Rivers in Florida

Blackwater River (AL) near Baker

Okaloosa County, FloridaNWS BAKF1USGS 02370000Mobile office

Below flood stage
1.21ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
11.00 ft
Record crest
25.68 ft1998

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood24.00 ft
Moderate flood16.00 ft
Minor flood11.00 ft
Action6.00 ft
  1. 24.00 ftHighway 4 bridge is closed.
  2. 23.00 ftWater reaches eaves of buildings in Cotton Bridge Park.
  3. 16.00 ftSome residential flooding occurs downstream from the Highway 4 bridge.
  4. 14.50 ftFlooding of Cotton Bridge Park in Baker begins.
  5. 11.00 ftMinor flooding of secondary roads and lowlands from the Highway 4 Bridge downstream.
  6. 9.50 ftKennedy and Peaden Bridges are flooded upstream of Highway 4 bridge.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding18%
Moderate flooding7%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

53 crests on NOAA’s list since 1953.

#DateStage
1September 29, 199825.68 ft
2June 4, 199025.61 ft
3October 6, 199525.00 ft
4March 17, 199024.99 ft
5September 17, 202024.55 ft
6March 9, 199823.05 ft
7September 17, 198822.97 ft
8July 31, 197522.97 ft
9March 29, 200921.66 ft
10December 4, 195320.80 ft
11November 9, 198920.00 ft
12September 24, 197519.45 ft
13January 26, 197819.44 ft
14June 9, 198919.38 ft
15July 8, 199418.30 ft
16February 19, 196217.54 ft
17September 5, 201217.02 ft
18June 20, 202616.29 ft
19April 2, 200516.29 ft
20March 8, 198016.10 ft
21March 6, 198415.92 ft
22January 22, 201015.83 ft
23August 15, 198715.38 ft
24December 25, 201514.88 ft
25June 23, 201714.83 ft

Most recent crests

  • June 20, 2026: 16.29 ft
  • April 18, 2022: 11.95 ft
  • October 7, 2021: 13.72 ft
  • April 25, 2021: 12.64 ft
  • September 17, 2020: 24.55 ft
  • December 30, 2018: 11.39 ft
  • February 12, 2018: 12.51 ft
  • July 2, 2017: 12.34 ft
  • June 23, 2017: 14.83 ft
  • January 3, 2017: 14.61 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.