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Duck River near Shelbyville

Highest listed crest 42.00 ftFlood stage 25.0 ft61 crests since 1926

The Duck River near Shelbyville crested at major flood stage 10 times among the 61 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2019. The highest, 42.00 ft on March 29, 1926, was major flooding, 17.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
42.00 ft
March 29, 1926
Flood stage
25.0 ft
Major flooding from 32.0 ft
Crests at major
10
8th of 100 gauges in Tennessee
Most recent flood crest
February 24, 2019
30.65 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Bedford County
Near Shelbyville (3.0 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 near Shelbyville
Action stage21.014Jul 5, 2013The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)25.011May 4, 2009Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage27.55Feb 24, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage32.010May 7, 2003Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

61 crests from 1926 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Duck River near Shelbyville, 1926 to 2019 1020304050ft Flood stage 25.0 ftMajor 32.0 ft Mar 29, 1926: 42.00 ft, major floodingMar 24, 1929: 39.60 ft, major flooding; 70,000 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1948: 32.80 ft, major floodingFeb 13, 1948: 38.40 ft, major flooding; 62,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1955: 34.84 ft, major floodingFeb 13, 1966: 14.64 ft, below flood stage; 6,110 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1966: 26.47 ft, minor flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1968: 24.10 ft, action stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1969: 20.93 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 33.88 ft, major flooding; 36,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1971: 19.52 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1972: 20.64 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 35.88 ft, major flooding; 44,100 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 32.24 ft, major flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 32.53 ft, major flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 27.13 ft, minor flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1977: 24.68 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1978: 21.38 ft, action stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1979: 20.34 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 27.64 ft, moderate flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1981: 10.61 ft, below flood stage; 3,930 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1982: 24.53 ft, action stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1983: 27.39 ft, minor flooding; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1984: 20.95 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1984: 21.95 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 15.25 ft, below flood stage; 7,040 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1986: 21.94 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 19.05 ft, below flood stage; 9,860 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1989: 25.41 ft, minor flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1990: 29.88 ft, moderate floodingDec 3, 1991: 25.98 ft, minor flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1994: 27.83 ft, moderate flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1995: 20.40 ft, below flood stageDec 1, 1996: 26.40 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1998: 25.04 ft, minor floodingJan 23, 1999: 26.40 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2000: 20.40 ft, below flood stageApr 4, 2000: 21.60 ft, action stageDec 17, 2000: 18.10 ft, below flood stageJan 24, 2002: 29.94 ft, moderate flooding; 26,414 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 26.12 ft, minor flooding; 18,692 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2002: 18.20 ft, below flood stage; 9,988 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2003: 22.30 ft, action stageMay 7, 2003: 33.46 ft, major flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2004: 26.07 ft, minor flooding; 18,587 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2004: 12.14 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 2004: 24.86 ft, action stage; 16,722 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2004: 22.21 ft, action stageJan 23, 2006: 24.05 ft, action stageJan 5, 2007: 15.30 ft, below flood stage; 7,620 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2008: 14.17 ft, below flood stage; 6,830 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2009: 25.73 ft, minor flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 21.69 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 24.37 ft, action stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2012: 16.76 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2013: 21.36 ft, action stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2014: 14.28 ft, below flood stage; 7,660 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 2015: 15.97 ft, below flood stage; 8,440 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2015: 20.24 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2017: 16.86 ft, below flood stage; 9,190 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 30.65 ft, moderate flooding; 30,294 cubic feet per second Highest, 42.00 ft, Mar 29, 1926 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Duck River near Shelbyville 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 4 1980s: 3 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 5 2010s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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 61 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Duck River near Shelbyville
1Mar 29, 192642.00+17.00Major—
2Mar 24, 192939.60+14.60Major70,000
3Feb 13, 194838.40+13.40Major62,900
4Mar 16, 197335.88+10.88Major44,100
5Mar 22, 195534.84+9.84Major—
6Dec 31, 196933.88+8.88Major36,900
7May 7, 200333.46+8.46Major37,200
8Jan 11, 194832.80+7.80Major—
9Mar 14, 197532.53+7.53Major33,000
10Jan 11, 197432.24+7.24Major32,300
11Feb 24, 201930.65+5.65Moderate30,294
12Jan 24, 200229.94+4.94Moderate26,414
13Dec 23, 199029.88+4.88Moderate—
14Mar 28, 199427.83+2.83Moderate21,500
15Mar 21, 198027.64+2.64Moderate21,000
16Apr 6, 198327.39+2.39Minor20,500
17Oct 18, 197527.13+2.13Minor19,900
18Dec 10, 196626.47+1.47Minor19,000
19Dec 1, 199626.40+1.40Minor—
20Jan 23, 199926.40+1.40Minor—
21Mar 18, 200226.12+1.12Minor18,692
22Feb 6, 200426.07+1.07Minor18,587
23Dec 3, 199125.98+0.98Minor18,500
24May 4, 200925.73+0.73Minor19,100
25Mar 6, 198925.41+0.41Minor16,800
26Jan 8, 199825.04+0.04Minor—
27Jun 26, 200424.86−0.14Action16,722
28Apr 4, 197724.68−0.32Action15,500
29Jan 4, 198224.53−0.47Action15,400
30Apr 28, 201124.37−0.63Action17,300
31Mar 12, 196824.10−0.90Action15,300
32Jan 23, 200624.05−0.95Action—
33Feb 15, 200322.30−2.70Action—
34Dec 1, 200422.21−2.79Action—
35Nov 28, 198421.95−3.05Action12,500
36Nov 9, 198621.94−3.06Action12,500
37May 3, 201021.69−3.31Action14,000
38Apr 4, 200021.60−3.40Action—
39May 8, 197821.38−3.62Action11,900
40Jul 5, 201321.36−3.64Action15,100
41May 8, 198420.95−4.05Below flood stage11,500
42Feb 2, 196920.93−4.07Below flood stage11,600
43Jan 2, 197220.64−4.36Below flood stage11,400
44May 9, 199520.40−4.60Below flood stage—
45Mar 20, 200020.40−4.60Below flood stage—
46Mar 4, 197920.34−4.66Below flood stage10,900
47Dec 26, 201520.24−4.76Below flood stage12,500
48Feb 22, 197119.52−5.48Below flood stage10,400
49Jan 20, 198819.05−5.95Below flood stage9,860
50Apr 1, 200218.20−6.80Below flood stage9,988

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.

March 24, 1929: 39.60 ft here, major flooding

  • ColumbiaTN · Mar 25, 1929 · 43.10 ft · Major

February 13, 1948: 38.40 ft here, major flooding

  • ColumbiaTN · Feb 14, 1948 · 51.75 ft · Major · its highest
  • Hurricane MillsTN · Feb 14, 1948 · 30.70 ft · Major

March 16, 1973: 35.88 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
Shelbyville this gaugeTN25.042.00 ft, Mar 29, 192610
MilltownTN36.038.35 ft, Feb 24, 20190
ColumbiaTN32.051.75 ft, Feb 14, 194815
CentervilleTN22.047.50 ft, May 2, 20104
Hurricane MillsTN20.034.21 ft, May 2, 20103

Other gauges in Bedford County

Flood gauges in Bedford County
Wartrace14.016.72 ft, May 6, 20030

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHVT1, 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.