Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Duck River at Columbia

Highest listed crest 51.75 ftFlood stage 32.0 ft65 crests since 1874

The Duck River at Columbia crested at major flood stage 15 times among the 65 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1874 to 2019. The highest, 51.75 ft on February 14, 1948, was major flooding, 19.75 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Duck River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
51.75 ft
February 14, 1948
Flood stage
32.0 ft
Major flooding from 41.0 ft
Crests at major
15
3rd of 100 gauges in Tennessee
Most recent flood crest
February 24, 2019
42.76 ft, major flooding
Location
Maury County
Near Columbia (0.8 mi), Spring Hill (11.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Duck River at Columbia
Action stage28.07Dec 2, 2004The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)32.021Jan 24, 2006Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage37.520Feb 7, 2004Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage41.015Feb 24, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

65 crests from 1874 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Duck River at Columbia, 1874 to 2019 2030405060ft Flood stage 32.0 ftMajor 41.0 ft Apr 1, 1874: 36.30 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 1891: 36.30 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1897: 35.80 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1902: 48.00 ft, major floodingFeb 25, 1909: 35.30 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1920: 35.70 ft, minor floodingDec 26, 1926: 37.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1927: 36.20 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1929: 43.10 ft, major floodingMar 26, 1934: 36.00 ft, minor floodingJan 2, 1937: 39.10 ft, moderate floodingFeb 5, 1939: 35.50 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1944: 35.05 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 1945: 37.02 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 1946: 40.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 14, 1948: 51.75 ft, major floodingJan 8, 1949: 35.77 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 1950: 37.88 ft, moderate floodingFeb 3, 1951: 36.51 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1954: 36.43 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1955: 44.78 ft, major floodingFeb 2, 1957: 40.48 ft, moderate floodingMar 10, 1961: 37.83 ft, moderate floodingFeb 23, 1962: 39.55 ft, moderate floodingApr 13, 1962: 36.58 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 1963: 37.00 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1965: 35.51 ft, minor floodingDec 11, 1966: 37.76 ft, moderate floodingMay 14, 1967: 39.75 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1970: 41.31 ft, major floodingDec 11, 1972: 37.59 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 1973: 49.31 ft, major floodingJan 29, 1974: 42.38 ft, major floodingMar 14, 1975: 48.31 ft, major floodingOct 19, 1975: 37.80 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 1980: 39.84 ft, moderate floodingMay 22, 1983: 37.80 ft, moderate floodingDec 4, 1983: 31.10 ft, action stageMay 5, 1984: 33.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 28, 1987: 31.27 ft, action stageJan 20, 1988: 27.97 ft, below flood stageMar 7, 1989: 38.50 ft, moderate floodingDec 24, 1990: 40.80 ft, moderate floodingFeb 20, 1991: 46.80 ft, major floodingDec 3, 1991: 41.68 ft, major floodingMar 29, 1994: 41.02 ft, major flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1995: 31.20 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 34.60 ft, minor floodingMar 4, 1997: 34.70 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1997: 32.30 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 1999: 39.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 2000: 29.00 ft, action stageApr 5, 2000: 29.91 ft, action stageDec 18, 2000: 27.10 ft, below flood stageFeb 17, 2001: 39.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 26, 2002: 45.61 ft, major flooding; 52,001 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2002: 37.80 ft, moderate flooding; 34,982 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 40.20 ft, moderate flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2003: 44.83 ft, major flooding; 48,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2004: 39.16 ft, moderate floodingJun 27, 2004: 29.51 ft, action stageDec 2, 2004: 31.81 ft, action stageJan 24, 2006: 35.52 ft, minor flooding; 31,336 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 44.91 ft, major floodingFeb 24, 2019: 42.76 ft, major flooding; 43,553 cubic feet per second Highest, 51.75 ft, Feb 14, 1948 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Duck River at Columbia 1870s: 1 1880s: 0 1890s: 2 1900s: 2 1910s: 0 1920s: 4 1930s: 3 1940s: 5 1950s: 5 1960s: 7 1970s: 6 1980s: 4 1990s: 8 8 2000s: 7 2010s: 2 1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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 65 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Duck River at Columbia
1Feb 14, 194851.75+19.75Major—
2Mar 17, 197349.31+17.31Major—
3Mar 14, 197548.31+16.31Major—
4Mar 29, 190248.00+16.00Major—
5Feb 20, 199146.80+14.80Major—
6Jan 26, 200245.61+13.61Major52,001
7May 3, 201044.91+12.91Major—
8May 8, 200344.83+12.83Major48,800
9Mar 23, 195544.78+12.78Major—
10Mar 25, 192943.10+11.10Major—
11Feb 24, 201942.76+10.76Major43,553
12Jan 29, 197442.38+10.38Major—
13Dec 3, 199141.68+9.68Major—
14Jan 1, 197041.31+9.31Major—
15Mar 29, 199441.02+9.02Major39,300
16Dec 24, 199040.80+8.80Moderate—
17Jan 9, 194640.50+8.50Moderate—
18Feb 2, 195740.48+8.48Moderate—
19Feb 16, 200340.20+8.20Moderate37,500
20Mar 21, 198039.84+7.84Moderate—
21May 14, 196739.75+7.75Moderate—
22Feb 23, 196239.55+7.55Moderate—
23Jan 25, 199939.50+7.50Moderate—
24Feb 17, 200139.50+7.50Moderate—
25Feb 7, 200439.16+7.16Moderate—
26Jan 2, 193739.10+7.10Moderate—
27Mar 7, 198938.50+6.50Moderate—
28Jan 7, 195037.88+5.88Moderate—
29Mar 10, 196137.83+5.83Moderate—
30Dec 26, 192637.80+5.80Moderate—
31Oct 19, 197537.80+5.80Moderate—
32May 22, 198337.80+5.80Moderate—
33Mar 19, 200237.80+5.80Moderate34,982
34Dec 11, 196637.76+5.76Moderate—
35Dec 11, 197237.59+5.59Moderate—
36Feb 23, 194537.02+5.02Minor—
37Mar 14, 196337.00+5.00Minor—
38Apr 13, 196236.58+4.58Minor—
39Feb 3, 195136.51+4.51Minor—
40Jan 22, 195436.43+4.43Minor—
41Apr 1, 187436.30+4.30Minor—
42Mar 9, 189136.30+4.30Minor—
43Apr 12, 192736.20+4.20Minor—
44Mar 26, 193436.00+4.00Minor—
45Mar 20, 189735.80+3.80Minor—
46Jan 8, 194935.77+3.77Minor—
47Apr 3, 192035.70+3.70Minor—
48Jan 24, 200635.52+3.52Minor31,336
49Mar 27, 196535.51+3.51Minor—
50Feb 5, 193935.50+3.50Minor—

The worst floods along the Duck River

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

February 14, 1948: 51.75 ft here, major flooding

March 17, 1973: 49.31 ft here, major flooding

March 14, 1975: 48.31 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Duck River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Duck River
ShelbyvilleTN25.042.00 ft, Mar 29, 192610
MilltownTN36.038.35 ft, Feb 24, 20190
Columbia this gaugeTN32.051.75 ft, Feb 14, 194815
CentervilleTN22.047.50 ft, May 2, 20104
Hurricane MillsTN20.034.21 ft, May 2, 20103

Maury County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Tennessee

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COLT1, 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.