Big Black River near Bentonia, MS
River level and flood forecast · Madison County
Normal4.1 ftas of Mon 1 PM
The river is 17.9 ft below flood stage (22 ft).
Forecast to hold near 4.1 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 101 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:08 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 29 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 25 ft |
| Flood stage | 22 ft |
| Action stage | 21 ft |
| Record crest (May 23, 1983) | 32.48 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 43 ftRiver reaches gage house along Highway 49.
- 40 ftWater is near the road surface on the Highway 49 bridge over the Big Black River.
- 37.5 ftWater is approaching the underclearance of the Highway 49 bridge.
- 32.47 ftThe river is at the flood of record.
- 29 ftAgricultural land along the river is devastated by flood waters.
- 28 ftDevastating flooding of agricultural land begins to occur.
- 26.5 ftFlooding of agricultural land has more than doubled in the last 1.5 feet rise.
- 25 ftExtensive flooding of agricultural land is occurring.
- 23.5 ftAgricultural land near the river begins to flood.
- 22 ftLow lying woodland areas along the river begins to flood.
- 21 ftMinor low land flooding occurs along the river.
Highest crests on record
- 32.48 ft — May 23, 1983
- 31.81 ft — April 15, 1979
- 31.64 ft — March 30, 1951
- 31.35 ft — December 19, 1961
- 31.2 ft — February 13, 2020
Recent crests: 25.57 ft (July 23, 2021) · 28.47 ft (June 15, 2021) · 24.32 ft (April 14, 2021) · 24.75 ft (September 28, 2020) · 27.5 ft (April 26, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamBig Black River at West, MS
- DownstreamBig Black River near Bovina, MS
- Hanging Moss Creek near Jackson, MS
- Eubanks Creek at Eagle Avenue/Jackson, MS
- White Oak Creek at Westbrook Road /Jackson, MS
- Eubanks Creek at Eubanks Ck/Jackson, MS
- Belhaven Creek at Riverside Drive/Jackson, MS
- Pearl River at Ross Barnett Reservoir, MS
- Belhaven Creek at Laurel Street/Jackson, MS
- Town Creek (Central MS) above Town Creek/Jackson, MS
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (BTAM6); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.