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Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft

Highest listed crest 14.60 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft66 crests since 1924

The Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft crested above flood stage 6 times among the 66 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1924 to 2024. The highest, 14.60 ft on May 19, 1978, was moderate flooding, 1.60 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.60 ft
May 19, 1978; 15,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 7, 2012
13.28 ft, minor flooding
Location
Crook County
Wyoming

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft
Action stage12.09Mar 2, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.03Mar 7, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.03May 19, 1978Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

66 crests from 1924 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft, 1924 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Apr 7, 1924: 12.60 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1944: 9.43 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1950: 7.28 ft, below flood stage; 581 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 1951: 9.94 ft, below flood stage; 817 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1952: 12.30 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1953: 11.33 ft, below flood stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1954: 10.33 ft, below flood stage; 852 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1955: 11.95 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1956: 9.09 ft, below flood stage; 717 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1957: 7.73 ft, below flood stage; 540 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1959: 9.87 ft, below flood stage; 789 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1960: 9.84 ft, below flood stage; 746 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1961: 3.86 ft, below flood stage; 46 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1962: 14.33 ft, moderate flooding; 4,420 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1963: 12.38 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1964: 14.00 ft, moderate flooding; 3,350 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1965: 10.62 ft, below flood stage; 925 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1966: 9.31 ft, below flood stage; 652 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1967: 9.12 ft, below flood stage; 694 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1968: 9.42 ft, below flood stage; 674 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1969: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 900 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1970: 10.02 ft, below flood stage; 944 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1976: 7.84 ft, below flood stage; 562 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1977: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 468 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1978: 14.60 ft, moderate flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1979: 8.94 ft, below flood stage; 400 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1980: 4.60 ft, below flood stage; 119 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1981: 9.63 ft, below flood stage; 952 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1982: 10.09 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1983: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 272 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1986: 9.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1987: 12.20 ft, action stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1991: 11.05 ft, below flood stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1992: 10.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1993: 11.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1994: 13.65 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1995: 12.98 ft, action stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1996: 13.32 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1997: 7.94 ft, below flood stage; 422 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1998: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 241 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1998: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 770 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2000: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 199 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2001: 6.39 ft, below flood stage; 196 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2002: 5.92 ft, below flood stage; 223 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2003: 10.23 ft, below flood stageJul 16, 2004: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 204 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 8.25 ft, below flood stage; 506 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2007: 12.75 ft, action stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2008: 12.56 ft, action stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2009: 7.93 ft, below flood stage; 441 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2010: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 340 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2011: 12.59 ft, action stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2012: 13.28 ft, minor flooding; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2013: 9.29 ft, below flood stage; 530 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2014: 11.88 ft, below flood stageAug 28, 2014: 7.75 ft, below flood stage; 405 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2015: 10.54 ft, below flood stage; 834 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2016: 4.07 ft, below flood stageSep 26, 2016: 3.50 ft, below flood stage; 92 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2017: 9.18 ft, below flood stageMay 1, 2017: 6.66 ft, below flood stage; 241 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2020: 12.90 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2021: 3.55 ft, below flood stage; 49 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2022: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 142 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2023: 11.01 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 2024: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 168 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.60 ft, May 19, 1978 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 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

The 50 highest of 66 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Belle Fourche River below Moorcroft
1May 19, 197814.60+1.60Moderate15,300
2May 27, 196214.33+1.33Moderate4,420
3Jun 23, 196414.00+1.00Moderate3,350
4Mar 3, 199413.65+0.65Minor—
5Mar 13, 199613.32+0.32Minor—
6Mar 7, 201213.28+0.28Minor1,670
7May 10, 199512.98−0.02Action1,590
8Mar 2, 202012.90−0.10Action1,240
9May 7, 200712.75−0.25Action1,450
10Apr 7, 192412.60−0.40Action12,500
11May 31, 201112.59−0.41Action1,380
12May 25, 200812.56−0.44Action1,370
13Jun 4, 196312.38−0.62Action1,800
14May 23, 195212.30−0.70Action1,800
15Mar 7, 198712.20−0.80Action2,650
16May 18, 195511.95−1.05Below flood stage1,430
17Mar 7, 201411.88−1.12Below flood stage—
18May 7, 199311.51−1.49Below flood stage1,900
19Jun 20, 195311.33−1.67Below flood stage1,250
20May 21, 199111.05−1.95Below flood stage1,410
21Mar 18, 202311.01−1.99Below flood stage—
22May 26, 196510.62−2.38Below flood stage925
23May 29, 201510.54−2.46Below flood stage834
24Jul 6, 199210.35−2.65Below flood stage1,170
25Jun 21, 195410.33−2.67Below flood stage852
26Mar 14, 200310.23−2.77Below flood stage—
27Oct 30, 199810.20−2.80Below flood stage770
28Apr 30, 196910.10−2.90Below flood stage900
29Jul 27, 198210.09−2.91Below flood stage1,090
30Jun 13, 197010.02−2.98Below flood stage944
31Sep 5, 19519.94−3.06Below flood stage817
32Aug 2, 19599.87−3.13Below flood stage789
33Mar 21, 19609.84−3.16Below flood stage746
34Jul 27, 19819.63−3.37Below flood stage952
35May 11, 19869.60−3.40Below flood stage1,000
36Apr 3, 19449.43−3.57Below flood stage1,240
37Jun 10, 19689.42−3.58Below flood stage674
38Aug 21, 19669.31−3.69Below flood stage652
39Jun 1, 20139.29−3.71Below flood stage530
40Feb 12, 20179.18−3.82Below flood stage—
41Jun 15, 19679.12−3.88Below flood stage694
42Aug 12, 19569.09−3.91Below flood stage717
43Mar 18, 19798.94−4.06Below flood stage400
44May 13, 20058.25−4.75Below flood stage506
45Apr 19, 19977.94−5.06Below flood stage422
46Apr 10, 20097.93−5.07Below flood stage441
47Jun 17, 19767.84−5.16Below flood stage562
48Aug 28, 20147.75−5.25Below flood stage405
49Jun 4, 19577.73−5.27Below flood stage540
50May 10, 19507.28−5.72Below flood stage581

The worst floods along the Belle Fourche River

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

May 27, 1962: 14.33 ft here, moderate flooding

March 13, 1996: 13.32 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Belle Fourche River

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

Flood gauges on the Belle Fourche River
Moorcroft this gaugeWY13.014.60 ft, May 19, 19780
AlvaWY5.08.54 ft, May 23, 20111
Wyoming-South Dakota State LineSD15.016.33 ft, May 10, 19950
FruitdaleSD12.014.32 ft, May 20, 19822
SturgisSD15.020.10 ft, Jun 6, 20082
Elm SpringsSD19.025.80 ft, May 5, 19272

Other gauges in Crook County

Flood gauges in Crook County
Alva5.08.54 ft, May 23, 20111

Crook County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Wyoming

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BFRW4, 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.