Elkhorn River at Norfolk, NE

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

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

• 19.5 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Highway 81 bridge.
• 17 ftThe local levee protecting Tahazouka Park is overtopped.
• 16 ftU.S. Highway 81 will begin to be overtopped.
• 13 ftThe river is bankfull within the city limits of Norfolk. Outside the Norfolk area, serious flooding of lowlands and bridge approaches take place. Some county roads and rural homes flood.
• 12 ftConsiderable lowland flooding and approaches to bridges flood upstream and downstream of the gage for several miles.
• 10 ftThe trail under Highway 81 begins to flood.

Highest crests on record

1. 17.22 ft — June 15, 2010
2. 15.63 ft — March 11, 1949
3. 15.59 ft — March 14, 2019
4. 13.05 ft — May 31, 1995
5. 11.42 ft — June 8, 2008

Recent crests: 6.42 ft (July 11, 2025) · 8.04 ft (February 4, 2024) · 6.06 ft (February 27, 2023) · 4.44 ft (May 3, 2022) · 4.44 ft (March 15, 2021)

Up and down the river, and nearby

• DownstreamElkhorn River at Pilger, NE
• North Fork Elkhorn River near Pierce, NE
• Shell Creek near Columbus, NE
• Logan Creek near Wakefield, NE
• Elkhorn River at West Point, NE
• Logan Creek at Pender, NE
• Beaver Creek (Loup River tributary) at Genoa, NE
• Loup River near Genoa, NE