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Platte River near Grand Island

Highest listed crest 8.16 ftFlood stage 6.5 ft129 crests since 1934

The Platte River near Grand Island crested at major flood stage 15 times among the 129 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1934 to 2025. The highest, 8.16 ft on March 27, 1960, was major flooding, 1.66 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Platte River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.16 ft
March 27, 1960
Flood stage
6.5 ft
Major flooding from 7.5 ft
Crests at major
15
1st of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
May 25, 2020
6.52 ft, minor flooding
Location
Merrick County
Near Grand Island (5.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Platte River near Grand Island
Action stage5.550Feb 1, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.524May 25, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.013Jul 11, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage7.515Mar 15, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

129 crests from 1934 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Platte River near Grand Island, 1934 to 2025 456789ft Flood stage 6.5 ftMajor 7.5 ft Mar 5, 1934: 6.27 ft, action stage; 7,580 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1935: 7.99 ft, major flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1936: 7.64 ft, major floodingMar 7, 1937: 5.92 ft, action stage; 5,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1938: 7.58 ft, major floodingMar 10, 1939: 7.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 1939: 6.28 ft, action stage; 9,720 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1940: 7.83 ft, major floodingMay 6, 1942: 6.96 ft, minor flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1943: 6.86 ft, minor floodingJul 5, 1943: 5.75 ft, action stage; 4,930 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1944: 6.23 ft, action stageMay 13, 1944: 5.84 ft, action stage; 5,450 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1945: 5.99 ft, action stage; 6,420 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1946: 6.39 ft, action stageMar 17, 1946: 5.64 ft, action stage; 4,150 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1946: 6.59 ft, minor floodingJun 23, 1947: 7.66 ft, major flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1948: 7.62 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1949: 8.03 ft, major floodingJun 26, 1949: 6.89 ft, minor flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1950: 6.32 ft, action stageMay 9, 1950: 5.60 ft, action stage; 4,310 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1951: 6.13 ft, action stage; 7,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1952: 6.74 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1952: 6.35 ft, action stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1953: 6.17 ft, action stageMar 6, 1953: 5.38 ft, below flood stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1954: 6.40 ft, action stageFeb 22, 1954: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1955: 6.22 ft, action stageMar 1, 1956: 6.22 ft, action stage; 1,860 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1957: 6.08 ft, action stage; 5,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1958: 6.89 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1958: 5.61 ft, action stage; 4,680 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1959: 6.56 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1959: 5.44 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1960: 8.16 ft, major floodingMar 3, 1961: 6.18 ft, action stageMay 23, 1961: 5.97 ft, action stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1962: 6.65 ft, minor floodingJun 11, 1962: 6.07 ft, action stage; 7,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1963: 6.93 ft, minor floodingFeb 3, 1964: 5.93 ft, action stageApr 26, 1964: 5.47 ft, below flood stage; 3,380 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1965: 7.12 ft, moderate floodingJun 29, 1965: 6.84 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1966: 6.94 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 1967: 7.52 ft, major flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1968: 6.72 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 1968: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1969: 6.97 ft, minor flooding; 7,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1970: 6.58 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1970: 5.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,910 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1971: 6.78 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 1971: 6.56 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1972: 6.67 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1972: 5.38 ft, below flood stage; 4,750 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1973: 7.40 ft, moderate floodingJun 1, 1973: 7.35 ft, moderate flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1974: 7.65 ft, major floodingApr 14, 1974: 5.90 ft, action stage; 7,770 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1975: 5.66 ft, action stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1976: 6.21 ft, action stageJan 25, 1977: 5.98 ft, action stageMay 24, 1977: 5.45 ft, below flood stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1978: 7.45 ft, moderate flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1979: 7.61 ft, major floodingJun 29, 1979: 5.60 ft, action stage; 6,010 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1980: 6.82 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1981: 6.00 ft, action stageJul 31, 1981: 5.08 ft, below flood stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 6.58 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 1982: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1983: 7.97 ft, major flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1984: 7.17 ft, moderate flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1985: 7.28 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1985: 7.00 ft, moderate flooding; 9,000 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1986: 5.91 ft, action stageFeb 25, 1986: 5.78 ft, action stage; 7,460 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1987: 5.96 ft, action stage; 7,970 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1988: 6.77 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1989: 6.46 ft, action stageJun 27, 1989: 5.98 ft, action stage; 6,800 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1990: 5.76 ft, action stageMay 5, 1990: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,890 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1991: 5.91 ft, action stageJun 1, 1991: 5.53 ft, action stage; 5,690 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1992: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1993: 7.54 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1994: 6.02 ft, action stageJun 12, 1995: 7.42 ft, moderate flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1996: 6.76 ft, minor floodingMay 29, 1996: 5.32 ft, below flood stage; 6,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1997: 6.42 ft, action stageApr 8, 1998: 5.94 ft, action stage; 7,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1999: 6.62 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2000: 4.91 ft, below flood stageMar 4, 2001: 6.04 ft, action stageMay 7, 2001: 4.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,390 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2002: 7.01 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 2002: 6.26 ft, action stage; 2,220 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2003: 4.71 ft, below flood stageMay 5, 2003: 4.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2004: 5.71 ft, action stageFeb 29, 2004: 4.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2005: 5.85 ft, action stage; 7,510 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2005: 4.40 ft, below flood stageMar 31, 2006: 4.07 ft, below flood stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2007: 5.84 ft, action stage; 7,300 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2008: 7.01 ft, moderate flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2009: 4.79 ft, below flood stage; 3,540 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2010: 6.26 ft, action stage; 8,840 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2011: 6.32 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2012: 5.02 ft, below flood stageSep 29, 2013: 6.52 ft, minor flooding; 9,700 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2014: 6.05 ft, action stage; 8,800 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2015: 7.19 ft, moderate flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2016: 7.79 ft, major floodingJan 29, 2017: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2018: 5.76 ft, action stageMar 15, 2019: 7.78 ft, major floodingJul 11, 2019: 7.38 ft, moderate flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2020: 6.52 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2021: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 6,440 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2022: 4.92 ft, below flood stageJul 3, 2023: 5.36 ft, below flood stage; 6,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2024: 5.93 ft, action stageFeb 25, 2025: 5.03 ft, below flood stage Highest, 8.16 ft, Mar 27, 1960 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Platte River near Grand Island 1930s: 4 1940s: 8 1950s: 3 1960s: 9 9 1970s: 9 1980s: 7 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 6.17 ft on Jun 24, 1997.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 129 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Platte River near Grand Island
1Mar 27, 19608.16+1.66Major—
2Mar 4, 19498.03+1.53Major—
3Jun 6, 19357.99+1.49Major30,000
4Jun 30, 19837.97+1.47Major23,900
5Mar 4, 19407.83+1.33Major—
6Jan 21, 20167.79+1.29Major—
7Mar 15, 20197.78+1.28Major—
8Jun 23, 19477.66+1.16Major20,300
9Jan 9, 19747.65+1.15Major—
10Mar 3, 19367.64+1.14Major—
11Mar 18, 19487.62+1.12Major—
12Mar 8, 19797.61+1.11Major—
13Feb 28, 19387.58+1.08Major—
14Mar 10, 19937.54+1.04Major—
15Jun 14, 19677.52+1.02Major18,000
16Mar 17, 19787.45+0.95Moderate11,100
17Jun 12, 19957.42+0.92Moderate16,200
18May 17, 19737.40+0.90Moderate—
19Jul 11, 20197.38+0.88Moderate18,700
20Jun 1, 19737.35+0.85Moderate17,800
21Feb 6, 19857.28+0.78Moderate—
22Jun 5, 20157.19+0.69Moderate16,200
23Jun 15, 19847.17+0.67Moderate16,000
24Mar 2, 19657.12+0.62Moderate—
25Jan 31, 20027.01+0.51Moderate—
26May 27, 20087.01+0.51Moderate13,600
27Mar 10, 19397.00+0.50Moderate—
28Feb 26, 19857.00+0.50Moderate9,000
29Mar 20, 19696.97+0.47Minor7,400
30May 6, 19426.96+0.46Minor15,300
31Mar 6, 19666.94+0.44Minor—
32Feb 10, 19636.93+0.43Minor—
33Jun 26, 19496.89+0.39Minor14,100
34Feb 25, 19586.89+0.39Minor—
35Feb 9, 19436.86+0.36Minor—
36Jun 29, 19656.84+0.34Minor12,300
37Jun 4, 19806.82+0.32Minor13,400
38Feb 28, 19716.78+0.28Minor—
39Feb 22, 19886.77+0.27Minor—
40Mar 10, 19966.76+0.26Minor—
41Feb 7, 19526.74+0.24Minor—
42Feb 20, 19686.72+0.22Minor—
43Feb 21, 19726.67+0.17Minor—
44Feb 12, 19626.65+0.15Minor—
45May 13, 19996.62+0.12Minor12,300
46Dec 25, 19466.59+0.09Minor—
47Feb 19, 19706.58+0.08Minor—
48Feb 21, 19826.58+0.08Minor—
49Mar 2, 19596.56+0.06Minor—
50Jun 14, 19716.56+0.06Minor11,800

The worst floods along the Platte River

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

March 27, 1960: 8.16 ft here, major flooding

  • LouisvilleNE · Mar 30, 1960 · 12.45 ft · Major
  • North BendNE · Mar 29, 1960 · 10.04 ft · Moderate

June 30, 1983: 7.97 ft here, major flooding

  • BradyNE · Jun 29, 1983 · 9.20 ft · Moderate
  • OvertonNE · Jun 28, 1983 · 9.38 ft · Minor
  • OdessaNE · Jun 29, 1983 · 7.82 ft · Minor
  • KearneyNE · Jun 29, 1983 · 7.42 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Platte River

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

Flood gauges on the Platte River
BradyNE7.59.80 ft, Sep 23, 20130
FremontNE11.011.91 ft, Jun 23, 20240
LouisvilleNE9.013.82 ft, Mar 16, 20192
MaxwellNE9.010.79 ft, Sep 23, 20130
North BendNE8.015.55 ft, Mar 19, 19783
AshlandNE20.024.32 ft, Mar 16, 20191
DuncanNE8.08.07 ft, Jun 14, 19830
Grand Island this gaugeNE6.58.16 ft, Mar 27, 196015
KearneyNE7.08.62 ft, Feb 24, 19940
LesharaNE8.011.84 ft, Feb 9, 19960
OdessaNE7.08.27 ft, Jul 9, 20190
OvertonNE7.510.43 ft, May 15, 19730
VeniceNE15.519.92 ft, Mar 15, 20190

Other gauges in Merrick County

Flood gauges in Merrick County
Silver Creek9.010.29 ft, Jun 11, 20080
Silver Creek9.09.94 ft, Jun 27, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GRIN1, 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.