Osage River near Schell City, MO
River level and flood forecast · Vernon County
Normal9.3 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 20.7 ft below flood stage (30 ft).
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 | 45 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 35 ft |
| Flood stage | 30 ft |
| Action stage | 28 ft |
| Record crest (October 5, 1986) | 51.5 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 57.5 ftflood waters reach the top of Highway M Bridge at the gage site.
- 54.5 ftflood waters reach the bottom of the Highway M Bridge and cover three quarters of the instrument shelter which used to house the gaging equipment.
- 51.5 ftrecord crest on October 5 1986. Flood waters reach the southeast corner of the Post Office Building. Railroad tracks and much of the SE side of Schell City floods. The Old Service Station floods with two feet of water. Residences on Park Avenue may flood.
- 50 ftflood waters affect a few residences in Schell City. Flood waters also affect the railroad tracks east of town and the Old Service Station on the SE side of Schell City.
- 49.5 ftflood waters affect residences along Millers Branch and a small tributary in Schell City. Water levels back up and affect the low area of Park Avenue.
- 47.5 ftflood waters spill over the levees north of Schell City which begins to backwater Miller Branch. Water is several feet deep over portions of State Highway AA south of Schell City. Low areas on Old River Road, northwest of Schell City, become impassable north of Fifth Avenue. Flood waters reach the bottom I-beam of the Highway M Bridge. State Highway C becomes the only access to Schell City.
- 46.5 ftflood waters affect Highway M. Portions of Highway M south of the bridge become impassable.
- 45 ftmajor flooding occurs at the gage site. In addition, the town of Schell City can only be accessed by Highway C from Walker. The remaining highways and county roads on the west and northwest side of Schell City are impassable.
- 44 ftflood waters impact county roads on Ladies Branch, west of State Highway M, northwest of Schell City. Water is up to one foot in depth over portions of Highway AA south of Schell City.
- 43 ftflood waters impact Highway M, north of the M Highway Bridge and Highway AA south of Schell City. In addition, State Highway RA, heading into the Schell-Osage Conservation Area becomes impassable west of Lost Creek.
- 35 ftflooding occurs around the Schell-Osage Conservation area.
- 33 ftflood waters impact B Highway 2.5 miles east of Rich Hill in the vicinity of the Bates County Drainage Ditch.
- 32 ftflood waters impact all of the low lying areas in the Schell Osage Conservation Area as well as several county roads west of Schell City.
- 31.5 ftthe main road of the Schell Osage Conservation Area floods west of the conservation office. The north campground main road of the Schell Osage Conservation area floods.
- 31 ftflood waters impact low lying areas west of Schell City. County roads west and north of Route M become flooded. The Four River Conservation Area 10 miles west of Schell City floods.
- 30 ftflood waters affect the Schell Osage Conservation Area, the Old River Road North of Schell City and Lost Creek west of Schell Lake. Flood waters overflow the main river channel at the gage site.
- 28 ftflood waters impact roadways in the Schell Osage Wildlife Refuge area.
Highest crests on record
- 51.5 ft — October 5, 1986
- 48.83 ft — July 4, 2007
- 44.53 ft — May 29, 2019
- 39 ft — June 13, 1995
- 38.69 ft — June 13, 2019
Recent crests: 32.14 ft (June 5, 2022) · 31.32 ft (May 29, 2022) · 33.26 ft (May 9, 2022) · 31.79 ft (July 20, 2021) · 32.7 ft (June 30, 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 (SCZM7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.