Rivers in Arkansas
Mississippi River at Osceola
Below flood stage
-1.08ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 4:00 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 28.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 12.30 ftThu, Oct 1, 1:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 50.90 ft1937
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 35.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 31.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 28.00 ft |
| Action | 24.00 ft |
- 50.00 ftAll land east of the Arkansas Levee to the Tennessee Bluffs is under 10 to 25 feet of water.
- 49.00 ftHighway 87 is flooded just east of Fulton, Tennessee.
- 47.00 ftIn Tennessee, farm headquarters near the intersection of Coon Valley Road and Herring Hill Road is being flooded.
- 46.00 ftWater is very high on the Arkansas Levee. All homesteads along Crawford Road West in Tennessee are flooded.
- 45.00 ftFarmstead on Island 37, Tennessee is totally flooded.
- 44.00 ftIn Tennessee, camp on Sunrise Towhead is almost all covered. All fields in the Barfield Point area are awash.
- 43.00 ftIn Tennessee, all houses along Route 19 are awash. Camp on west side of Island 34 is completely flooded. Water has crept into buildings on the west side of Ballard Slough Road. Many sections of Herring Hill Road are now in deep water.
- 42.00 ftIn Tennessee, the house at the south end of Outbounds Road is awash. Fields are flooding north of the Hatchie River east past Fort Pillow State Prison. Herring Hill Road is flooding just north of the Shelby County Line.
- 41.00 ftIn Tennessee, stilt houses north of Fullen Landing are being flooded. Houses at the south end of Outbounds Road are flooding as is the homestead at the northeast end of Outbounds Road right on Open Lake. Most of Highway 19 is awash. Most homesteads north of Fort Pillow are underwater. Island 35 is essentially covered. Bottomland south of Richardson's Landing is underwater. In Arkansas, Sans Souci Road is flooding inside the levee. The terminal elevator at Osceola is flooding.
- 40.00 ftIn Tennessee, Highway 19 is flooding near the bluff. Water is overflowing a house on Sunk Lake Road. Houses east of Outbounds Road and west of Conner Road are flooding. Houses all along Highway 19 are being covered. Centennial Island is completely flooded. In Arkansas, the elevator at Osceola is flooding.
- 39.00 ftIn Tennessee, Highway 19 is flooded at Conner Road cutting off evacuations west of that intersection. Crawford Road East is underwater at places. Mobile home settlement south of Coker Slough is flooded. House on the east end of Outbounds Road is flooding. Moore Farmstead is being covered. Houses on Cash Road are flooding. Hunting camp on Sunrise Towhead is beginning to flood. Farmstead on Sniper Island west of Herring Hill Road is going underwater. In Arkansas, a farmstead at Tomato is underwater.
- 38.00 ftIn Tennessee, homesteads between Johnston Road and Sunk Lake Road on Highway 19 west are flooding. House at the south end of Oscar Griggs Road is flooding. Ashport is flooding. Flooding is occurring near the north end of Sunk Lake Road. Settlement between Coker Slough and Highway 19 is flooded. Water is overflowing the farm headquarters just north of the Sunk Lake Road and Long Hole Road Junction.
- 37.00 ftIn Tennessee, houses along the west part of Grammer Road are flooding and evacuation is cut off. The south end of Grainery Road is inundated. Homesteads along Highway 19 West just east of T. Rossinger Road are going underwater. Shoaf Landing Road is flooding. Farmstead on Island 37 floods.
- 36.00 ftIn Tennessee, farmstead sites around Keyes Point are flooding. All evacuation roads from Keyes Point and Golddust are flooded. Ashport and many home sites along Route 19 are flooding. Home sites south of Coker Slough are flooding. Home sites on the north side of Corona Lake are being covered. Home site on Brandywine Road is flooded. Coon Valley Road is going underwater. In Arkansas, grain terminal sites at Osceola are being covered. All fields between Barfield Point and the Arkansas Levee are inundated.
- 35.00 ftIn Tennessee, Highway 19 West is flooded at many places between Ashport and Goldust halting evcuations southwest of Ashport. Home sites on Henderson Shop Road are being covered. T. Rossinger Road is beginning to flood. Home sites between Crawford Road and Cold Creek are flooding. In Arkansas, the terminal elevator on Sans Souci Road is being flooded.
- 34.00 ftIn Tennessee, Highway 19 is flooding at Johnson Lake. Houses and farmsteads just west of the north end of T. Rossinger Road are beginning to flood. Oscar Griggs Road, Conner Road, and Long Hole Road are beginning to flood. Western sections of Grammer Road are beginning to flood, making evacuation from homesteads difficult.
- 33.00 ftIn Tennessee, the settlement on Crawford Road East north of Fort Pillow is beginning to flood. Jack Rabbit Road is flooded. West leg of Crutcher Lake Road is flooding and stopping evacuations. Most homesteads along Cold Creek Road are flooded. In Arkansas, Highway 120 is beginning to flood.
- 32.00 ftIn Tennessee, Kirkpatrick Road and Snyder Bluff Road are flooding. Backwater has reached the west leg of Crutcher Lake Road south of Keyes Point. Outbounds Road is beginning to flood. The south end of Jim Fullen Road is flooded. River water is covering parts of Ballard Slough Road and Ruleman Road. Fields and pastures west of Herring Hill road are inundated. The west end of Corona Road begins to flood. In Arkansas, Sans Souci Road elevator floods.
- 31.00 ftIn Tennessee, Nix road is flooded. Major sections of Four Mile Road are flooded. Snyder Bluff and northern Sam Taylor Roads are flooding. Sunk Lake Road is covered north of Bee Lake. Fields on Morgan Point are flooding.
- 30.00 ftIn Tennessee, The Reach-Coker Slough hunting camp is flooded. Crawford Road West just north of the Fort Pillow Historic Area is going underwater. Houses are flooding along Cold Creek Road. Four Mile Road is flooding and Champion Lake Road is being flooded by Hatchie River backwater. Sunk Lake Road is flooded north of Bee Lake. In Arkansas, Highway 120 is flooded between O'Donnell Bend and the levee, and barge loading has to stop at Osceola.
- 29.00 ftIn Arkansas, water is going over the north side of Craighead Point. The pumphouse area for the power plant south of Osceola is flooded. In Tennessee, Lauderdale County Road 924 begins to flood, isolating a house on Island 34.
- 28.00 ftIn Tennessee, the settlement south of Cold Creek Road down from Crawford Road is flooding. Crawford Road West is flooding. The Reach-Coker Slough hunting camp is flooding along Nix Road. Grammer Road is flooded at Jones Slough. Much of the Lauderdale south bottom is underwater. Homesteads and camps on Cash Road are cut-off. Sections of Crane Road are cut-off on Island 35. In Arkansas, Mississippi County Road 903 north of O'Donnell Bend is flooded in places.
- 27.00 ftIn Arkansas, high water interferes with grain barge loading at the terminal at Osceola. Backwater is touching most of the levee just north of Osceola on north past Mississippi County Arkansas Road 330 in the Barfield Point vicinity. Mississippi County Arkansas Road 430 is flooded across from Tellier Island. In Tennessee, Crutcher Lake Road is flooded north of Cold Creek. The Mississippi River is over its banks northeast of Open Lake. Backwater has reached Bee Lake.
- 26.00 ftIn Tennessee, Crutcher Lake Road is flooding near Cold Creek. Cold Creek is going over its south bank onto resort lots just east of Crutcher Lake Road. Water from the Lower Forked Deer River is backing into Open Lake. Cold Creek is now flowing south out of Open Lake. Jones Slough is about to back north over Grammer Road. Adams Slough has flooded Sam Taylor Road. Many sloughs are beginning to flood fields. Brandywine Camp begins to go underwater.
- 25.00 ftIn Tennessee, Cold creek has backed to near Sunk Lake Road. Fields and food plots south of Fulton are flooding. Fields west of John Tully State Wildlife Management Area are beginning to flood. In Arkansas, Mississippi County Roads inside the levee east of Luxora and south of Rosa are being flooded by Mill Bayou.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 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
94 crests on NOAA’s list since 1927.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 7, 1937 | 50.90 ft |
| 2 | May 8, 2011 | 47.48 ft |
| 3 | April 24, 1927 | 45.80 ft |
| 4 | May 25, 1929 | 41.20 ft |
| 5 | February 20, 1950 | 41.05 ft |
| 6 | March 12, 1997 | 40.99 ft |
| 7 | April 6, 1975 | 40.90 ft |
| 8 | March 4, 2019 | 40.86 ft |
| 9 | April 17, 1936 | 40.60 ft |
| 10 | April 6, 1945 | 40.50 ft |
| 11 | April 10, 1973 | 40.20 ft |
| 12 | April 8, 1933 | 40.20 ft |
| 13 | January 7, 2016 | 39.67 ft |
| 14 | June 3, 1943 | 39.50 ft |
| 15 | May 16, 1961 | 39.40 ft |
| 16 | June 1, 1995 | 39.37 ft |
| 17 | April 20, 1979 | 39.30 ft |
| 18 | May 12, 1983 | 39.20 ft |
| 19 | February 27, 1939 | 39.10 ft |
| 20 | March 7, 2018 | 39.03 ft |
| 21 | May 17, 1984 | 38.80 ft |
| 22 | March 25, 1935 | 38.80 ft |
| 23 | February 20, 1932 | 38.70 ft |
| 24 | May 23, 2002 | 38.41 ft |
| 25 | May 3, 1944 | 38.37 ft |
Most recent crests
- April 15, 2025: 37.62 ft
- February 24, 2025: 29.32 ft
- April 7, 2021: 31.20 ft
- March 4, 2019: 40.86 ft
- March 7, 2018: 39.03 ft
- May 13, 2017: 35.94 ft
- January 7, 2016: 39.67 ft
- July 11, 2015: 32.29 ft
- April 15, 2014: 26.34 ft
- May 11, 2013: 34.22 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
- UpstreamMississippi River at Caruthersville
- DownstreamMississippi River at Memphis
- Little River at Ditch 81 Up From Ditch 81 Control Structure
- Hatchie River at Rialto
- Big Creek at Rosemark
- Big Creek at Millington
- Right Hand Chute Little River at Rivervale
- Little River at Ditch 81
- Loosahatchie River at Singleton Parkway
- Tyronza River at Tyronza
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 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.