Rivers in Nebraska

Ponca Creek at Verdel

Knox County, NebraskaNWS VERN1USGS 06453600Valley office

Below flood stage
6.31ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 30, 4:15 AM CDT

Flood stage
13.50 ft
Record crest
18.26 ft2019

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood17.00 ft
Moderate flood15.00 ft
Minor flood13.50 ft
Action12.00 ft
  1. 21.50 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Highway 12 bridge at the gauge.
  2. 17.00 ftConsiderable flooding occurs within the defined reach.
  3. 16.00 ftLocal levees along the river near Highway 12 begin to be overtopped.
  4. 15.00 ftUrban lowlands near Ponca Creek at Verdel and Lynch can flood.
  5. 13.50 ftAt this level Rayder Swanson Road floods.
  6. 12.00 ftMinor rural lowlands begin to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, October to December

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

85 crests on NOAA’s list since 1958.

#DateStage
1March 14, 201918.26 ft
2March 6, 199317.30 ft
3March 4, 199416.58 ft
4February 20, 199716.27 ft
5June 23, 202415.71 ft
6March 12, 201115.39 ft
7February 16, 201715.32 ft
8June 25, 202315.29 ft
9June 10, 202014.91 ft
10March 5, 201814.82 ft
11June 12, 201014.80 ft
12July 14, 199314.66 ft
13March 16, 200114.36 ft
14March 27, 196014.32 ft
15May 28, 199514.26 ft
16June 6, 200814.21 ft
17February 10, 199612.90 ft
18June 17, 196412.75 ft
19March 10, 200712.70 ft
20February 24, 197312.65 ft
21May 5, 199912.18 ft
22May 10, 201612.09 ft
23May 28, 199612.03 ft
24March 4, 198811.27 ft
25March 21, 197811.15 ft

Most recent crests

  • February 28, 2025: 9.24 ft
  • June 23, 2024: 15.71 ft
  • June 25, 2023: 15.29 ft
  • May 1, 2022: 9.22 ft
  • March 25, 2021: 9.07 ft
  • June 10, 2020: 14.91 ft
  • March 14, 2019: 18.26 ft
  • March 5, 2018: 14.82 ft
  • February 16, 2017: 15.32 ft
  • May 10, 2016: 12.09 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 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. Stage 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.