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North Platte River at Lewellen

Highest listed crest 8.92 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft57 crests since 1984

The North Platte River at Lewellen crested above flood stage 15 times among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1984 to 2025. The highest, 8.92 ft on May 27, 2016, was minor flooding, 0.92 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the North Platte River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.92 ft
May 27, 2016; 10,486 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
0
15 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 4, 2020
8.19 ft, minor flooding
Location
Garden County
Nebraska
Identifiers
NWS LEWN1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Platte River at Lewellen
Action stage7.022Aug 14, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.015May 4, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1984 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Platte River at Lewellen, 1984 to 2025 5678910ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Dec 18, 1984: 7.57 ft, action stageMar 13, 1985: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1986: 7.18 ft, action stage; 6,310 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1987: 7.27 ft, action stageMay 25, 1987: 6.72 ft, below flood stage; 5,060 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1988: 6.29 ft, below flood stage; 3,700 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1988: 5.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1988: 7.11 ft, action stageOct 8, 1989: 5.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1989: 6.97 ft, below flood stageJun 12, 1991: 6.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,830 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1992: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1993: 6.24 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1995: 8.11 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 1995: 7.69 ft, action stage; 6,970 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 7.08 ft, action stage; 3,940 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1997: 8.28 ft, minor flooding; 8,170 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 7.56 ft, action stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1998: 8.34 ft, minor floodingApr 15, 1998: 7.34 ft, action stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1999: 7.71 ft, action stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 2000: 6.44 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2000: 7.68 ft, action stageSep 18, 2001: 7.02 ft, action stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2001: 7.61 ft, action stageOct 15, 2002: 5.98 ft, below flood stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2002: 8.04 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 2003: 5.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2003: 8.65 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 2004: 5.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 2004: 7.79 ft, action stageJun 14, 2005: 5.93 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2005: 7.52 ft, action stageOct 11, 2006: 5.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 2006: 7.84 ft, action stageApr 25, 2007: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2008: 7.12 ft, action stageSep 13, 2008: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2009: 7.31 ft, action stage; 2,950 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2010: 8.41 ft, minor flooding; 6,920 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2011: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2011: 8.65 ft, minor floodingOct 2, 2012: 7.56 ft, action stage; 4,620 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 2013: 6.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2014: 8.20 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 2014: 7.32 ft, action stage; 3,210 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2015: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 7,750 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2016: 8.92 ft, minor flooding; 10,486 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2017: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2018: 7.75 ft, action stage; 3,860 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2018: 8.51 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 2019: 8.74 ft, minor floodingAug 22, 2019: 7.81 ft, action stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2020: 8.19 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2021: 6.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,860 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2024: 7.08 ft, action stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2025: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per second Highest, 8.92 ft, May 27, 2016 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Platte River at Lewellen 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 9 9 2020s: 1 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 23 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 6.98 ft on Dec 19, 1973; 6.70 ft on Apr 11, 1974; 8.57 ft on Dec 17, 1974; 5.42 ft on Apr 28, 1975; 8.63 ft on Dec 15, 1975; 6.15 ft on Feb 11, 1976; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 57 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, North Platte River at Lewellen
1May 27, 20168.92+0.92Minor10,486
2Mar 3, 20198.74+0.74Minor—
3Jun 20, 20118.66+0.66Minor10,000
4Dec 18, 20038.65+0.65Minor—
5Dec 7, 20118.65+0.65Minor—
6Jun 2, 20158.64+0.64Minor7,750
7Dec 31, 20188.51+0.51Minor—
8Jun 25, 20108.41+0.41Minor6,920
9Mar 8, 19988.34+0.34Minor—
10Jun 6, 19978.28+0.28Minor8,170
11Jan 31, 20148.20+0.20Minor—
12May 4, 20208.19+0.19Minor4,230
13Mar 5, 19958.11+0.11Minor—
14Dec 25, 20028.04+0.04Minor—
15Jun 7, 20178.000.00Minor4,260
16Dec 3, 20067.84−0.16Action—
17Aug 22, 20197.81−0.19Action3,680
18Dec 3, 20047.79−0.21Action—
19May 21, 20187.75−0.25Action3,860
20Jun 19, 19997.71−0.29Action5,520
21Jun 14, 19957.69−0.31Action6,970
22Nov 12, 20007.68−0.32Action—
23Dec 31, 20017.61−0.39Action—
24Dec 18, 19847.57−0.43Action—
25Jan 10, 19987.56−0.44Action5,740
26Oct 2, 20127.56−0.44Action4,620
27Dec 16, 20057.52−0.48Action—
28Apr 15, 19987.34−0.66Action4,260
29Sep 30, 20147.32−0.68Action3,210
30Jun 13, 20097.31−0.69Action2,950
31Jan 20, 19877.27−0.73Action—
32Jun 17, 19867.18−0.82Action6,310
33Jan 8, 20087.12−0.88Action—
34Dec 26, 19887.11−0.89Action—
35Jun 10, 19967.08−0.92Action3,940
36Aug 14, 20247.08−0.92Action1,990
37Sep 18, 20017.02−0.98Action3,130
38Dec 15, 19896.97−1.03Below flood stage—
39Sep 19, 20256.96−1.04Below flood stage2,110
40Mar 14, 20216.74−1.26Below flood stage1,860
41May 25, 19876.72−1.28Below flood stage5,060
42Nov 15, 20136.57−1.43Below flood stage1,820
43Jun 12, 19916.55−1.45Below flood stage3,830
44Sep 26, 20006.44−1.56Below flood stage2,380
45Sep 13, 20086.43−1.57Below flood stage1,810
46Mar 13, 19856.35−1.65Below flood stage3,650
47May 22, 19886.29−1.71Below flood stage3,700
48Aug 24, 19936.24−1.76Below flood stage2,410
49Apr 25, 20076.04−1.96Below flood stage1,360
50Oct 15, 20025.98−2.02Below flood stage1,740

The worst floods along the North Platte River

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

May 27, 2016: 8.92 ft here, minor flooding

June 20, 2011: 8.66 ft here, minor flooding

  • North PlatteNE · Jun 21, 2011 · 7.73 ft · Major · its highest
  • LiscoNE · Jun 19, 2011 · 5.28 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • GlenrockWY · Jun 20, 2011 · 7.18 ft · Minor · its highest
  • SutherlandNE · Jun 21, 2011 · 7.11 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the North Platte River

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

Flood gauges on the North Platte River
CasperWY8.08.34 ft, Jun 9, 19840
Lewellen this gaugeNE8.08.92 ft, May 27, 20160
LiscoNE4.05.28 ft, Jun 19, 20110
North PlatteNE6.07.73 ft, Jun 21, 20111
SaratogaWY8.510.49 ft, Jun 9, 20110
ScottsbluffNE11.512.74 ft, May 28, 20160
WY-NE State Line nr HenryWY5.56.77 ft, May 11, 20180
GlenrockWY7.07.18 ft, Jun 20, 20110
KeystoneNE6.07.57 ft, Aug 10, 19830
NorthgateCO8.09.45 ft, Mar 21, 20070
OrinWY8.010.45 ft, Jun 12, 19702
SinclairWY9.011.64 ft, Jun 14, 20103
SutherlandNE6.57.11 ft, Jun 21, 20110

Other gauges in Garden County

Flood gauges in Garden County
Lewellen5.56.61 ft, Feb 17, 19660
Lisco4.05.28 ft, Jun 19, 20110

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LEWN1, 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.