Rivers in Wisconsin

Mississippi River below Lock and Dam 4 - Alma

Buffalo County, WisconsinNWS ALMW3La Crosse office

Below flood stage
4.56ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 30, 2:15 PM CDT

Flood stage
16.00 ft
Forecast crest
4.50 ftWed, Sep 30, 7:00 PM CDT
Record crest
19.78 ft1965

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood17.00 ft
Minor flood16.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 20.00 ftWater reaches the top of the protective earthen dike.
  2. 19.80 ftThe water reaches the flood of record set in 1965.
  3. 16.50 ftAgriculture and recreational land is flooded.
  4. 16.00 ftLock gates and walls at Dam 4 go underwater.
  5. 15.50 ftLock and Dam 4 is closed to navigation.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, October to December

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 25, 2026.

Crest history

11 crests on NOAA’s list since 1951.

#DateStage
1April 19, 196519.78 ft
2April 16, 200118.15 ft
3April 18, 196917.53 ft
4April 25, 202317.05 ft
5April 18, 195216.30 ft
6April 16, 195116.20 ft
7April 11, 199715.60 ft
8April 5, 196715.35 ft
9June 25, 199314.93 ft
10April 14, 201114.75 ft
11September 29, 201012.34 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 25, 2023: 17.05 ft
  • April 14, 2011: 14.75 ft
  • September 29, 2010: 12.34 ft
  • April 16, 2001: 18.15 ft
  • April 11, 1997: 15.60 ft
  • June 25, 1993: 14.93 ft
  • April 18, 1969: 17.53 ft
  • April 5, 1967: 15.35 ft
  • April 19, 1965: 19.78 ft
  • April 18, 1952: 16.30 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely during the navigation season, and as needed at other times of the year. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. 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.