Flatrock River at Columbus, IN

The last 7 days and the forecast

NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 7 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

• 21 ftDiastrous flooding along the Flatrock River in the Columbus area affecting residential, business and commercial areas. US 31 and numeorous other state and local roads are closed. Flood waters more than 3 feet deep in some neighborhoods downstream of US 31. Approximate low steel for US Highway 31 bridge.
• 19.82 ftDuring June 2008...Flatrock River at US 31 rose about 10 feet in 10 hours to cause a devastating flood to portions of the City of Columbus. US Highway 31 flooded as did Noblitt Lagoons and other neighborhoods. Water was 1 to 2 feet deep in many areas. This rise took place from Noon EDT to 10 pm EDT. The river was near bankfull before this tsunami like flood struck.
• 19.5 ftNear recording flooding in progress along Flatrock River. CR 800 N remains open according to Columbus Response Plan.
• 19 ftApproximate river height of when the flood waters came over several locations along Flatrock Dr and flooded Noblitt Lagoons and adjacent areas in June 2008. Adjacent areas included Washington St. from 17th to 12th St. and Lawton Ave. and possibly parts of Franklin and Lafayette Ave. on the east side of Washington St. At least 4 homes had first floor flooding, with possibly 50 homes or more with basement and carport flooding.
• 18.98 ftUS Highway 31 on the northwest side of Columbus closed by flood waters from the Flatrock River.
• 18.95 ftAfter the river crested during the June 2008 flood...water levels in the Noblitt Lagoons fell only several inches. It took 5 or 6 days with 6 or 8 industrial pumps for the Lagoons to return to normal levels.
• 16.45 ftDuring the January 2005 flood...river level was about 1 foot below the lowest berm along Flatrock Drive in the northeast end of Noblitt Lagoons near the junction of Washington St. and Riverside Dr. A few Noblitt Lagoons residents had wet basements.
• 15 ftExtensive flooding in progress along the Flatrock River. Portions of Riverside Drive north of US Highway 31 are flooded. According to the Columbus Response Plan...Indianapolis Road is flooded.
• 12 ftOn April 6, 2011 after reaching 13 feet...Noblitt Park...CR 400N and Owens Bend Park remained flooded.
• 10.5 ftApproaching flood stage on the Flatrock River at Columbus. CR 550 N flooded according to Columbus Flood Response Plan.
• 10.4 ftAfter the Great Flood of June 2008...both north and south bound US Highway 31 were reopened after reaching a record stage of 19.83 feet.
• 9.8 ftAt this level on April 20, 2011 CR 400N to Columbus Airport was closed because of high water. Reading at St. Paul was 6.00 feet.
• 9.51 ftAfter the Great Flood of June 2008...SR 252 from I-65 to SR 9 remained closed. The river reading at St. Paul was only 2.57 feet...but had crested earlier at 12.82 feet.
• 9.3 ftDuring the evening of April 25, 2011 CR 400N to the Columbus Airport was closed because of high water. Reading at St. Paul was 5.4 feet.
• 7.9 ftRiver at a dangerour level for small watercraft near low head dams. Man rescued in southern Shelby County on November 20, 2017 at Shelby CR 300E and Vandalia Raod when trapped at a low head dam.

Highest crests on record

1. 19.94 ft — June 7, 2008
2. 16.45 ft — January 7, 2005
3. 16.22 ft — April 6, 2025
4. 16.22 ft — April 6, 2025
5. 15.68 ft — February 8, 2019

Recent crests: 13.42 ft (August 15, 2026) · 11.94 ft (May 21, 2026) · 14.83 ft (March 5, 2026) · 16.22 ft (April 6, 2025) · 16.22 ft (April 6, 2025)

Up and down the river, and nearby

• UpstreamFlatrock River at St. Paul, IN
• DownstreamEast Fork White River at Columbus, IN
• Haw Creek (IN) at East Columbus, IN
• Haw Creek (IN) near Clifford, IN
• Clifty Creek near Columbus, IN
• Driftwood River near Edinburgh, IN
• Haw Creek (IN) at Hope, IN
• Sugar Creek (central) near Edinburgh, IN
• Clifty Creek at Hartsville, IN