Okatoma Creek level at Seminary
Mississippi · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 02472850 — OKATOMA CREEK AT SANFORD, MS · NWS forecast point OKCM6
Reading taken · as of 43 min ago
Low and slow — expect to drag in the shallows
At 81 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest 10% of the 31 years USGS has recorded for this date (1995–2026), at 61% of the 132 CFS median.
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Flow history at Seminary
Daily values from USGS 02472850, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for OKCM6 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Seminary
11 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 24.76 ft | — | Mar 11, 2016 |
| 23.65 ft | 11,500 CFS | Mar 4, 2001 |
| 22.41 ft | 9,780 CFS | Feb 24, 2003 |
| 20.47 ft | 8,140 CFS | Mar 31, 2005 |
| 20.13 ft | 7,890 CFS | Feb 8, 2004 |
| 19.69 ft | 7,150 CFS | Apr 29, 1997 |
| 19.25 ft | — | Apr 13, 2009 |
| 19.11 ft | — | Mar 9, 2011 |
| 18.52 ft | 6,810 CFS | Feb 12, 2013 |
| 14.00 ft | 3,800 CFS | Apr 25, 1995 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Okatoma Creek at Seminary
The station is published by USGS as Okatoma Creek at Sanford, which is the name to look for if you are cross checking this reading. It drains 257 square miles and reports both discharge and gage height.
For a creek this size the range is severe. The published daily record runs from 52 CFS on 17 July 2000 to 11,300 CFS on 11 March 2016, a factor of more than two hundred, and the instantaneous peak that day reached 13,500 CFS at a stage of 24.76 feet. The seasonal shape is equally pronounced: a median of 431 CFS in February against 123 in October. Statistics cover 1995 to 2026.
Okatoma Creek at Seminary — common questions
5 questions
How quickly can this creek change?
The record suggests very quickly. The highest daily mean on file is 11,300 CFS and the lowest is 52, both within a 1995 to 2026 statistics window, on a 257 square mile drainage with no dam moderating it. The March 2016 event crested at 24.76 feet. A number that is reasonable in the morning is not a guarantee about the afternoon.
Does this page show gage height as well as discharge?
Yes. The station reports both parameters, discharge in CFS and gage height in feet, and both are on this page. The percent of normal comparison is computed on discharge, because that is the parameter USGS publishes daily statistics for at this site. If you are matching against a stage figure quoted locally, use the gage height reading rather than the CFS number.
Does rain upstream change Okatoma Creek at Seminary quickly?
Yes. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Okatoma Creek at Seminary high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 132 CFS, from 31 years of record (1995–2026). Today sits in the lowest 10% of those years, at 61% of the median. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 02472850 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for OKCM6 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.