Mississippi River at St. Louis
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 11:30 PM CDT
- Flood stage
- 30.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 16.60 ftSat, Sep 26, 7:00 PM CDT
- Record crest
- 49.58 ft1993
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 40.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 35.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 30.00 ft |
| Action | 28.00 ft |
- 54.00 ftThe Metro East St Louis, Chain of Rocks, and Fish Lake levees which protect 71,000 acres are overtopped. The Prairie du Pont levee protecting 9560 acres is overtopped. Also...at this height the St. Louis flood wall is overtopped.
- 49.00 ftHartford Public Water supply is threatened. The last of the St. Louis City floodgates is installed at the Missouri-Pacific railroad (panel gate).
- 48.00 ftHartford Public Water supply is threatened. The last of the St. Louis City floodgates is installed at the Missouri-Pacific railroad (panel gate). The Edgar Lake (3000 acres), Columbia (14,800 acres), Ft. Chartres and Ivy (15,900 acres), and Harrisonville (27,800 acres) levees are overtopped at this height.
- 47.00 ftThe panel floodgate is installed at the CB&Q railraod. Businesses along North Commercial Street in Laclede's Landing in downtown St. Louis begin flooding.
- 45.00 ftAbove this height, the U.S. Coast Guard will consider closing the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic between downtown St. Louis and Chester, Illinois.
- 44.10 ftChouteau Island Pump Station begins to flood. Power to the Chouteau Island Pump Station disconnected.
- 43.00 ftAt this level, 5 floodgates are installed: 3 floodgates at the Corps of Engineers Service Base, another at Zepp Street, and another at the railroad near Guthrie Street.
- 42.00 ftIn Lemay, Military Road between Lemay Ferry Road and Kayser Avenue and Fannie Avenue between Military Road and Dammert Avenue will begin flooding near this height. At Riverview Boulevard, a panel floodgate is installed at this height.
- 41.50 ftNear this height, Koch Road at the Robert Koch Road intersection begins flooding.
- 41.00 ftAt this level, St. Louis City installs a double floodgate at Branch Street in north St. Louis.
- 40.70 ftNear this level, River City Boulevard begins flooding between Lemay Ferry Road and Weber Road.
- 40.30 ftWith record inflows from the Meramec, this was the stage at which U.S. Highway 61/67 at Route K west of Kimmswick was closed in both directions in December 2015.
- 40.00 ftLemay Park just south of Lemay Ferry Road will begin flooding. The St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District will shut down the Watkins Creek pump station in the 11000 block of Riverview Drive in Spanish Lake.
- 39.10 ftWindsor Harbor Road bridge southeast of Kimmswick begins flooding, isolating residents south of the bridge.
- 39.00 ftFannie Avenue from Military Road to the end of county maintenance and Christopher Drive near Nellie Avenue, both in south St. Louis County, begin flooding near this height. Two more St. Louis floodgates are closed at North Market Street (north St. Louis) and at Barton Street on the south side. Near this height, the Choteau Island levee is overtopped, affecting 2400 acres.
- 38.50 ftNellie Avenue, south of Lemay Ferry Road along River des Peres, begins flooding.
- 38.00 ftThe U.S. Coast Guard will consider closing the St. Louis harbor to navigation above this level. This is the reach of river between the south opening to the Chain of Rocks canal and downtown St. Louis. In south St. Louis county, Hoffmeister Avenue begins flooding east of Broadway. Four more floodgates are closed at Prairie Avenue, Madison Avenue, Mullanphy Street, and the railroad bed near Lesparance Street.
- 37.50 ftNear this height, Riverview Drive between Coal Bank Road and Prigge Road begins flooding. Coal Bank Road between Lilac Avenue and Riverview Drive also begins flooding. Highway 61/67 south of Pevely begins flooding at the Joachim Creek bridge within a foot of this level.
- 37.00 ftThree more floodgates are closed at this level: the Missouri Illinois Sand Company gate in south St. Louis, the City of St. Louis railroad gate, and a double gate at East Grand in north St. Louis. Also, with record inflow from the Meramec in December 2015, Missouri Route K west of Kimmswick was closed in both directions at Rock Creek near this height.
- 36.50 ftAt this height, water will reach the base of floodgates at Poplar and at Chouteau. With record inflows from the Meramec, Missouri Route M was closed near this height from I-55 to U.S. 61/67 in December 2015.
- 36.00 ftNear this level, River City Casino Boulevard between Lemay Ferry Road and South Broadway begins flooding. Also, Riverview Drive begins flooding between the Northern Industrial Railroad bridge and Scranton Avenue.
- 35.00 ftThe floodgates at Gratiot Road railroad and Chouteau Street are closed. At this height, water will reach the base of the floodgates at Carr Street.
- 34.00 ftLeonor K. Sullivan Bouelvard begins flooding at this level near the Eads bridge underpass. Also, flood gates at Convent Street Railroad and Rutger Street are closed.
- 33.00 ftFloodgates at the Rutger Street railroad and at Miller Street are closed.
- 32.00 ftFlood panels at Carr Street and Poplar Street are installed. Water will reach the base of the floodgates at Carr Street at 35 feet, and at Poplar Street at 36.5 feet.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 10% |
| Moderate flooding | 6% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.
Crest history
157 crests on NOAA’s list since 1785.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 1, 1993 | 49.58 ft |
| 2 | June 9, 2019 | 46.02 ft |
| 3 | April 28, 1973 | 43.23 ft |
| 4 | January 1, 2016 | 42.52 ft |
| 5 | April 1, 1785 | 42.00 ft |
| 6 | May 22, 1995 | 41.89 ft |
| 7 | May 6, 2017 | 41.70 ft |
| 8 | June 27, 1844 | 41.32 ft |
| 9 | June 4, 2013 | 40.52 ft |
| 10 | July 2, 1947 | 40.30 ft |
| 11 | July 21, 1951 | 40.28 ft |
| 12 | December 7, 1982 | 39.27 ft |
| 13 | May 4, 1983 | 39.20 ft |
| 14 | April 30, 1944 | 39.14 ft |
| 15 | October 9, 1986 | 39.13 ft |
| 16 | May 24, 1943 | 38.94 ft |
| 17 | October 1, 1993 | 38.91 ft |
| 18 | July 1, 2008 | 38.67 ft |
| 19 | July 1, 2015 | 38.45 ft |
| 20 | June 10, 1903 | 38.00 ft |
| 21 | April 14, 1979 | 37.79 ft |
| 22 | May 17, 2002 | 37.34 ft |
| 23 | September 18, 2008 | 36.72 ft |
| 24 | April 15, 1994 | 36.61 ft |
| 25 | April 17, 1993 | 36.60 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 1, 2026: 29.68 ft
- July 10, 2024: 32.33 ft
- March 21, 2021: 31.46 ft
- June 1, 2020: 31.94 ft
- March 25, 2020: 30.34 ft
- March 22, 2020: 30.41 ft
- January 13, 2020: 30.59 ft
- October 13, 2019: 32.15 ft
- June 9, 2019: 46.02 ft
- October 16, 2018: 32.63 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 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. 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. For the latest navigation status update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-St. Louis District, <a href="http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Status-Reports/">click here.</a>
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.