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Platte River near Odessa

Highest listed crest 8.27 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft15 crests since 1983

The Platte River near Odessa crested above flood stage 4 times among the 15 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1983 to 2025. The highest, 8.27 ft on July 9, 2019, was minor flooding, 1.27 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
8.27 ft
July 9, 2019; 17,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 9, 2019
8.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Buffalo County
Near Kearney (9.4 mi)
Identifiers
NWS ODSN1
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, Platte River near Odessa
Action stage6.03Feb 20, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.04Jul 9, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Major flood stage12.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

15 crests from 1983 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Platte River near Odessa, 1983 to 2025 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Jun 29, 1983: 7.82 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2012: 5.30 ft, below flood stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2013: 7.62 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2014: 6.78 ft, action stage; 8,260 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2015: 7.49 ft, minor flooding; 16,700 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2016: 6.74 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2017: 5.08 ft, below flood stage; 5,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2018: 6.32 ft, action stageJul 9, 2019: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2020: 4.94 ft, below flood stageFeb 26, 2021: 4.59 ft, below flood stage; 3,790 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2022: 4.25 ft, below flood stageJul 2, 2023: 5.70 ft, below flood stageJan 13, 2024: 5.86 ft, below flood stageJan 5, 2025: 5.17 ft, below flood stage Highest, 8.27 ft, Jul 9, 2019 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Platte River near Odessa 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 3 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 7.94 ft on Jun 10, 1995.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Platte River near Odessa
1Jul 9, 20198.27+1.27Minor17,900
2Jun 29, 19837.82+0.82Minor22,900
3Sep 28, 20137.62+0.62Minor11,500
4Jun 18, 20157.49+0.49Minor16,700
5Mar 5, 20146.78−0.22Action8,260
6May 30, 20166.74−0.26Action12,200
7Feb 20, 20186.32−0.68Action—
8Jan 13, 20245.86−1.14Below flood stage—
9Jul 2, 20235.70−1.30Below flood stage—
10Jan 20, 20125.30−1.70Below flood stage5,510
11Jan 5, 20255.17−1.83Below flood stage—
12Jun 1, 20175.08−1.92Below flood stage5,400
13May 25, 20204.94−2.06Below flood stage—
14Feb 26, 20214.59−2.41Below flood stage3,790
15Mar 1, 20224.25−2.75Below flood stage—

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.

July 9, 2019: 8.27 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand IslandNE · Jul 11, 2019 · 7.38 ft · Moderate
  • KearneyNE · Jul 10, 2019 · 7.60 ft · Minor

June 29, 1983: 7.82 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand IslandNE · Jun 30, 1983 · 7.97 ft · Major
  • BradyNE · Jun 29, 1983 · 9.20 ft · Moderate
  • OvertonNE · Jun 22, 1983 · 9.44 ft · Minor
  • KearneyNE · Jun 29, 1983 · 7.42 ft · Minor

September 28, 2013: 7.62 ft here, minor flooding

  • MaxwellNE · Sep 23, 2013 · 10.79 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • BradyNE · Sep 23, 2013 · 9.80 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • OvertonNE · Sep 25, 2013 · 8.11 ft · Minor
  • KearneyNE · Sep 28, 2013 · 7.22 ft · Minor
  • Grand IslandNE · Sep 29, 2013 · 6.52 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
KearneyNE7.08.62 ft, Feb 24, 19940
LesharaNE8.011.84 ft, Feb 9, 19960
Odessa this gaugeNE7.08.27 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
Kearney7.08.62 ft, Feb 24, 19940
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 ODSN1, 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.