Wabash River at Montezuma, IN
River level and flood forecast · Parke County
Normal6.5 ftas of Mon 4:45 PM
The river is 7.5 ft below flood stage (14 ft).
Flow: 6,590 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Thu, Sep 24, 10:35 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 31 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 24 ft |
| Flood stage | 14 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (March 27, 1913) | 34 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 34 ftA record flood is in progress. Many evacuations in southern Montezuma are necessary. High water in southern Montezuma is 4 to 6 feet deep. Flood waters are at the edge of Hillsdale.
- 31 ftMajor flooding is in progress. Extensive flooding in southern portion of Montezuma. The town of Mecca is cut into two parts by backwater from the Wabash River up Raccoon Creek.
- 30.5 ftA dangerous flood is in progress. Water backs in old Wabash-Erie canal and begins to flood southeast part of Montezuma. Residents on Water Street must evacuate. Streets near park begin to flood.
- 29 ftExtensive flooding is in progress. Sandbagging begins in the town of Montezuma.
- 28 ftFlooding affects residential and commercial property in lowest areas along Water Street and in southern Montezuma. County Road 725 south of Hillsdale begins to flood.
- 27 ftExtensive agricultural flooding is in progress. State Road 234 near Lodi may have as much as one foot of water on it. Several county roads extensively flooded in Vermillion...Fountain and Parke Counties.
- 26 ftExtensive lowland flooding in progress. Flood waters at the edge of SR 234 near Lodi just west of the bridge over the Wabash River. Several county roads in Fountain, Parke and Vermillion counties are flooded, some by more than 2 feet of water.
- 25.5 ftExtensive lowland flooding in progress. The eastern most part of Vermillion CR 600 S impassable just north of U.S. 36. The lowest portions of Wabash Road west of Parke CR 600 W begin to flood. Montezuma Public Access Site and low portions of Montezuma Park under water.
- 24 ftFloodwater is near the top of all agricultural levees. Some county roads are impassable. High water isolates a few rural residents. Basement flooding begins along Water Street in Montezuma. Medusa Aggregates Company Plant Number 9 begins to flood.
- 20 ftPark in southern Montezuma begins to flood. Higher bottomlands begin to flood. Water backs up most local tributaries. River water is at the top of some private levees. Lowest county roads begin to flood. Parke CR 75 W begins to flood.
- 18 ftMontezuma agricultural levee is overtopped. Fourteen hundred acres of low bottomlands flood.
- 14 ftSeveral hundred acres of bottomlands along the right bank from the mouth of Sugar Creek to northern edge of Montezuma begin to flood.
- 10 ftWater level prevents bottomlands protected by levees from draining.
Highest crests on record
- 34 ft — March 27, 1913
- 32.83 ft — May 20, 1943
- 32.06 ft — June 15, 1958
- 31.97 ft — January 15, 2005
- 31.9 ft — April 21, 2013
Recent crests: 26.44 ft (August 18, 2026) · 19.04 ft (June 20, 2026) · 14.55 ft (May 7, 2026) · 17.52 ft (April 30, 2026) · 20.99 ft (April 6, 2026)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamWabash River at Covington, IN
- DownstreamWabash River at Terre Haute...US Hwy 150 Eastbound, IN
- Big Raccoon Creek at Coxville, IN
- Big Raccoon Creek at Ferndale, IN
- Big Raccoon Creek near Fincastle, IN
- Sugar Creek at West Terre Haute, IN, IN
- Vermilion River (E-IL) near Danville, IL
- Big Walnut Creek (IN) near Reelsville, IN
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MTZI3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.