Middle Loup River near St. Paul, NE
River level and flood forecast · Howard County
Normal2.0 ftas of Mon 3:15 PM
The river is 6.0 ft below flood stage (8 ft).
Flow: 1,320 cubic feet per second (USGS).
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 | 12 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 10 ft |
| Flood stage | 8 ft |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
| Record crest (June 23, 1947) | 12.69 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 14.8 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Highway 281 bridge.
- 12 ftWater will reach the bottom of the railroad bridge. Widespread flooding occurs in lowlands and agricultural lands. The town of Saint Paul is not in the flood plain. There are no major roads or highways in the flood plain. A record flood of 12.69 feet occurred in June of 1947.
- 10 ftFlooding occurs in lowlands, agricultural areas, and woodlands.
- 8 ftFlooding occurs in lowlands, agricultural areas, and woodlands adjacent to the river.
Highest crests on record
- 12.69 ft — June 23, 1947
- 12.21 ft — March 17, 1978
- 9.54 ft — March 14, 2019
- 8.5 ft — June 15, 1967
- 8.32 ft — March 7, 1993
Recent crests: 4.04 ft (June 26, 2025) · 4.75 ft (June 22, 2024) · 3.51 ft (January 1, 2023) · 3.65 ft (January 18, 2022) · 5.3 ft (January 28, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamLoup River near Genoa, NE
- North Loup River near St. Paul, NE
- South Loup River at St. Michael, NE
- Warm Slough near Central City, NE
- Wood River at Grand Island Diversion, NE
- Platte River near Grand Island, NE
- Cedar River near Fullerton, NE
- Loup River Power Canal near Genoa, NE
- Silver Creek near Silver Creek, NE
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SPLN1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.