Black River at Poplar Bluff, MO
River level and flood forecast · Butler County
Normal-0.4 ftas of Mon 1:15 PM
The river is 16.4 ft below flood stage (16 ft).
Forecast to hold near -0.4 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 280 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:17 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 21 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 19 ft |
| Flood stage | 16 ft |
| Action stage | 12 ft |
| Record crest (March 20, 2008) | 22.15 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 18 ftU.S. Highway 60 begins to flood heading toward Baskey.
- 17 ftFarmland south of Poplar Bluff floods.
- 16 ftMinor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding low lying areas. If the water continues to rise, Hillcrest Park will be affected.
- 13 ftThe Black River enters the Palmer Slough flood plain.
Highest crests on record
- 22.15 ft — March 20, 2008
- 21.96 ft — May 1, 2017
- 21.68 ft — December 4, 1982
- 21.41 ft — April 26, 2011
- 21.1 ft — March 12, 1935
Recent crests: 19.9 ft (April 6, 2025) · 17.27 ft (May 28, 2024) · 17.4 ft (March 4, 2023) · 18.71 ft (January 12, 2020) · 16.42 ft (February 25, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (PPBM7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.