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Niobrara River near Sparks

Highest listed crest 12.17 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft96 crests since 1946

The Niobrara River near Sparks crested above flood stage 20 times among the 96 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1946 to 2023. The highest, 12.17 ft on February 5, 2014, was moderate flooding, 6.17 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.17 ft
February 5, 2014
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
0
20 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 25, 2019
6.16 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cherry County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Niobrara River near Sparks
Action stage5.09Jan 5, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.019Mar 25, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.01Feb 5, 2014Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

96 crests from 1946 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Niobrara River near Sparks, 1946 to 2023 05101520ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Sep 19, 1946: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1947: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 3,560 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1948: 5.23 ft, action stage; 5,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1949: 6.73 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1950: 4.51 ft, below flood stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1951: 5.29 ft, action stage; 5,470 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1952: 4.09 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1953: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1954: 5.43 ft, action stage; 6,180 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1955: 4.98 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1956: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1957: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,460 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1958: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1959: 3.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1959: 5.60 ft, action stage; 6,430 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1960: 4.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1962: 5.99 ft, action stage; 7,670 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1962: 4.97 ft, below flood stage; 4,570 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1963: 5.92 ft, action stage; 7,440 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1964: 4.95 ft, below flood stage; 4,520 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1966: 6.79 ft, minor flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1967: 4.74 ft, below flood stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1968: 4.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1969: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1970: 3.95 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1970: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 4,430 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1971: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1972: 4.12 ft, below flood stageFeb 7, 1973: 10.06 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 1974: 6.81 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 1975: 4.86 ft, below flood stageFeb 9, 1976: 3.66 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1977: 6.04 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1978: 6.61 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1979: 6.48 ft, minor floodingJun 16, 1980: 4.10 ft, below flood stageNov 26, 1980: 4.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1982: 5.14 ft, action stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1983: 4.95 ft, below flood stage; 4,520 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1984: 8.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1985: 4.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1986: 7.53 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1987: 3.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1988: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1989: 6.27 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 1990: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1991: 6.64 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 1992: 3.26 ft, below flood stageFeb 18, 1993: 8.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 1994: 9.23 ft, minor floodingMay 28, 1995: 3.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1996: 8.12 ft, minor floodingDec 24, 1996: 8.70 ft, minor floodingFeb 20, 1997: 3.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1998: 3.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,530 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1999: 3.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,560 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2000: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2000: 5.47 ft, action stageJul 12, 2001: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2002: 3.53 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 2002: 3.29 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2002: 3.45 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2003: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,310 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2004: 3.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2005: 8.90 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 2005: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2005: 4.32 ft, below flood stageApr 7, 2006: 3.21 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 2006: 3.72 ft, below flood stageMay 5, 2007: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2008: 3.91 ft, below flood stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2008: 6.92 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 2009: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2009: 4.68 ft, below flood stageJun 16, 2010: 3.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2011: 4.33 ft, below flood stageJun 27, 2011: 3.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,950 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2012: 3.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2013: 4.53 ft, below flood stageMay 19, 2013: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2014: 12.17 ft, moderate floodingJun 7, 2014: 4.19 ft, below flood stage; 2,930 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2015: 4.57 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 2015: 4.09 ft, below flood stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2016: 4.09 ft, below flood stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2016: 4.31 ft, below flood stageFeb 24, 2017: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 10.31 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 2018: 3.49 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2019: 6.16 ft, minor flooding; 6,970 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2020: 3.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2021: 3.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2021: 3.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2022: 3.35 ft, below flood stageApr 30, 2022: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2023: 5.40 ft, action stage Highest, 12.17 ft, Feb 5, 2014 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Niobrara River near Sparks 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 5 5 1980s: 3 1990s: 5 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 96 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Niobrara River near Sparks
1Feb 5, 201412.17+6.17Moderate—
2Feb 21, 201810.31+4.31Minor—
3Feb 7, 197310.06+4.06Minor—
4Feb 7, 19949.23+3.23Minor—
5Jan 17, 20058.90+2.90Minor—
6Dec 24, 19968.70+2.70Minor—
7Feb 5, 19848.15+2.15Minor5,000
8Feb 10, 19968.12+2.12Minor—
9Feb 18, 19938.10+2.10Minor—
10Jan 22, 19867.53+1.53Minor—
11Dec 22, 20086.92+0.92Minor—
12Feb 9, 19746.81+0.81Minor—
13Mar 11, 19666.79+0.79Minor6,000
14Mar 5, 19496.73+0.73Minor10,200
15Feb 10, 19916.64+0.64Minor—
16Mar 15, 19786.61+0.61Minor—
17Mar 12, 19796.48+0.48Minor—
18Mar 8, 19896.27+0.27Minor—
19Mar 25, 20196.16+0.16Minor6,970
20Feb 17, 19776.04+0.04Minor—
21Jul 1, 19625.99−0.01Action7,670
22Dec 21, 19635.92−0.08Action7,440
23Nov 6, 19595.60−0.40Action6,430
24Dec 17, 20005.47−0.53Action—
25Mar 13, 19545.43−0.57Action6,180
26Jan 5, 20235.40−0.60Action—
27Jul 29, 19515.29−0.71Action5,470
28Aug 11, 19485.23−0.77Action5,200
29Jun 6, 19825.14−0.86Action4,780
30Mar 9, 19554.98−1.02Below flood stage4,460
31Dec 11, 19624.97−1.03Below flood stage4,570
32Nov 21, 19644.95−1.05Below flood stage4,520
33Jul 17, 19834.95−1.05Below flood stage4,520
34Nov 23, 19704.94−1.06Below flood stage4,430
35May 21, 19574.86−1.14Below flood stage4,460
36Jan 12, 19754.86−1.14Below flood stage—
37Jun 16, 19474.75−1.25Below flood stage3,560
38Jun 15, 19674.74−1.26Below flood stage3,970
39Jun 7, 19684.72−1.28Below flood stage3,700
40Dec 16, 20094.68−1.32Below flood stage—
41Jan 11, 20154.57−1.43Below flood stage—
42May 25, 19904.53−1.47Below flood stage3,480
43Jan 8, 20134.53−1.47Below flood stage—
44Aug 27, 19504.51−1.49Below flood stage3,500
45Nov 26, 19804.39−1.61Below flood stage2,230
46Sep 19, 19464.33−1.67Below flood stage2,350
47Jan 23, 20114.33−1.67Below flood stage—
48Dec 5, 19604.32−1.68Below flood stage2,800
49Dec 9, 20054.32−1.68Below flood stage—
50Dec 16, 20164.31−1.69Below flood stage—

Gauges on the Niobrara River

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

Flood gauges on the Niobrara River
Sparks this gaugeNE6.012.17 ft, Feb 5, 20140
MariavilleNE6.07.72 ft, Mar 14, 20190
ButteNE5.519.41 ft, Mar 14, 20191
VerdelNE8.019.38 ft, Mar 14, 20191
NiobraraNE37.041.64 ft, Mar 14, 20191

Other gauges in Cherry County

Flood gauges in Cherry County
Burge5.06.96 ft, Feb 7, 19630

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPKN1, 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.