Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Prairie River near Merrill

Highest listed crest 9.45 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft17 crests since 1926

The Prairie River near Merrill crested above flood stage 10 times among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2023. The highest, 9.45 ft on August 31, 1941, was moderate flooding, 2.45 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
9.45 ft
August 31, 1941; 5,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
0
10 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 14, 2023
7.82 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lincoln County
Wisconsin

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Prairie River near Merrill
Action stage4.57Apr 13, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.09Apr 14, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.01Aug 31, 1941Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1926 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Prairie River near Merrill, 1926 to 2023 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Aug 21, 1926: 7.60 ft, minor flooding; 3,780 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1941: 9.45 ft, moderate flooding; 5,800 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1959: 7.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1979: 7.03 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1993: 6.77 ft, action stageApr 20, 1996: 7.54 ft, minor flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1997: 7.28 ft, minor flooding; 2,400 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2002: 6.60 ft, action stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 7.62 ft, minor flooding; 2,550 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2016: 6.28 ft, action stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2017: 6.14 ft, action stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 2018: 6.13 ft, action stage; 1,530 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2019: 7.28 ft, minor flooding; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2020: 6.53 ft, action stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2021: 4.89 ft, action stage; 971 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2022: 7.04 ft, minor flooding; 2,070 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2023: 7.82 ft, minor flooding Highest, 9.45 ft, Aug 31, 1941 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Prairie River near Merrill 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 2 2020s: 2 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Prairie River near Merrill
1Aug 31, 19419.45+2.45Moderate5,800
2Apr 14, 20237.82+0.82Minor—
3Apr 12, 20117.62+0.62Minor2,550
4Aug 21, 19267.60+0.60Minor3,780
5Apr 20, 19967.54+0.54Minor2,540
6Apr 6, 19977.28+0.28Minor2,400
7Apr 18, 20197.28+0.28Minor2,350
8Sep 28, 19597.10+0.10Minor3,000
9Apr 14, 20227.04+0.04Minor2,070
10Jun 17, 19797.03+0.03Minor2,420
11Jun 21, 19936.77−0.23Action—
12Apr 13, 20026.60−0.40Action1,930
13Mar 29, 20206.53−0.47Action1,850
14Mar 17, 20166.28−0.72Action1,660
15May 18, 20176.14−0.86Action1,540
16Sep 6, 20186.13−0.87Action1,530
17Apr 13, 20214.89−2.11Action971

Other gauges in Lincoln County

Flood gauges in Lincoln County
Spirit Falls8.010.00 ft, Sep 18, 19420
Merrill11.018.26 ft, Aug 31, 19412
Alexander Dam1,259.01,260.53 ft, Apr 14, 20230

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MRLW3, 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.