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Shell Creek near Columbus

Highest listed crest 32.76 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft81 crests since 1947

The Shell Creek near Columbus crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 81 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2024. The highest, 32.76 ft on June 17, 1990, was major flooding, 2.76 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.76 ft
June 17, 1990; 8,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major
4
5th of 187 gauges in Nebraska
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2019
32.09 ft, major flooding
Location
Platte County
Near Columbus (7.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Shell Creek near Columbus
Action stage28.07May 24, 2004The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.04May 26, 1982Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage31.09Jun 26, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage32.04Mar 14, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

81 crests from 1947 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Shell Creek near Columbus, 1947 to 2024 1520253035ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 32.0 ft Jun 2, 1947: 31.70 ft, moderate flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1948: 29.28 ft, action stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1949: 31.20 ft, moderate flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1950: 31.38 ft, moderate flooding; 5,970 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1950: 31.10 ft, moderate flooding; 3,870 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1951: 23.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1952: 18.56 ft, below flood stage; 654 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1953: 21.29 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1954: 17.98 ft, below flood stage; 590 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1955: 21.47 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1956: 20.73 ft, below flood stage; 840 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1957: 28.21 ft, action stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1958: 19.90 ft, below flood stage; 720 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1959: 26.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1960: 27.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,180 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1961: 16.72 ft, below flood stage; 340 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1962: 31.15 ft, moderate flooding; 2,820 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1963: 27.13 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1964: 26.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1965: 28.65 ft, action stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1966: 28.45 ft, action stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1967: 30.57 ft, minor flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1968: 16.23 ft, below flood stage; 314 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1969: 30.13 ft, minor flooding; 2,460 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1970: 19.96 ft, below flood stage; 600 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1971: 32.15 ft, major flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1972: 23.26 ft, below flood stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1973: 30.82 ft, minor flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1974: 19.89 ft, below flood stageJun 11, 1974: 15.77 ft, below flood stage; 206 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1975: 23.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1978: 26.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1979: 23.59 ft, below flood stageMar 23, 1979: 21.64 ft, below flood stage; 734 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1980: 18.34 ft, below flood stage; 389 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1981: 25.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1982: 32.11 ft, major flooding; 4,970 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1982: 30.71 ft, minor flooding; 2,810 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1983: 23.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1984: 26.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1985: 24.81 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1986: 26.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1987: 24.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1988: 18.88 ft, below flood stage; 802 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1989: 29.23 ft, action stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1990: 32.76 ft, major flooding; 8,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1991: 26.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1992: 21.25 ft, below flood stage; 645 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1993: 31.53 ft, moderate flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1993: 31.73 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1994: 25.58 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1995: 24.69 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1996: 24.54 ft, below flood stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1997: 23.69 ft, below flood stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1998: 22.53 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1999: 28.59 ft, action stage; 5,230 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 2000: 23.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2001: 23.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2002: 21.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2003: 26.06 ft, below flood stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 28.77 ft, action stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2005: 19.36 ft, below flood stage; 839 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2006: 15.65 ft, below flood stage; 328 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2007: 25.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2008: 20.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2009: 19.54 ft, below flood stage; 192 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2010: 31.63 ft, moderate flooding; 4,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2011: 20.53 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 2012: 20.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2013: 17.53 ft, below flood stage; 555 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2014: 19.66 ft, below flood stage; 871 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2015: 17.91 ft, below flood stage; 668 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2016: 24.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2017: 19.99 ft, below flood stage; 874 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2018: 31.23 ft, moderate flooding; 3,460 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 32.09 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2020: 17.42 ft, below flood stage; 581 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2021: 17.01 ft, below flood stage; 547 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2022: 26.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,330 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 20.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2024: 27.36 ft, below flood stage Highest, 32.76 ft, Jun 17, 1990 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Shell Creek near Columbus 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 3 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 81 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Shell Creek near Columbus
1Jun 17, 199032.76+2.76Major8,000
2Feb 20, 197132.15+2.15Major3,600
3May 20, 198232.11+2.11Major4,970
4Mar 14, 201932.09+2.09Major11,000
5Jul 10, 199331.73+1.73Moderate—
6Jun 2, 194731.70+1.70Moderate4,600
7Jun 12, 201031.63+1.63Moderate4,630
8Mar 9, 199331.53+1.53Moderate3,600
9Jun 3, 195031.38+1.38Moderate5,970
10Jun 26, 201831.23+1.23Moderate3,460
11Jun 2, 194931.20+1.20Moderate3,800
12Mar 25, 196231.15+1.15Moderate2,820
13Jul 20, 195031.10+1.10Moderate3,870
14May 27, 197330.82+0.82Minor3,390
15May 26, 198230.71+0.71Minor2,810
16Jun 14, 196730.57+0.57Minor2,900
17Jun 27, 196930.13+0.13Minor2,460
18Mar 1, 194829.28−0.72Action2,480
19Sep 4, 198929.23−0.77Action3,260
20May 24, 200428.77−1.23Action5,430
21May 27, 196528.65−1.35Action2,620
22Jun 6, 199928.59−1.41Action5,230
23Feb 9, 196628.45−1.55Action2,000
24Jun 17, 195728.21−1.79Action1,700
25Jun 22, 196027.90−2.10Below flood stage2,180
26Jun 1, 202427.36−2.64Below flood stage—
27Jun 24, 196327.13−2.87Below flood stage2,030
28Jun 16, 198426.78−3.22Below flood stage2,280
29Jun 5, 199126.70−3.30Below flood stage1,480
30Jun 30, 198626.62−3.38Below flood stage1,900
31Jun 17, 196426.50−3.50Below flood stage1,900
32Apr 29, 202226.47−3.53Below flood stage2,330
33Mar 15, 197826.38−3.62Below flood stage1,380
34May 5, 200326.06−3.94Below flood stage1,600
35Aug 2, 195926.02−3.98Below flood stage1,800
36Mar 5, 199425.58−4.42Below flood stage1,790
37Aug 5, 198125.17−4.83Below flood stage1,660
38Jun 1, 200725.00−5.00Below flood stage2,200
39Mar 24, 198724.83−5.17Below flood stage1,850
40Apr 27, 198524.81−5.19Below flood stage1,580
41Aug 24, 199524.69−5.31Below flood stage2,380
42Sep 16, 201624.60−5.40Below flood stage1,390
43May 25, 199624.54−5.46Below flood stage2,320
44Aug 21, 195123.89−6.11Below flood stage1,300
45Jun 14, 198323.71−6.29Below flood stage1,460
46Feb 20, 199723.69−6.31Below flood stage1,300
47Mar 13, 197923.59−6.41Below flood stage—
48Jul 8, 200023.30−6.70Below flood stage1,630
49Sep 12, 197223.26−6.74Below flood stage1,260
50Jun 19, 197523.20−6.80Below flood stage1,100

Other gauges in Platte County

Flood gauges in Platte County
Columbus10.520.07 ft, Mar 8, 19932
Duncan8.08.07 ft, Jun 14, 19830

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLBN1, 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.