Rivers in Nebraska

Big Blue River near Crete

Saline County, NebraskaNWS CRTN1USGS 06881000Valley office

Below flood stage
7.97ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 6:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
21.00 ft
Record crest
30.64 ft2019

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood31.00 ft
Moderate flood25.00 ft
Minor flood21.00 ft
Action19.00 ft
  1. 34.00 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge at the gage site.
  2. 29.00 ftExtensive flooding is widespread. Past floods have not flooded the urban areas of Crete.
  3. 27.00 ftThe city park on South Main Street and the River Road (south extension of Main Street) near the sewage plant both flood.
  4. 24.00 ftParts of the Tuxedo Park area on the west side of town north of State Highway 33 flood.
  5. 18.00 ftAdditional flooding of lowland agricultural fields continues.
  6. 16.00 ftSome rural lowlands begin to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding33%
Moderate flooding17%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 23, 2026.

Crest history

114 crests on NOAA’s list since 1945.

#DateStage
1March 15, 201930.64 ft
2July 3, 198629.86 ft
3June 16, 196729.80 ft
4March 12, 199328.80 ft
5July 10, 195028.74 ft
6June 3, 195128.30 ft
7March 30, 196028.00 ft
8March 25, 198727.84 ft
9June 19, 195727.53 ft
10March 21, 196927.30 ft
11March 8, 194927.00 ft
12May 14, 200526.17 ft
13June 12, 201526.07 ft
14June 20, 198325.90 ft
15March 20, 194825.86 ft
16June 18, 198425.16 ft
17June 9, 200825.10 ft
18July 22, 198524.87 ft
19March 17, 197824.63 ft
20May 29, 199624.26 ft
21April 5, 196924.21 ft
22May 7, 201524.18 ft
23June 10, 196724.08 ft
24September 12, 198924.07 ft
25June 27, 195224.00 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 4, 2024: 20.68 ft
  • July 6, 2023: 14.25 ft
  • June 18, 2022: 15.03 ft
  • March 16, 2021: 23.10 ft
  • May 23, 2020: 18.20 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 30.64 ft
  • September 5, 2018: 20.82 ft
  • August 22, 2017: 22.33 ft
  • May 30, 2016: 23.56 ft
  • June 12, 2015: 26.07 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin 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 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. Stage may be affected by ice.

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.