Little Osage River at Horton, MO
River level and flood forecast · Vernon County
Normal27.2 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 13.8 ft below flood stage (41 ft).
Flow: 9 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 50 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 45 ft |
| Flood stage | 41 ft |
| Action stage | 39 ft |
| Record crest (July 2, 2007) | 53.37 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 59.4 ftthe is the record stage level reached on October 4, 1986.
- 59 ftflood waters overtop the Interstate 49, former U.S Highway 71, bridge at the gage site.
- 55 ftflood waters reach within four feet of flowing over Interstate 49...former U.S. Highway 71...north of Horton at the gage site. In addition...flood waters begin to impact portions of Interstate 49 southbound lane...near the Douglas Branch and Marmaton River junction.
- 53 ftflood waters reach the bottom portion of the I-Beam along the U.S. Highway 71 bridge at the gage site, north of Horton.
- 50 ftmajor flooding occurs at the gage site. Flood waters are within two feet of the Old U.S. Highway 71 bridge south of Horton. Some homes near the Little Osage River flood due to backwater effects from tributaries of the Little Osage River along Interstate 49. In addition, low areas along the Little Osage River near Metz and Stotesbury, or on Route V and Route WW are impassable.
- 48 ftflood waters impact county roads west of Interstate 49, along the Little Osage River. Especially, low areas along Route D, Route V, and Route WW, or near the communities of Stotesbury and Metz are affected by flood waters.
- 45 ftmoderate flooding occurs at the gage site. Low lying areas along Route D near Stotesbury flood.
- 41 ftminor flooding affects low lying areas near the gage site and farmland along the river.
Highest crests on record
- 53.37 ft — July 2, 2007
- 51.8 ft — April 13, 1994
- 49.03 ft — May 23, 2019
- 47.9 ft — May 2, 2017
- 47.59 ft — September 17, 1998
Recent crests: 44 ft (June 4, 2022) · 44.17 ft (May 27, 2022) · 41.35 ft (May 20, 2022) · 45.61 ft (May 8, 2022) · 41.17 ft (May 3, 2022)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (HTNM7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.