Rivers in Nebraska

Middle Loup River near St. Paul

Howard County, NebraskaNWS SPLN1USGS 06785000Hastings office

Below flood stage
1.64ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:15 AM CDT

Flood stage
8.00 ft
Record crest
12.69 ft1947

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood12.00 ft
Moderate flood10.00 ft
Minor flood8.00 ft
Action7.00 ft
  1. 14.80 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Highway 281 bridge.
  2. 12.00 ftWater will reach the bottom of the railroad bridge. Widespread flooding occurs in lowlands and agricultural lands. The town of Saint Paul is not in the flood plain. There are no major roads or highways in the flood plain. A record flood of 12.69 feet occurred in June of 1947.
  3. 10.00 ftFlooding occurs in lowlands, agricultural areas, and woodlands.
  4. 8.00 ftFlooding occurs in lowlands, agricultural areas, and woodlands adjacent to the river.

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 August 26, 2026.

Crest history

94 crests on NOAA’s list since 1947.

#DateStage
1June 23, 194712.69 ft
2March 17, 197812.21 ft
3March 14, 20199.54 ft
4June 15, 19678.50 ft
5March 7, 19938.32 ft
6June 25, 19688.28 ft
7February 14, 19768.15 ft
8February 12, 19667.55 ft
9March 21, 19697.43 ft
10March 10, 19797.23 ft
11March 23, 19627.16 ft
12February 21, 19647.12 ft
13May 26, 19657.02 ft
14December 16, 19626.98 ft
15March 10, 19896.84 ft
16June 17, 19626.68 ft
17February 21, 19826.61 ft
18March 6, 19806.49 ft
19February 20, 20076.48 ft
20June 12, 19846.46 ft
21February 20, 19946.30 ft
22December 30, 19736.27 ft
23March 4, 20186.20 ft
24March 14, 20006.20 ft
25February 15, 19756.18 ft

Most recent crests

  • June 26, 2025: 4.04 ft
  • June 22, 2024: 4.75 ft
  • January 1, 2023: 3.51 ft
  • January 18, 2022: 3.65 ft
  • January 28, 2021: 5.30 ft
  • May 25, 2020: 2.80 ft
  • March 14, 2019: 9.54 ft
  • March 4, 2018: 6.20 ft
  • August 17, 2017: 4.68 ft
  • July 31, 2016: 3.67 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 48 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 24 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.