Rivers in Nebraska

Big Blue River at Beatrice

Gage County, NebraskaNWS BEAN1USGS 06881500Valley office

Below flood stage
3.43ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 6:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
18.00 ft
Record crest
33.02 ft1973

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood32.00 ft
Moderate flood26.00 ft
Minor flood18.00 ft
Action16.00 ft
  1. 32.40 ftThe low steel of State Highway 77 bridge (6th Street) is reached by flood waters. In addition the gage house begins to be flooded near this level.
  2. 29.40 ftThe low steel of the Burlington Northern railroad bridge is reached by the flood water.
  3. 26.00 ftState Highway 77 floods just south of the gage. The right bank within town from Riverside Park to Chautauqua Park floods streets and basements.
  4. 23.00 ftHighway 136 on the west side of Beatrice begins to flood.
  5. 21.00 ftAt this level the West Scott baseball fields begin to flood.
  6. 20.00 ftChautauqua Park begins to flood.
  7. 18.00 ftMemorial Drive begins to flood.
  8. 16.00 ftRural lowlands commence to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding19%
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

130 crests on NOAA’s list since 1903.

#DateStage
1October 12, 197333.02 ft
2June 14, 198431.27 ft
3May 7, 201530.26 ft
4July 26, 199328.77 ft
5June 4, 195128.30 ft
6June 23, 194727.65 ft
7March 26, 198727.44 ft
8September 16, 194126.30 ft
9July 4, 198626.07 ft
10June 18, 196726.06 ft
11July 23, 191126.00 ft
12March 16, 201925.93 ft
13March 31, 196025.66 ft
14May 29, 190325.60 ft
15October 13, 198625.26 ft
16March 8, 194924.90 ft
17May 9, 195024.65 ft
18June 25, 196324.58 ft
19May 7, 200723.87 ft
20May 7, 201023.87 ft
21June 21, 195723.37 ft
22March 23, 196923.15 ft
23June 29, 195223.13 ft
24June 30, 196523.12 ft
25March 22, 194822.93 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 5, 2024: 10.73 ft
  • August 28, 2023: 5.81 ft
  • June 11, 2022: 9.23 ft
  • March 16, 2021: 18.05 ft
  • June 19, 2020: 22.68 ft
  • March 16, 2019: 25.93 ft
  • September 5, 2018: 18.47 ft
  • May 22, 2017: 18.14 ft
  • May 31, 2016: 17.18 ft
  • May 7, 2015: 30.26 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.