Rivers in Nebraska

Missouri River at Rulo

Richardson County, NebraskaNWS RULN1USGS 06813500Valley office

Below flood stage
8.38ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:30 AM CDT

Flood stage
17.00 ft
Forecast crest
8.10 ftTue, Sep 22, 7:00 AM CDT
Record crest
28.13 ft2019

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood26.00 ft
Moderate flood21.00 ft
Minor flood17.00 ft
Action16.00 ft
  1. 30.00 ftWidespread flooding ensues as federal levees begin to be overtopped.
  2. 27.26 ftSignificant flooding will encompass a very large area similar to what was experienced in 2011.
  3. 26.00 ftAt this level the levee protecting Big Lake may be overtopped. In addition, Highway 159 in Missouri may begin to flood.
  4. 21.00 ftSeveral riverfront cabins along the Nebraska side begin to flood.
  5. 20.00 ftThe Rulo boat ramp begins to flood.
  6. 16.00 ftAgricultural lowlands along the river begin to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding7%
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

92 crests on NOAA’s list since 1950.

#DateStage
1March 20, 201928.13 ft
2June 27, 201127.26 ft
3June 23, 201026.63 ft
4April 22, 195225.60 ft
5July 24, 199325.37 ft
6May 7, 200725.09 ft
7June 14, 200824.98 ft
8May 29, 201924.86 ft
9June 16, 198424.40 ft
10July 2, 202424.01 ft
11June 25, 199623.62 ft
12May 30, 201323.48 ft
13October 12, 197323.41 ft
14October 10, 201823.35 ft
15October 6, 201923.18 ft
16May 28, 198722.93 ft
17June 18, 196722.41 ft
18May 13, 199522.41 ft
19April 6, 196022.36 ft
20June 16, 199822.27 ft
21March 23, 197822.01 ft
22June 25, 201421.76 ft
23June 29, 199921.63 ft
24April 29, 195021.60 ft
25May 10, 195021.50 ft

Most recent crests

  • June 28, 2025: 14.95 ft
  • July 2, 2024: 24.01 ft
  • March 2, 2023: 10.21 ft
  • May 26, 2022: 13.63 ft
  • June 25, 2021: 16.35 ft
  • May 26, 2020: 18.88 ft
  • October 6, 2019: 23.18 ft
  • May 29, 2019: 24.86 ft
  • March 20, 2019: 28.13 ft
  • October 10, 2018: 23.35 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin 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. 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.