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North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce

Highest listed crest 17.34 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft28 crests since 1971

The North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1971 to 2024. The highest, 17.34 ft on March 14, 2019, was major flooding, 5.34 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the North Fork Elkhorn River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.34 ft
March 14, 2019; 96,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
1
38th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
September 2, 2021
13.15 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pierce County
Near Norfolk (8.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce
Action stage11.06May 2, 2016The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.05Sep 2, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.02Jun 13, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.01Mar 14, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1971 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce, 1971 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Feb 19, 1971: 15.10 ft, moderate flooding; 15,200 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1998: 7.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1999: 11.01 ft, action stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2000: 10.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2001: 6.06 ft, below flood stage; 617 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 4.45 ft, below flood stage; 388 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2003: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 733 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2004: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 535 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2005: 11.68 ft, action stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2006: 9.14 ft, below flood stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2007: 11.77 ft, action stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2008: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 2,280 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2009: 11.81 ft, action stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2010: 14.21 ft, moderate flooding; 2,340 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2011: 12.44 ft, minor flooding; 1,920 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2012: 7.27 ft, below flood stage; 720 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2013: 4.25 ft, below flood stage; 235 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2014: 8.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2015: 11.89 ft, action stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2016: 11.71 ft, action stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2017: 13.36 ft, minor flooding; 1,920 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2018: 13.10 ft, minor flooding; 1,980 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 17.34 ft, major flooding; 96,900 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2020: 9.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 13.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2022: 5.21 ft, below flood stage; 407 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 10.01 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2024: 10.37 ft, below flood stage Highest, 17.34 ft, Mar 14, 2019 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 37 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 11.13 ft on Jun 1, 1961; 14.90 ft on Mar 28, 1962; 7.85 ft on Jun 23, 1963; 10.92 ft on Jun 18, 1964; 8.00 ft on Sep 30, 1965; 14.10 ft on Feb 9, 1966; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce
1Mar 14, 201917.34+5.34Major96,900
2Feb 19, 197115.10+3.10Moderate15,200
3Jun 13, 201014.21+2.21Moderate2,340
4Oct 9, 201713.36+1.36Minor1,920
5Sep 2, 202113.15+1.15Minor2,360
6Mar 5, 201813.10+1.10Minor1,980
7Mar 2, 200812.77+0.77Minor2,280
8Feb 18, 201112.44+0.44Minor1,920
9Jun 8, 201511.89−0.11Action1,770
10Feb 10, 200911.81−0.19Action1,810
11Mar 11, 200711.77−0.23Action1,790
12May 2, 201611.71−0.29Action1,690
13Jun 23, 200511.68−0.32Action1,720
14Jun 29, 199911.01−0.99Action1,850
15Mar 16, 200010.62−1.38Below flood stage1,740
16Jun 1, 202410.37−1.63Below flood stage—
17Feb 28, 202310.01−1.99Below flood stage1,350
18Mar 29, 20209.48−2.52Below flood stage1,170
19Mar 31, 20069.14−2.86Below flood stage1,650
20Aug 7, 20148.99−3.01Below flood stage1,090
21Apr 9, 19987.92−4.08Below flood stage1,020
22Mar 1, 20127.27−4.73Below flood stage720
23Jul 8, 20036.64−5.36Below flood stage733
24May 19, 20016.06−5.94Below flood stage617
25Jun 17, 20045.66−6.34Below flood stage535
26May 18, 20225.21−6.79Below flood stage407
27May 12, 20024.45−7.55Below flood stage388
28Jun 26, 20134.25−7.75Below flood stage235

The worst floods along the North Fork Elkhorn River

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

March 14, 2019: 17.34 ft here, major flooding

  • NorfolkNE · Mar 14, 2019 · 1,513.95 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the North Fork Elkhorn River

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

Flood gauges on the North Fork Elkhorn River
NorfolkNE1,506.01,513.95 ft, Mar 14, 20190
Pierce this gaugeNE12.017.34 ft, Mar 14, 20191

Other gauges in Pierce County

Flood gauges in Pierce County
Foster9.012.83 ft, Mar 14, 20191

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRCN1, 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.