Missouri River at Jefferson City, MO
River level and flood forecast · Cole County
Normal10.7 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 12.3 ft below flood stage (23 ft).
Forecast to rise to 12.0 ft Sat 7 AM, below the 23 ft flood stage.
Flow: 85,900 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:21 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 30 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 25 ft |
| Flood stage | 23 ft |
| Action stage | 21 ft |
| Record crest (July 30, 1993) | 38.65 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 39.2 ftThe water treatment plant at McBaine begins flooding near this height.
- 39 ftInterstate 70 just west of the Rocheport bridge begins flooding near this height.
- 37 ftU.S. Highway 54 north of the U.S. Highway 63 split in Callaway County begins flooding near this height.
- 36 ftOn the NW side of Jefferson City, Highway 179 at Boonville Road and Western Air Street begin flooding. On the SE side, Eastland Drive, St. Louis Road, and East McCarty Street begin flooding.
- 35 ftMissouri Boulevard at the Expressway begin to flood.
- 34.1 ftBoth lanes of U.S. Highway 63, north of Jefferson City, begin to flood. Also, Highway 50 begins flooding near this height.
- 33.5 ftThe Cole Junction levee northwest of Jefferson City is overtopped near this height.
- 32 ftHighway 179 at Marion, west of Jefferson City, floods. In downtown Jefferson City, Missouri Boulevard, Broadway Street, and West Dunklin Street all begin flooding. Also, this represents the protection level of the levee protecting Hartsburg, MO and the Rievaux levee just west of Wainwright.
- 31.1 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Claysville.
- 31 ftRailroad tracks begin to flood. The Cedar City levee at the Highway 63 bridge, the Capitol View levee south of the airport, the Wainwright levee, and the Jacobs levee near Tebbetts all overtop near this height.
- 30.5 ftThe Renz levee upstream of Jefferson City and north of the Missouri River and the Capitol View levee protecting the airport are overtopped near this height.
- 30.1 ftPower plant operations are affected. Airport property begins to flood.
- 30 ftThe Tebbetts East Levee south and east of Tebbetts and the Cole Junction levee just northwest of Jefferson City are overtopped near this height. Also...the Prison Farm and Hartsburg Section 3 levees are overtopped near this height. Washington Park along Wears Creek begins flooding.
- 29.1 ftThe Katy Trail floods between McBaine and Easley.
- 29 ftOsage City on the Osage River may begin flooding from backwater. This is particularly true when the St. Thomas gage is above 11 feet. Also, the prison farm levee 7 to 10 miles north of Jefferson City will overtop near this stage.
- 28 ftWalnut Street just southwest of the U.S. Highway 50/63 intersection begins flooding.
- 27 ftNear this height, Highway 94 near Portland and Harold Cunningham and Fox Hollow Roads near Easley begin flooding.
- 26.6 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Wilton.
- 26.5 ftThe Katy Trail floods near Easley.
- 26.3 ftState Route 179 near Sandy Hook is closed due to flooding. Also, State Highway K one mile east of McBaine in Boone County is closed.
- 24.5 ftThe Katy Trail Floods near Rocheport.
Highest crests on record
- 38.65 ft — July 30, 1993
- 34.2 ft — July 18, 1951
- 33.41 ft — June 7, 2019
- 33.05 ft — May 19, 1995
- 32.6 ft — October 5, 1986
Recent crests: 24.18 ft (June 8, 2026) · 26.46 ft (July 5, 2024) · 23.95 ft (April 30, 2024) · 27.58 ft (June 28, 2021) · 25.16 ft (March 19, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (JFFM7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.