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South Loup River at St. Michael

Highest listed crest 15.15 ftFlood stage 9.5 ft102 crests since 1948

The South Loup River at St. Michael crested above flood stage 21 times among the 102 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2025. The highest, 15.15 ft on March 16, 1978, was moderate flooding, 5.65 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.15 ft
March 16, 1978; 11,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.5 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
0
21 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 15, 2019
12.19 ft, minor flooding
Location
Buffalo County
Nebraska

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Loup River at St. Michael
Action stage8.513May 12, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.520Mar 15, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.01Mar 16, 1978Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

102 crests from 1948 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Loup River at St. Michael, 1948 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 9.5 ftMajor 17.0 ft Mar 16, 1948: 9.26 ft, action stage; 6,350 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1949: 7.87 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 1949: 7.75 ft, below flood stage; 4,170 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1950: 6.35 ft, below flood stageJun 18, 1950: 6.27 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1951: 6.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1952: 6.32 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 1952: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1953: 7.40 ft, below flood stage; 4,180 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1954: 8.98 ft, action stage; 7,820 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1955: 6.52 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1955: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 1,480 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1956: 6.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1957: 9.46 ft, action stage; 6,010 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1958: 10.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,680 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1959: 7.78 ft, below flood stageJun 30, 1959: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1960: 11.99 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1961: 8.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1962: 12.92 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 1962: 9.02 ft, action stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1963: 8.34 ft, below flood stageMay 16, 1963: 7.27 ft, below flood stage; 902 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1964: 8.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,120 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1965: 10.34 ft, minor flooding; 6,360 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1966: 13.78 ft, minor flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1967: 12.60 ft, minor flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1968: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1969: 13.77 ft, minor floodingJan 30, 1970: 6.79 ft, below flood stageJun 14, 1970: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 450 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1971: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 940 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1971: 8.80 ft, action stageJul 26, 1972: 10.63 ft, minor flooding; 6,380 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1973: 9.05 ft, action stage; 4,180 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1973: 9.57 ft, minor floodingJun 9, 1974: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,780 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1975: 8.58 ft, action stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1976: 7.36 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 1976: 7.05 ft, below flood stage; 882 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1977: 8.86 ft, action stage; 3,390 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1978: 15.15 ft, moderate flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1979: 11.07 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1979: 7.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1980: 12.61 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1980: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 619 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1981: 7.03 ft, below flood stage; 882 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1982: 10.13 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 1982: 9.42 ft, action stage; 3,100 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1983: 7.63 ft, below flood stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1984: 12.73 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1985: 7.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,590 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1986: 6.91 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1987: 9.03 ft, action stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1988: 7.85 ft, below flood stageJul 1, 1988: 6.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1989: 8.09 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1990: 7.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1991: 9.09 ft, action stage; 4,640 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1992: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1993: 12.32 ft, minor flooding; 9,970 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1994: 12.21 ft, minor floodingJul 25, 1994: 6.64 ft, below flood stage; 1,230 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1995: 7.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,520 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1996: 6.81 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 1996: 6.79 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1997: 7.26 ft, below flood stageAug 14, 1997: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1998: 7.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,780 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1999: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2000: 7.07 ft, below flood stageJul 4, 2000: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2001: 8.74 ft, action stageApr 23, 2001: 7.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2002: 6.60 ft, below flood stageAug 25, 2002: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 442 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2003: 7.35 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 2003: 7.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2004: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 2,630 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2005: 9.39 ft, action stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2006: 6.29 ft, below flood stage; 639 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2007: 10.13 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 2007: 9.55 ft, minor flooding; 4,890 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2008: 9.73 ft, minor flooding; 4,680 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2009: 7.27 ft, below flood stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2010: 7.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2011: 6.95 ft, below flood stageMay 25, 2011: 6.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2012: 5.64 ft, below flood stageJun 2, 2013: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 622 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2014: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2015: 6.06 ft, below flood stageJan 22, 2016: 6.24 ft, below flood stageAug 16, 2017: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 6.79 ft, below flood stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2019: 12.19 ft, minor flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2020: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2021: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2022: 4.34 ft, below flood stageFeb 27, 2023: 5.76 ft, below flood stageJun 22, 2024: 6.59 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 2025: 7.15 ft, below flood stage Highest, 15.15 ft, Mar 16, 1978 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Loup River at St. Michael 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 7 7 1970s: 4 1980s: 3 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 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 102 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Loup River at St. Michael
1Mar 16, 197815.15+5.65Moderate11,200
2Feb 11, 196613.78+4.28Minor3,000
3Mar 19, 196913.77+4.27Minor—
4Jun 24, 196813.00+3.50Minor27,500
5Mar 23, 196212.92+3.42Minor—
6Jun 13, 198412.73+3.23Minor11,800
7Feb 21, 198012.61+3.11Minor—
8Jun 14, 196712.60+3.10Minor13,200
9Mar 9, 199312.32+2.82Minor9,970
10Mar 4, 199412.21+2.71Minor—
11Mar 15, 201912.19+2.69Minor21,000
12Mar 24, 196011.99+2.49Minor—
13Mar 9, 197911.07+1.57Minor—
14Jul 20, 195810.95+1.45Minor7,680
15Jul 26, 197210.63+1.13Minor6,380
16May 26, 196510.34+0.84Minor6,360
17Feb 20, 198210.13+0.63Minor—
18Feb 19, 200710.13+0.63Minor—
19May 24, 20089.73+0.23Minor4,680
20Jul 24, 19739.57+0.07Minor—
21Feb 25, 20079.55+0.05Minor4,890
22Jun 17, 19579.46−0.04Action6,010
23Jun 15, 19829.42−0.08Action3,100
24May 12, 20059.39−0.11Action3,990
25Mar 16, 19489.26−0.24Action6,350
26May 25, 19919.09−0.41Action4,640
27Jun 3, 19739.05−0.45Action4,180
28May 31, 19879.03−0.47Action3,960
29Jun 18, 19629.02−0.48Action3,950
30Jun 17, 19548.98−0.52Action7,820
31Sep 12, 19778.86−0.64Action3,390
32Feb 27, 19718.80−0.70Action—
33Mar 10, 20018.74−0.76Action—
34Jun 22, 19758.58−0.92Action2,780
35Feb 19, 19718.49−1.01Below flood stage940
36Feb 9, 19638.34−1.16Below flood stage—
37May 22, 19618.20−1.30Below flood stage2,730
38Jul 2, 19648.18−1.32Below flood stage2,120
39Jul 15, 19898.09−1.41Below flood stage2,760
40May 16, 19927.98−1.52Below flood stage2,600
41Sep 13, 19857.97−1.53Below flood stage2,590
42Jul 10, 20047.95−1.55Below flood stage2,630
43Feb 26, 19497.87−1.63Below flood stage—
44Jun 21, 20147.86−1.64Below flood stage2,370
45Feb 18, 19887.85−1.65Below flood stage—
46May 28, 19957.79−1.71Below flood stage2,520
47Mar 2, 19597.78−1.72Below flood stage—
48Jun 9, 19497.75−1.75Below flood stage4,170
49Apr 20, 19797.73−1.77Below flood stage1,570
50Jun 9, 19747.70−1.80Below flood stage1,780

The worst floods along the South Loup River

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

March 19, 1969: 13.77 ft here, minor flooding

  • RavennaNE · Mar 18, 1969 · 7.33 ft · Minor

June 24, 1968: 13.00 ft here, minor flooding

  • RavennaNE · Jun 24, 1968 · 10.32 ft · Major

Gauges on the South Loup River

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

Flood gauges on the South Loup River
ArnoldNE8.09.92 ft, Mar 13, 20190
PresseyNE9.09.59 ft, Mar 14, 20190
RavennaNE5.512.60 ft, Jun 22, 19472
St. Michael this gaugeNE9.515.15 ft, Mar 16, 19780

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
Odessa7.08.27 ft, Jul 9, 20190
Ravenna5.512.60 ft, Jun 22, 19472
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 SMIN1, 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.