Missouri River at Nebraska City, NE
River level and flood forecast · Otoe County
Normal9.3 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 8.7 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Forecast to fall to 8.8 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 35,600 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:24 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 27 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 23 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 17 ft |
| Record crest (March 16, 2019) | 30.12 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 27 ftWater nears the top of the federal levees.
- 25.5 ftHighway 2 may begin to flood.
- 25 ftThough not in danger of flooding yet, flood preparations begin for critical facilities along this portion of the river.
- 23 ftAreas and infrastructure along, and including, North First Street flood in Nebraska City.
- 20 ftThough flooding is already ongoing, this is the level when flooding starts becoming more impactful, especially to agricultural areas.
- 17 ftAgricultural lowlands along the river begin to flood.
Highest crests on record
- 30.12 ft — March 16, 2019
- 28.27 ft — June 28, 2011
- 27.19 ft — July 23, 1993
- 25.21 ft — June 21, 2010
- 24.78 ft — June 15, 1984
Recent crests: 16.74 ft (June 27, 2025) · 24.35 ft (June 30, 2024) · 11.86 ft (March 1, 2023) · 11.92 ft (June 18, 2022) · 14.25 ft (March 16, 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 (NEBN1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.