Rivers in Mississippi
Big Sunflower River at Sunflower
Below flood stage
-1.18ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 1:30 PM CDT
- Flood stage
- 21.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- -1.20 ftWed, Sep 23, 7:00 PM CDT
- Record crest
- 28.37 ft1973
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 28.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 25.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 21.00 ft |
| Action | 20.00 ft |
- 28.00 ftWater is close to entering homes along the river. Significant acreage of farmland is flooded west of the river.
- 26.00 ftLow lying streets along the river in the city of Sunflower begin to flood. Moll Road, 3 miles northeast of Indianola, is impassable by car.
- 25.00 ftWater begins to cover a small section of Moll Road northeast of Indianola. Water begins to spread across farmland from Jones Bayou. Widespread agricultural flooding is a occurring in this area.
- 23.00 ftFarm roads to catfish ponds become inundated. Jeffcoat road west of river gage floods
- 21.00 ftField west of river begins to flood.
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
123 crests on NOAA’s list since 1935.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 18, 1973 | 28.37 ft |
| 2 | May 5, 1958 | 28.30 ft |
| 3 | May 2, 1991 | 28.10 ft |
| 4 | June 15, 2021 | 28.04 ft |
| 5 | February 24, 1991 | 28.00 ft |
| 6 | March 16, 2016 | 27.95 ft |
| 7 | February 26, 2019 | 27.83 ft |
| 8 | December 18, 2001 | 27.60 ft |
| 9 | January 1, 1983 | 27.60 ft |
| 10 | December 3, 2001 | 27.50 ft |
| 11 | January 15, 1946 | 27.40 ft |
| 12 | February 26, 2018 | 27.31 ft |
| 13 | September 26, 1958 | 27.30 ft |
| 14 | December 6, 1983 | 27.30 ft |
| 15 | February 25, 1961 | 27.30 ft |
| 16 | November 23, 1957 | 26.90 ft |
| 17 | July 7, 1989 | 26.90 ft |
| 18 | January 27, 1937 | 26.60 ft |
| 19 | February 16, 1948 | 26.60 ft |
| 20 | January 4, 1945 | 26.50 ft |
| 21 | April 20, 1991 | 26.50 ft |
| 22 | February 11, 1990 | 26.40 ft |
| 23 | February 14, 1946 | 26.30 ft |
| 24 | March 31, 1944 | 26.20 ft |
| 25 | March 20, 1950 | 26.20 ft |
Most recent crests
- June 15, 2021: 28.04 ft
- March 3, 2021: 25.25 ft
- April 23, 2020: 23.38 ft
- March 25, 2020: 22.90 ft
- February 14, 2020: 26.04 ft
- May 13, 2019: 25.75 ft
- April 16, 2019: 25.25 ft
- February 26, 2019: 27.83 ft
- January 5, 2019: 24.23 ft
- February 26, 2018: 27.31 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
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 24 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.