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Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford

Highest listed crest 24.50 ftFlood stage 15.5 ft39 crests since 1914

The Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 39 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1914 to 2022. The highest, 24.50 ft on September 9, 1938, was major flooding, 9.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.50 ft
September 9, 1938; 41,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.5 ft
Major flooding from 22.5 ft
Crests at major
3
30th of 143 gauges in Wisconsin
Most recent flood crest
April 18, 2019
17.02 ft, minor flooding
Location
Marathon County
Near Marshfield (11.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford
Action stage11.04Mar 23, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.527Apr 18, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.05Sep 23, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.53Jun 6, 1980Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

39 crests from 1914 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford, 1914 to 2022 10152025ft Flood stage 15.5 ftMajor 22.5 ft Jun 5, 1914: 24.00 ft, major flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1922: 16.22 ft, minor flooding; 9,900 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1938: 24.50 ft, major flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1940: 16.35 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1942: 16.08 ft, minor flooding; 9,710 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1943: 20.50 ft, moderate flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1945: 22.20 ft, moderate flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1952: 17.31 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1953: 16.63 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1956: 16.60 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1964: 16.75 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1965: 18.43 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1967: 20.36 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1968: 19.01 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1970: 16.45 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1971: 16.85 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1972: 18.91 ft, minor flooding; 14,600 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1976: 16.01 ft, minor flooding; 9,570 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1979: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1980: 23.47 ft, major flooding; 32,900 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1982: 16.40 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1983: 16.36 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1986: 16.34 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1989: 17.10 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1990: 17.25 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1993: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2002: 17.98 ft, minor floodingAug 22, 2002: 15.89 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2003: 16.63 ft, minor floodingSep 23, 2010: 19.87 ft, moderate flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 2015: 15.83 ft, minor flooding; 9,780 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2016: 16.61 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2017: 16.68 ft, minor flooding; 11,285 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2017: 11.51 ft, action stage; 4,680 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2018: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2019: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2020: 11.93 ft, action stage; 5,100 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2021: 15.01 ft, action stage; 9,180 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2022: 13.08 ft, action stage; 6,590 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.50 ft, Sep 9, 1938 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 4 1950s: 3 1960s: 4 1970s: 5 1980s: 5 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 6 6 2020s: 0 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford
1Sep 9, 193824.50+9.00Major41,000
2Jun 5, 191424.00+8.50Major40,000
3Jun 6, 198023.47+7.97Major32,900
4Aug 31, 194522.20+6.70Moderate24,700
5Jun 27, 194320.50+5.00Moderate18,500
6Mar 31, 196720.36+4.86Moderate13,700
7Sep 23, 201019.87+4.37Moderate16,200
8May 16, 196819.01+3.51Moderate14,800
9Sep 26, 197218.91+3.41Minor14,600
10Apr 11, 196518.43+2.93Minor13,700
11Jun 22, 200217.98+2.48Minor—
12Sep 5, 201817.40+1.90Minor13,700
13Apr 1, 195217.31+1.81Minor11,500
14Jun 13, 199017.25+1.75Minor11,900
15Mar 27, 198917.10+1.60Minor11,600
16Apr 18, 201917.02+1.52Minor12,300
17Apr 9, 197116.85+1.35Minor—
18Jun 20, 199316.78+1.28Minor11,100
19Sep 2, 196416.75+1.25Minor10,700
20Jun 17, 197916.70+1.20Minor10,900
21Feb 21, 201716.68+1.18Minor11,285
22Mar 22, 195316.63+1.13Minor10,600
23Apr 16, 200316.63+1.13Minor—
24Mar 16, 201616.61+1.11Minor11,200
25Apr 5, 195616.60+1.10Minor10,500
26May 22, 197016.45+0.95Minor10,200
27Apr 3, 198216.40+0.90Minor10,400
28Mar 6, 198316.36+0.86Minor10,400
29Jun 24, 194016.35+0.85Minor10,200
30Sep 27, 198616.34+0.84Minor10,400
31Apr 9, 192216.22+0.72Minor9,900
32May 30, 194216.08+0.58Minor9,710
33Mar 30, 197616.01+0.51Minor9,570
34Aug 22, 200215.89+0.39Minor—
35Sep 7, 201515.83+0.33Minor9,780
36Aug 28, 202115.01−0.49Action9,180
37Mar 23, 202213.08−2.42Action6,590
38Mar 26, 202011.93−3.57Action5,100
39Apr 20, 201711.51−3.99Action4,680

Other gauges in Marathon County

Flood gauges in Marathon County
Rib Falls10.016.20 ft, Aug 31, 19382
Kelly9.011.45 ft, Aug 21, 19260
Rothschild25.032.30 ft, Sep 1, 19416
Wausau Dam1,167.01,169.87 ft, Apr 18, 20230

Marathon County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Wisconsin

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STRW3, 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.