Rivers in Missouri
Missouri River at Jefferson City
Below flood stage
8.45ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 5:45 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 23.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 8.60 ftWed, Sep 23, 7:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 38.65 ft1993
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 30.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 25.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 23.00 ft |
| Action | 21.00 ft |
- 39.20 ftThe water treatment plant at McBaine begins flooding near this height.
- 39.00 ftInterstate 70 just west of the Rocheport bridge begins flooding near this height.
- 37.00 ftU.S. Highway 54 north of the U.S. Highway 63 split in Callaway County begins flooding near this height.
- 36.00 ftOn the NW side of Jefferson City, Highway 179 at Boonville Road and Western Air Street begin flooding. On the SE side, Eastland Drive, St. Louis Road, and East McCarty Street begin flooding.
- 35.00 ftMissouri Boulevard at the Expressway begin to flood.
- 34.10 ftBoth lanes of U.S. Highway 63, north of Jefferson City, begin to flood. Also, Highway 50 begins flooding near this height.
- 33.50 ftThe Cole Junction levee northwest of Jefferson City is overtopped near this height.
- 32.00 ftHighway 179 at Marion, west of Jefferson City, floods. In downtown Jefferson City, Missouri Boulevard, Broadway Street, and West Dunklin Street all begin flooding. Also, this represents the protection level of the levee protecting Hartsburg, MO and the Rievaux levee just west of Wainwright.
- 31.10 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Claysville.
- 31.00 ftRailroad tracks begin to flood. The Cedar City levee at the Highway 63 bridge, the Capitol View levee south of the airport, the Wainwright levee, and the Jacobs levee near Tebbetts all overtop near this height.
- 30.50 ftThe Renz levee upstream of Jefferson City and north of the Missouri River and the Capitol View levee protecting the airport are overtopped near this height.
- 30.10 ftPower plant operations are affected. Airport property begins to flood.
- 30.00 ftThe Tebbetts East Levee south and east of Tebbetts and the Cole Junction levee just northwest of Jefferson City are overtopped near this height. Also...the Prison Farm and Hartsburg Section 3 levees are overtopped near this height. Washington Park along Wears Creek begins flooding.
- 29.10 ftThe Katy Trail floods between McBaine and Easley.
- 29.00 ftOsage City on the Osage River may begin flooding from backwater. This is particularly true when the St. Thomas gage is above 11 feet. Also, the prison farm levee 7 to 10 miles north of Jefferson City will overtop near this stage.
- 28.00 ftWalnut Street just southwest of the U.S. Highway 50/63 intersection begins flooding.
- 27.00 ftNear this height, Highway 94 near Portland and Harold Cunningham and Fox Hollow Roads near Easley begin flooding.
- 26.60 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Wilton.
- 26.50 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Easley.
- 26.30 ftState Route 179 near Sandy Hook is closed due to flooding. Also, State Highway K one mile east of McBaine in Boone County is closed.
- 24.50 ftThe Katy Trail Floods near Rocheport.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 27% |
| Moderate flooding | 20% |
| Major flooding | 11% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 23, 2026.
Crest history
121 crests on NOAA’s list since 1883.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 30, 1993 | 38.65 ft |
| 2 | July 18, 1951 | 34.20 ft |
| 3 | June 6, 1903 | 33.50 ft |
| 4 | June 7, 2019 | 33.41 ft |
| 5 | May 19, 1995 | 33.05 ft |
| 6 | June 28, 1947 | 32.61 ft |
| 7 | October 5, 1986 | 32.60 ft |
| 8 | April 27, 1944 | 32.18 ft |
| 9 | September 29, 1993 | 31.85 ft |
| 10 | April 24, 1973 | 31.40 ft |
| 11 | June 2, 2013 | 30.83 ft |
| 12 | June 8, 2001 | 30.59 ft |
| 13 | July 13, 1909 | 30.10 ft |
| 14 | June 23, 1943 | 30.08 ft |
| 15 | October 7, 1998 | 29.95 ft |
| 16 | September 16, 2008 | 29.67 ft |
| 17 | June 28, 1942 | 29.60 ft |
| 18 | May 13, 2007 | 29.46 ft |
| 19 | February 25, 1985 | 29.40 ft |
| 20 | June 19, 1908 | 29.30 ft |
| 21 | April 12, 1994 | 29.25 ft |
| 22 | May 30, 1996 | 29.25 ft |
| 23 | June 21, 2010 | 28.96 ft |
| 24 | June 6, 1935 | 28.90 ft |
| 25 | April 14, 1997 | 28.75 ft |
Most recent crests
- June 8, 2026: 24.18 ft
- April 30, 2024: 23.95 ft
- June 28, 2021: 27.58 ft
- March 19, 2021: 25.16 ft
- May 31, 2020: 25.27 ft
- March 21, 2020: 23.09 ft
- October 7, 2019: 26.10 ft
- September 2, 2019: 23.82 ft
- June 7, 2019: 33.41 ft
- May 12, 2019: 26.52 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Missouri Basin 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.
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.