Rivers in Nebraska

South Platte River at North Platte

Lincoln County, NebraskaNWS NPSN1USGS 06765500North Platte office

Below flood stage
6.57ftStage

Observed Mon, Sep 28, 5:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
13.00 ft
Record crest
14.54 ft2013

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood15.00 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood13.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 18.50 ftLow steel of the Highway 83 bridge.
  2. 18.30 ftWater may begin to enter the Sonic parking lot.
  3. 17.00 ftWater may reach the Ramada and Chick-fil-A parking lots.
  4. 15.00 ftMajor flood stage. Flooding of homes is possible along the South Platte River in and around the City of North Platte. Water is likely to back up into storm drains throughout the city of North Platte.
  5. 14.00 ftModerate flood stage. Flooding of yards and basements may occur along the South Platte River. Water may flow over Buffalo Bill Road just north of the South Platte River Bridge. Water may continue to back up in storm drains in the City of North Platte.
  6. 13.50 ftWater may begin to flow over Buffalo Bill Road just north of the South Platte River bridge.
  7. 13.00 ftFlood Stage. Flooding of yards and roads may occur around Hidden Lakes. Most of the old Iron Eagle Golf Course becomes submerged. Backwash may occur into sewer and storm drains in city of North Platte.
  8. 12.80 ftBackwash may occur into sewer and storm drains in city of North Platte.
  9. 12.00 ftFlooding occurs on the north and east end of the old Iron Eagle Golf Course along the bank of the South Platte River.
  10. 10.00 ftPonding of water and flooding of low lying areas at the old Iron Eagle Golf Course.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

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 23, 2026.

Crest history

94 crests on NOAA’s list since 1914.

#DateStage
1September 23, 201314.54 ft
2May 20, 201514.09 ft
3June 3, 193514.02 ft
4June 7, 199512.99 ft
5May 7, 194212.72 ft
6May 13, 197312.64 ft
7January 11, 199812.43 ft
8May 8, 199912.34 ft
9March 16, 193912.11 ft
10September 13, 193811.95 ft
11June 10, 192811.87 ft
12June 29, 202311.79 ft
13June 30, 194711.75 ft
14June 24, 201011.52 ft
15June 21, 194911.48 ft
16May 22, 198011.43 ft
17June 20, 199711.33 ft
18April 29, 192911.07 ft
19June 12, 201411.06 ft
20May 12, 193011.02 ft
21April 4, 193110.82 ft
22June 1, 201610.74 ft
23July 23, 201110.69 ft
24June 22, 193410.57 ft
25April 20, 193310.52 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 6, 2024: 8.08 ft
  • June 29, 2023: 11.79 ft
  • April 29, 2022: 7.38 ft
  • February 26, 2020: 7.88 ft
  • June 29, 2019: 8.75 ft
  • May 28, 2018: 8.59 ft
  • June 2, 2017: 10.04 ft
  • June 1, 2016: 10.74 ft
  • May 20, 2015: 14.09 ft
  • June 12, 2014: 11.06 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 and future precipitation. Forecast stages may be different if forecast future rainfall does not occur. Gauge reading 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.