, 1952Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

43 crests from 1952 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River at Decatur, 1952 to 2025 202530354045ft Flood stage 35.0 ftMajor 41.0 ft Apr 16, 1952: 44.41 ft, major floodingJun 29, 1983: 28.10 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 1984: 34.60 ft, action stage; 100,000 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1988: 25.59 ft, below flood stage; 40,600 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1989: 24.55 ft, below flood stage; 38,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1990: 25.17 ft, below flood stage; 40,900 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1991: 23.99 ft, below flood stage; 34,900 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1992: 25.12 ft, below flood stage; 40,200 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1993: 32.19 ft, below flood stage; 76,400 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1994: 27.70 ft, below flood stage; 50,700 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1995: 30.10 ft, below flood stage; 64,900 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1996: 32.31 ft, below flood stage; 83,400 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1997: 31.99 ft, below flood stage; 100,000 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1998: 25.55 ft, below flood stageJul 22, 1999: 28.21 ft, below flood stage; 57,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2000: 26.24 ft, below flood stage; 49,400 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2001: 28.89 ft, below flood stage; 62,800 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2002: 23.75 ft, below flood stage; 36,900 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2003: 23.84 ft, below flood stage; 37,700 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2004: 25.01 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 2005: 24.70 ft, below flood stage; 43,300 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2006: 23.55 ft, below flood stage; 37,800 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 25.38 ft, below flood stage; 46,800 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2008: 25.03 ft, below flood stage; 42,300 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2009: 25.74 ft, below flood stage; 45,100 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 2010: 31.73 ft, below flood stageJul 21, 2011: 40.24 ft, moderate floodingJun 2, 2012: 24.50 ft, below flood stageMay 29, 2013: 25.25 ft, below flood stage; 46,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 31.01 ft, below flood stage; 83,300 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2015: 22.57 ft, below flood stageJun 19, 2016: 23.64 ft, below flood stageMay 30, 2017: 24.69 ft, below flood stage; 45,100 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 32.18 ft, below flood stage; 91,900 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2019: 36.51 ft, minor flooding; 152,000 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2019: 35.72 ft, minor flooding; 132,000 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2019: 36.42 ft, minor flooding; 135,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2020: 27.64 ft, below flood stage; 65,000 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 2021: 21.80 ft, below flood stage; 34,600 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2022: 21.73 ft, below flood stage; 35,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2023: 23.19 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 2024: 37.55 ft, minor flooding; 154,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2025: 26.30 ft, below flood stage Highest, 44.41 ft, Apr 16, 1952 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River at Decatur 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Missouri River at Decatur
1Apr 16, 195244.41+9.41Major—
2Jul 21, 201140.24+5.24Moderate—
3Jun 26, 202437.55+2.55Minor154,000
4Mar 17, 201936.51+1.51Minor152,000
5Sep 20, 201936.42+1.42Minor135,000
6Jun 3, 201935.72+0.72Minor132,000
7Jun 26, 198434.60−0.40Action100,000
8Jul 18, 199632.31−2.69Below flood stage83,400
9Jul 16, 199332.19−2.81Below flood stage76,400
10Jun 27, 201832.18−2.82Below flood stage91,900
11Apr 15, 199731.99−3.01Below flood stage100,000
12Aug 6, 201031.73−3.27Below flood stage—
13Jun 20, 201431.01−3.99Below flood stage83,300
14Jun 2, 199530.10−4.90Below flood stage64,900
15Apr 28, 200128.89−6.11Below flood stage62,800
16Jul 22, 199928.21−6.79Below flood stage57,000
17Jun 29, 198328.10−6.90Below flood stage—
18Jun 17, 199427.70−7.30Below flood stage50,700
19Apr 2, 202027.64−7.36Below flood stage65,000
20Feb 27, 202526.30−8.70Below flood stage—
21Jun 26, 200026.24−8.76Below flood stage49,400
22Jul 11, 200925.74−9.26Below flood stage45,100
23Sep 16, 198825.59−9.41Below flood stage40,600
24Nov 29, 199825.55−9.45Below flood stage—
25Mar 14, 200725.38−9.62Below flood stage46,800
26May 29, 201325.25−9.75Below flood stage46,000
27May 19, 199025.17−9.83Below flood stage40,900
28Jul 13, 199225.12−9.88Below flood stage40,200
29Jun 11, 200825.03−9.97Below flood stage42,300
30Jun 3, 200425.01−9.99Below flood stage—
31Jun 9, 200524.70−10.30Below flood stage43,300
32May 30, 201724.69−10.31Below flood stage45,100
33Jul 18, 198924.55−10.45Below flood stage38,300
34Jun 2, 201224.50−10.50Below flood stage—
35Jun 1, 199123.99−11.01Below flood stage34,900
36Sep 12, 200323.84−11.16Below flood stage37,700
37Sep 23, 200223.75−11.25Below flood stage36,900
38Jun 19, 201623.64−11.36Below flood stage—
39Apr 12, 200623.55−11.45Below flood stage37,800
40Feb 2, 202323.19−11.81Below flood stage—
41Jul 11, 201522.57−12.43Below flood stage—
42Sep 1, 202121.80−13.20Below flood stage34,600
43Aug 16, 202221.73−13.27Below flood stage35,100

The worst floods along the Missouri River

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

April 16, 1952: 44.41 ft here, major flooding

  • YanktonSD · Apr 13, 1952 · 35.50 ft · Major
  • BlairNE · Apr 17, 1952 · 33.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • PierreSD · Apr 10, 1952 · 25.35 ft · Major · its highest
  • BrownvilleNE · Apr 17, 1952 · 40.70 ft · Moderate
  • PlattsmouthNE · Apr 18, 1952 · 32.60 ft · Moderate
  • AtchisonKS · Apr 23, 1952 · 29.50 ft · Moderate
  • St. JosephMO · Apr 22, 1952 · 26.82 ft · Moderate
  • RuloNE · Apr 22, 1952 · 25.60 ft · Moderate

July 21, 2011: 40.24 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PoncaNE · Jul 20, 2011 · 29.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • Sioux CityNE · Jul 21, 2011 · 35.25 ft · Moderate · its highest

June 26, 2024: 37.55 ft here, minor flooding

  • BrownvilleNE · Jul 1, 2024 · 40.64 ft · Moderate
  • Highway 92 at OmahaNE · Jun 29, 2024 · 32.90 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • OmahaNE · Jun 29, 2024 · 32.77 ft · Moderate
  • BlairNE · Jun 27, 2024 · 32.20 ft · Moderate
  • Nebraska CityNE · Jun 30, 2024 · 24.35 ft · Moderate
  • RuloNE · Jul 2, 2024 · 24.01 ft · Moderate
  • Highway 370 at BellevueNE · Jun 29, 2024 · 33.78 ft · Minor · its highest
  • Sioux CityNE · Jun 24, 2024 · 32.23 ft · Minor
  • PlattsmouthNE · Jun 29, 2024 · 31.75 ft · Minor
  • AtchisonKS · Jul 3, 2024 · 25.78 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Missouri River

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

Flood gauges on the Missouri River
ParkvilleMO25.035.01 ft, Mar 23, 20191
AtchisonKS22.031.63 ft, Jul 26, 19933
BoonvilleMO21.037.10 ft, Jul 29, 19931
BrownvilleNE34.045.73 ft, Mar 16, 20193
ChamberlainSD65.075.08 ft, Jul 8, 20113
Decatur this gaugeNE35.044.41 ft, Apr 16, 19521
Farm IslandSD26.029.52 ft, Jun 21, 20111
Gavins Point DamNE1,210.01,212.02 ft, Mar 15, 20190
GlasgowMO25.039.50 ft, Jul 29, 199324
HermannMO21.036.97 ft, Jul 31, 19939
Highway 370 at BellevueNE30.033.78 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Highway 92 at OmahaNE27.532.90 ft, Jun 29, 20240
Jefferson CityMO23.038.65 ft, Jul 30, 199310
Kansas CityMO32.048.87 ft, Jul 27, 19930
La Framboise IslandSD29.033.45 ft, Jun 22, 20111
LeavenworthKS20.035.34 ft, Jul 28, 19933
MiamiMO18.032.60 ft, Jul 30, 19935
NapoleonMO17.029.73 ft, Jun 2, 20190
Nebraska CityNE18.030.12 ft, Mar 16, 20193
NiobraraNE21.026.76 ft, Jun 26, 20111
OmahaNE27.036.29 ft, Jul 2, 20110
PierreSD13.025.35 ft, Apr 10, 19525
PlattsmouthNE26.040.62 ft, Mar 16, 20193
RuloNE17.028.13 ft, Mar 20, 20193
Sioux CityNE30.035.25 ft, Jul 21, 20110
SpringfieldSD11.017.73 ft, Mar 14, 20191
St. CharlesMO25.040.11 ft, Jun 24, 18449
St. JosephMO17.032.07 ft, Jul 26, 19934
WashingtonMO20.035.40 ft, Jul 31, 19935
YanktonSD20.050.50 ft, Apr 5, 188138
BlairNE26.533.50 ft, Apr 17, 19521
ChamoisMO17.033.30 ft, Jul 31, 19931
GreenwoodSD30.038.78 ft, Jul 7, 20112
MaskellNE30.031.86 ft, Jun 29, 20110
PoncaNE20.029.15 ft, Jul 20, 20111
VerdelNE24.029.12 ft, Jun 30, 20112
WaverlyMO20.031.92 ft, Jun 1, 20193

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DCTN1, 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.