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Platte River near Kearney

Highest listed crest 8.62 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft62 crests since 1982

The Platte River near Kearney crested above flood stage 9 times among the 62 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1982 to 2025. The highest, 8.62 ft on February 24, 1994, was moderate flooding, 1.62 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.62 ft
February 24, 1994
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 10, 2019
7.60 ft, minor flooding
Location
Buffalo County
Near Kearney (2.6 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 Kearney
Action stage6.011Jan 3, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.08Jul 10, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.01Feb 24, 1994Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

62 crests from 1982 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Platte River near Kearney, 1982 to 2025 246810ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Feb 19, 1982: 5.50 ft, below flood stageJun 29, 1983: 7.42 ft, minor flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1984: 6.64 ft, action stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1985: 7.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 1985: 6.57 ft, action stage; 8,100 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1986: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 6,700 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1987: 4.95 ft, below flood stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1988: 5.38 ft, below flood stageFeb 24, 1988: 4.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,900 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1989: 6.15 ft, action stageJun 26, 1989: 5.11 ft, below flood stage; 6,780 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1990: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1990: 5.50 ft, below flood stageMay 25, 1991: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 5,010 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1992: 5.32 ft, below flood stageAug 29, 1992: 4.11 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1993: 6.62 ft, action stageMar 9, 1993: 5.43 ft, below flood stage; 6,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1994: 8.62 ft, moderate floodingMar 6, 1994: 4.38 ft, below flood stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1995: 7.43 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1996: 6.02 ft, action stageSep 24, 1996: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 5,010 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1997: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 9,590 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1998: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 5,170 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1998: 6.63 ft, action stageMay 12, 1999: 6.51 ft, action stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1999: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 4,100 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1999: 4.44 ft, below flood stageFeb 3, 2001: 4.76 ft, below flood stageApr 23, 2001: 4.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2002: 4.94 ft, below flood stageApr 10, 2002: 3.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2003: 4.95 ft, below flood stageApr 18, 2003: 3.54 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2004: 4.09 ft, below flood stageMar 2, 2004: 3.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 3,230 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 2005: 4.97 ft, below flood stageMar 22, 2006: 3.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2007: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2007: 5.30 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2008: 7.95 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2009: 5.07 ft, below flood stageApr 20, 2009: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2010: 6.47 ft, action stage; 8,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2011: 7.19 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 2011: 6.50 ft, action stage; 9,460 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2012: 5.49 ft, below flood stageSep 28, 2013: 7.22 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2014: 6.14 ft, action stage; 7,140 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2015: 7.21 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 2016: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 8,820 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 2017: 6.22 ft, action stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2018: 5.12 ft, below flood stage; 968 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2019: 7.60 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2020: 4.37 ft, below flood stage; 4,720 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 2021: 4.89 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 2022: 4.30 ft, below flood stageFeb 16, 2023: 5.43 ft, below flood stageJan 11, 2024: 5.13 ft, below flood stageFeb 25, 2025: 4.99 ft, below flood stage Highest, 8.62 ft, Feb 24, 1994 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Platte River near Kearney 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 0 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 62 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Platte River near Kearney
1Feb 24, 19948.62+1.62Moderate—
2May 26, 20087.95+0.95Minor13,400
3Jul 10, 20197.60+0.60Minor22,500
4Jun 11, 19957.43+0.43Minor19,200
5Jun 29, 19837.42+0.42Minor23,700
6Jan 11, 19857.40+0.40Minor—
7Sep 28, 20137.22+0.22Minor12,500
8Jun 4, 20157.21+0.21Minor—
9Feb 5, 20117.19+0.19Minor—
10Jun 13, 19846.64−0.36Action16,100
11Dec 23, 19986.63−0.37Action—
12Feb 22, 19936.62−0.38Action—
13Feb 22, 19856.57−0.43Action8,100
14May 12, 19996.51−0.49Action11,900
15Jun 25, 20116.50−0.50Action9,460
16Jun 17, 20106.47−0.53Action8,510
17Jan 3, 20176.22−0.78Action1,720
18Mar 8, 19896.15−0.85Action—
19Jun 14, 20146.14−0.86Action7,140
20Mar 26, 19966.02−0.98Action—
21Jun 24, 19975.85−1.15Below flood stage9,590
22Feb 19, 19825.50−1.50Below flood stage—
23Feb 17, 19905.50−1.50Below flood stage—
24Dec 28, 20125.49−1.51Below flood stage—
25Mar 9, 19935.43−1.57Below flood stage6,990
26Feb 16, 20235.43−1.57Below flood stage—
27Feb 14, 19885.38−1.62Below flood stage—
28Jan 16, 19925.32−1.68Below flood stage—
29Apr 25, 20075.30−1.70Below flood stage—
30Feb 25, 20075.25−1.75Below flood stage5,430
31Jan 11, 20245.13−1.87Below flood stage—
32Jan 1, 20185.12−1.88Below flood stage968
33Jun 26, 19895.11−1.89Below flood stage6,780
34Jan 16, 20095.07−1.93Below flood stage—
35Feb 25, 20254.99−2.01Below flood stage—
36Dec 4, 20054.97−2.03Below flood stage—
37Jun 1, 19874.95−2.05Below flood stage6,960
38Mar 6, 20034.95−2.05Below flood stage—
39Feb 5, 20024.94−2.06Below flood stage—
40May 30, 20164.94−2.06Below flood stage8,820
41Apr 7, 19984.92−2.08Below flood stage5,170
42Jan 27, 20214.89−2.11Below flood stage—
43May 25, 19914.88−2.12Below flood stage5,010
44Apr 20, 20094.88−2.12Below flood stage3,350
45Jun 19, 19864.85−2.15Below flood stage6,700
46Jan 10, 19904.85−2.15Below flood stage3,400
47Feb 3, 20014.76−2.24Below flood stage—
48Sep 24, 19964.68−2.32Below flood stage5,010
49May 13, 20054.53−2.47Below flood stage3,230
50Feb 24, 19884.50−2.50Below flood stage4,900

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.

May 26, 2008: 7.95 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand IslandNE · May 27, 2008 · 7.01 ft · Moderate
  • AshlandNE · May 31, 2008 · 21.06 ft · Minor
  • LouisvilleNE · May 31, 2008 · 10.48 ft · Minor
  • OvertonNE · May 25, 2008 · 9.05 ft · Minor
  • LesharaNE · May 31, 2008 · 8.30 ft · Minor

July 10, 2019: 7.60 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand IslandNE · Jul 11, 2019 · 7.38 ft · Moderate
  • OdessaNE · Jul 9, 2019 · 8.27 ft · Minor · its highest

June 11, 1995: 7.43 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand IslandNE · Jun 12, 1995 · 7.42 ft · Moderate
  • OvertonNE · Jun 15, 1995 · 8.81 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 IslandNE6.58.16 ft, Mar 27, 196015
Kearney this gaugeNE7.08.62 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 Buffalo County

Flood gauges in Buffalo County
Elm Creek9.510.73 ft, Mar 13, 20190
Sweetwater16.523.20 ft, Jun 22, 19472
Odessa7.08.27 ft, Jul 9, 20190
Ravenna5.512.60 ft, Jun 22, 19472
St. Michael9.515.15 ft, Mar 16, 19780
Gibbon15.017.40 ft, Mar 14, 20193
Riverdale11.019.75 ft, Jun 22, 19470

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KEAN1, 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.