Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Missouri River at Nebraska City

Highest listed crest 30.12 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft70 crests since 1949

The Missouri River at Nebraska City crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 70 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2025. The highest, 30.12 ft on March 16, 2019, was major flooding, 12.12 feet above flood stage. 14 other gauges on the Missouri River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 6 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.12 ft
March 16, 2019
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
3
12th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
June 30, 2024
24.35 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Otoe 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 Nebraska City
Action stage17.03Mar 7, 1994The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.032May 28, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.07Jun 30, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.03Mar 16, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

70 crests from 1949 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missouri River at Nebraska City, 1949 to 2025 101520253035ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Apr 13, 1949: 20.32 ft, minor flooding; 182,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1967: 22.95 ft, minor flooding; 166,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1968: 16.22 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 1968: 13.92 ft, below flood stage; 71,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1969: 19.32 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 1969: 18.36 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 1969: 12.78 ft, below flood stage; 56,600 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1970: 16.06 ft, below flood stageFeb 22, 1971: 18.45 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1971: 18.98 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 1973: 16.99 ft, below flood stage; 86,800 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1974: 18.63 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1974: 16.31 ft, below flood stage; 86,700 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1975: 15.57 ft, below flood stageNov 21, 1975: 15.36 ft, below flood stage; 77,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1977: 17.37 ft, action stageSep 1, 1977: 13.73 ft, below flood stage; 64,100 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 22.43 ft, minor flooding; 156,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1979: 19.93 ft, minor flooding; 122,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1980: 15.53 ft, below flood stage; 74,800 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1981: 13.58 ft, below flood stage; 61,200 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1982: 18.57 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1983: 21.21 ft, minor flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1984: 24.78 ft, moderate flooding; 182,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1985: 17.55 ft, action stage; 83,900 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1986: 18.62 ft, minor flooding; 99,800 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1987: 20.96 ft, minor flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1988: 11.84 ft, below flood stage; 49,000 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1989: 18.00 ft, minor flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1990: 20.56 ft, minor flooding; 115,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1991: 18.04 ft, minor flooding; 91,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1992: 13.78 ft, below flood stageJul 23, 1993: 27.19 ft, major flooding; 196,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1994: 17.72 ft, action stage; 90,700 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1995: 21.35 ft, minor flooding; 109,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1996: 23.42 ft, moderate flooding; 141,000 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1996: 20.70 ft, minor floodingAug 8, 1996: 21.70 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 1997: 21.06 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1997: 23.42 ft, moderate floodingJun 15, 1998: 20.34 ft, minor flooding; 97,300 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1999: 20.73 ft, minor flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2000: 15.33 ft, below flood stage; 67,800 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2001: 19.61 ft, minor flooding; 99,400 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 2002: 14.33 ft, below flood stage; 58,400 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 14.09 ft, below flood stage; 65,900 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2004: 16.73 ft, below flood stage; 82,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2005: 14.27 ft, below flood stage; 61,100 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2006: 12.15 ft, below flood stage; 47,900 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 21.54 ft, minor flooding; 122,000 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2008: 22.59 ft, minor flooding; 139,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2009: 14.25 ft, below flood stage; 66,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2010: 25.21 ft, moderate flooding; 168,000 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2011: 28.27 ft, major floodingMay 30, 2012: 14.83 ft, below flood stage; 62,500 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 18.32 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 2014: 21.85 ft, minor flooding; 121,000 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2015: 19.00 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2016: 19.83 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2017: 19.99 ft, minor flooding; 98,200 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2018: 23.30 ft, moderate flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2019: 30.12 ft, major floodingJun 5, 2019: 23.08 ft, moderate flooding; 192,000 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2019: 22.93 ft, minor flooding; 147,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2020: 18.07 ft, minor flooding; 91,100 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2021: 14.25 ft, below flood stage; 67,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2022: 11.92 ft, below flood stage; 45,200 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2023: 11.86 ft, below flood stage; 44,300 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2024: 24.35 ft, moderate floodingJun 27, 2025: 16.74 ft, below flood stage; 78,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.12 ft, Mar 16, 2019 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missouri River at Nebraska City 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 6 1990s: 11 11 2000s: 3 2010s: 11 2020s: 2 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 12 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 18.03 ft on Apr 27, 1881; 19.88 ft on Apr 14, 1943; 19.70 ft on Jun 15, 1944; 20.95 ft on Apr 28, 1950; 26.57 ft on Apr 18, 1952; 21.43 ft on Apr 5, 1960; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 70 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Missouri River at Nebraska City
1Mar 16, 201930.12+12.12Major—
2Jun 28, 201128.27+10.27Major—
3Jul 23, 199327.19+9.19Major196,000
4Jun 21, 201025.21+7.21Moderate168,000
5Jun 15, 198424.78+6.78Moderate182,000
6Jun 30, 202424.35+6.35Moderate—
7Jun 24, 199623.42+5.42Moderate141,000
8Jun 24, 199723.42+5.42Moderate—
9Jun 29, 201823.30+5.30Moderate140,000
10Jun 5, 201923.08+5.08Moderate192,000
11Jun 17, 196722.95+4.95Minor166,000
12Sep 24, 201922.93+4.93Minor147,000
13Jul 13, 200822.59+4.59Minor139,000
14Mar 22, 197822.43+4.43Minor156,000
15Jun 23, 201421.85+3.85Minor121,000
16Aug 8, 199621.70+3.70Minor—
17May 7, 200721.54+3.54Minor122,000
18Jun 3, 199521.35+3.35Minor109,000
19Jul 1, 198321.21+3.21Minor121,000
20Apr 18, 199721.06+3.06Minor113,000
21Mar 25, 198720.96+2.96Minor121,000
22Jun 29, 199920.73+2.73Minor104,000
23Jul 19, 199620.70+2.70Minor—
24Jun 14, 199020.56+2.56Minor115,000
25Jun 15, 199820.34+2.34Minor97,300
26Apr 13, 194920.32+2.32Minor182,000
27May 21, 201719.99+1.99Minor98,200
28Mar 19, 197919.93+1.93Minor122,000
29May 12, 201619.83+1.83Minor—
30May 6, 200119.61+1.61Minor99,400
31Feb 26, 196919.32+1.32Minor—
32Dec 15, 201519.00+1.00Minor—
33Jun 12, 197118.98+0.98Minor—
34Jan 12, 197418.63+0.63Minor—
35Mar 19, 198618.62+0.62Minor99,800
36May 21, 198218.57+0.57Minor113,000
37Feb 22, 197118.45+0.45Minor114,000
38Apr 13, 196918.36+0.36Minor105,000
39May 30, 201318.32+0.32Minor—
40May 28, 202018.07+0.07Minor91,100
41Jun 16, 199118.04+0.04Minor91,200
42Sep 9, 198918.000.00Minor87,300
43Mar 7, 199417.72−0.28Action90,700
44Apr 25, 198517.55−0.45Action83,900
45Feb 13, 197717.37−0.63Action—
46May 28, 197316.99−1.01Below flood stage86,800
47Jun 27, 202516.74−1.26Below flood stage78,800
48May 25, 200416.73−1.27Below flood stage82,000
49May 19, 197416.31−1.69Below flood stage86,700
50Jan 24, 196816.22−1.78Below flood stage—

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.

March 16, 2019: 30.12 ft here, major flooding

  • BrownvilleNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 45.73 ft · Major · its highest
  • PlattsmouthNE · Mar 16, 2019 · 40.62 ft · Major · its highest
  • ParkvilleMO · Mar 23, 2019 · 35.01 ft · Major · its highest
  • St. JosephMO · Mar 22, 2019 · 32.07 ft · Major
  • LeavenworthKS · Mar 23, 2019 · 31.31 ft · Major
  • AtchisonKS · Mar 22, 2019 · 31.20 ft · Major
  • RuloNE · Mar 20, 2019 · 28.13 ft · Major · its highest
  • VerdelNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 26.82 ft · Major
  • SpringfieldSD · Mar 14, 2019 · 17.73 ft · Major · its highest
  • OmahaNE · Mar 17, 2019 · 34.40 ft · Moderate

June 28, 2011: 28.27 ft here, major flooding

  • BrownvilleNE · Jun 23, 2011 · 44.79 ft · Major
  • PlattsmouthNE · Jun 30, 2011 · 36.73 ft · Major
  • La Framboise IslandSD · Jun 22, 2011 · 33.45 ft · Major · its highest
  • AtchisonKS · Jun 29, 2011 · 31.00 ft · Major
  • LeavenworthKS · Jun 30, 2011 · 30.80 ft · Major
  • St. JosephMO · Jun 28, 2011 · 29.97 ft · Major
  • Farm IslandSD · Jun 21, 2011 · 29.52 ft · Major · its highest
  • VerdelNE · Jun 30, 2011 · 29.12 ft · Major · its highest
  • RuloNE · Jun 27, 2011 · 27.26 ft · Major
  • NiobraraNE · Jun 26, 2011 · 26.76 ft · Major · its highest

July 23, 1993: 27.19 ft here, major flooding

  • BrownvilleNE · Jul 24, 1993 · 44.30 ft · Major
  • GlasgowMO · Jul 29, 1993 · 39.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • Jefferson CityMO · Jul 30, 1993 · 38.65 ft · Major · its highest
  • BoonvilleMO · Jul 29, 1993 · 37.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • PlattsmouthNE · Jul 25, 1993 · 35.65 ft · Major
  • LeavenworthKS · Jul 28, 1993 · 35.34 ft · Major · its highest
  • MiamiMO · Jul 30, 1993 · 32.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • St. JosephMO · Jul 26, 1993 · 32.07 ft · Major · its highest
  • AtchisonKS · Jul 26, 1993 · 31.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • WaverlyMO · Jul 27, 1993 · 31.15 ft · Major

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
DecaturNE35.044.41 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 City this gaugeNE18.030.12 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NEBN1, 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.