Rivers in Arkansas
Black River at Black Rock
Below flood stage
1.07ftStage
Observed Sun, Sep 27, 4:00 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 14.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 1.00 ftSun, Sep 27, 7:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 31.90 ft1915
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 28.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 25.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 14.00 ft |
| Action | 12.00 ft |
- 32.00 ftThe crest of record is 31.9 feet which occurred on August 21, 1915. Heavy rainfall was due to a hurricane which made landfall near Galveston Texas, and moved across Arkansas.
- 31.50 ftThis is an extremely serious situation, residential areas of Black Rock, Portia, and Powhatan may be flooded. Flood crest of December 1982 was 31.51 feet, the second highest crest of record. Major flood damages to roads, bridges, and homes along the river in Lawrence, Jackson, and Independence counties. River is very dangerous at this level. State Highways 25, 37, and 69 will be flooded. Stay away from the edges of high banks along the river, bank caving is possible.
- 28.50 ftHighway 412 between Highway 63 and Walnut Ridge becomes inundated by flood waters.
- 28.00 ftMajor flooding occurring at or above 28 feet. Portions of Black Rock and Powhatan Courthouse State Park floods. Jacksonport State Park Riverside of levee floods. State Highways 25, 37, and 69 will flood. 40 thousand acres of cropland flooded in Lawrence, Jackson, and Independence counties. Flood crests at Black Rock, 28.6 feet in April 2008, 29.7 feet in March 2008, and 30.45 feet in April 2011.
- 25.00 ftState Highway 37 will probably flood on west side of Black River. State Highway 25 south of Black Rock and State Highway 69 near Jacksonport may be partially flooded. Water will be in portions of Powhatan State Park. Extensive cropland flooding, flooding classified as moderate.
- 24.00 ftThousands of acres of cropland and pastures flooded. State Highway 37 in Independence County east of Cord may be flooded. Water rises into low lying streets in Powhatan. Ball Park and Boat Ramp Area in Black Rock floods.
- 20.00 ftAgricultural land is flooding along both banks of the river in Lawrence, Independence, and Jackson counties. Minor flooding in Powhatan Community and Courthouse State Park.
- 17.00 ftLow lying cultivated land and pastures in Lawrence, Jackson, and Independence counties flood.
- 14.00 ftMinor flooding begins. Farm ground along east bank begins to flood.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 5% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 16, 2026.
Crest history
103 crests on NOAA’s list since 1905.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 21, 1915 | 31.90 ft |
| 2 | December 4, 1982 | 31.51 ft |
| 3 | April 27, 2011 | 30.45 ft |
| 4 | April 15, 1927 | 30.30 ft |
| 5 | May 1, 2017 | 30.00 ft |
| 6 | April 6, 2025 | 29.74 ft |
| 7 | March 20, 2008 | 29.74 ft |
| 8 | April 24, 1973 | 29.24 ft |
| 9 | April 12, 2008 | 28.61 ft |
| 10 | January 25, 1949 | 28.50 ft |
| 11 | March 29, 1977 | 28.10 ft |
| 12 | May 8, 1961 | 28.00 ft |
| 13 | March 29, 1975 | 27.90 ft |
| 14 | March 10, 1964 | 27.80 ft |
| 15 | January 31, 1969 | 27.72 ft |
| 16 | October 31, 2009 | 27.60 ft |
| 17 | March 31, 1945 | 27.20 ft |
| 18 | December 29, 2015 | 27.15 ft |
| 19 | April 5, 1957 | 26.90 ft |
| 20 | January 2, 1966 | 26.80 ft |
| 21 | March 12, 1935 | 26.70 ft |
| 22 | January 31, 1916 | 26.50 ft |
| 23 | December 23, 1984 | 26.22 ft |
| 24 | January 16, 1937 | 26.20 ft |
| 25 | June 14, 1928 | 26.20 ft |
Most recent crests
- April 6, 2025: 29.74 ft
- December 29, 2024: 19.84 ft
- November 6, 2024: 21.41 ft
- June 1, 2024: 16.32 ft
- January 28, 2024: 19.49 ft
- April 21, 2023: 16.16 ft
- March 4, 2023: 24.03 ft
- February 10, 2023: 22.72 ft
- January 3, 2023: 17.40 ft
- May 7, 2022: 23.92 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. 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.
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.