Little Blue River near Fairbury, NE
River level and flood forecast · Jefferson County
Normal8.2 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 10.3 ft below flood stage (18.5 ft).
Flow: 519 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Fri, Oct 2, 11:35 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 23 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 20 ft |
| Flood stage | 18.5 ft |
| Action stage | 17 ft |
| Record crest (May 7, 2015) | 25.48 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 27 ftThe top of the levee protecting Fairbury is overtopped. In addition, water may begin to impact the bottom of the Highway 136 bridge.
- 25.5 ftHighway 136 begins to flood east of the bridge.
- 23 ftWater will begin to overflow the stop log gate at the railroad tracks near the Highway 136 bridge. At this point water will flow into the town of Fairbury if additional flood protection measures are not taken.
- 21.5 ftWater starts going over the railroad tracks on the west end of Fairbury.
- 18.5 ftFrederick Street, located in the southwest corner of Fairbury, is closed due to high water.
- 17.5 ftWater overtops the right bank at the Highway 136 location, just west of town.
Highest crests on record
- 25.48 ft — May 7, 2015
- 23.17 ft — June 24, 2003
- 19.6 ft — August 2, 2007
- 19.52 ft — October 2, 2019
- 19.24 ft — June 5, 2008
Recent crests: 9.73 ft (June 8, 2024) · 10.74 ft (July 8, 2023) · 10.39 ft (July 8, 2022) · 12.88 ft (March 16, 2021) · 17.85 ft (July 27, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FRBN1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.