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Connecticut River at Hartford

Highest listed crest 37.60 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft207 crests since 1843

The Connecticut River at Hartford crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 207 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1843 to 2025. The highest, 37.60 ft on March 21, 1936, was major flooding, 21.60 feet above flood stage. 9 other gauges on the Connecticut River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 7 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
37.60 ft
March 21, 1936; 260,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
7
4th of 26 gauges in Connecticut
Most recent flood crest
May 12, 2025
19.20 ft, minor flooding
Location
Hartford County
Near Hartford (0.8 mi), New Britain (8.8 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Connecticut River at Hartford
Action stage12.010Dec 9, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.0169May 12, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.021Dec 14, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.07Jun 1, 1984Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

207 crests from 1843 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Connecticut River at Hartford, 1843 to 2025 10203040ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Mar 29, 1843: 26.70 ft, moderate flooding; 157,000 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1843: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1845: 18.50 ft, minor flooding; 83,000 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1846: 18.30 ft, minor flooding; 82,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1847: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1848: 15.50 ft, action stage; 63,000 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 1848: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 73,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1850: 21.50 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1851: 14.00 ft, action stage; 54,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1852: 22.60 ft, minor flooding; 116,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1853: 15.50 ft, action stage; 63,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1854: 29.30 ft, major flooding; 185,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1855: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1856: 22.80 ft, minor flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1857: 19.00 ft, minor flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 1857: 17.70 ft, minor flooding; 77,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1859: 25.90 ft, moderate flooding; 148,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1860: 15.50 ft, action stage; 63,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1861: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1862: 28.20 ft, major flooding; 173,000 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1863: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 108,000 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1864: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 71,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1865: 24.30 ft, moderate flooding; 132,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1866: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 96,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1867: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 90,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1868: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1869: 26.20 ft, moderate flooding; 152,000 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1869: 25.80 ft, moderate flooding; 148,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1871: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 81,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1872: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 98,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1873: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 99,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1874: 23.40 ft, minor flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1875: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 81,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1876: 21.50 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1877: 22.40 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1878: 18.00 ft, minor flooding; 79,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1879: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1880: 14.90 ft, action stage; 60,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1881: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1882: 14.30 ft, action stage; 57,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1883: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 95,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1884: 21.10 ft, minor flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1885: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 76,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1886: 21.30 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1887: 22.00 ft, minor flooding; 111,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1888: 18.90 ft, minor flooding; 85,000 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1889: 15.10 ft, action stage; 62,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1891: 19.30 ft, minor flooding; 88,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1892: 17.80 ft, minor flooding; 78,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1893: 23.50 ft, minor flooding; 124,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1894: 13.30 ft, action stage; 51,000 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1895: 25.20 ft, moderate flooding; 142,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1896: 26.00 ft, moderate flooding; 144,000 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1897: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 96,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1898: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1899: 21.50 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1900: 22.80 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 1901: 26.40 ft, moderate floodingMar 4, 1902: 25.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 25, 1903: 23.30 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1904: 21.40 ft, minor floodingApr 2, 1905: 24.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 18, 1906: 20.10 ft, minor floodingNov 9, 1907: 20.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 1908: 18.50 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1909: 24.70 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1910: 20.20 ft, minor floodingOct 20, 1911: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1912: 21.20 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1913: 26.30 ft, moderate floodingApr 23, 1914: 21.90 ft, minor floodingAug 6, 1915: 16.50 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1916: 20.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1917: 18.30 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1918: 18.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1919: 19.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1920: 22.50 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1921: 19.90 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1922: 24.50 ft, moderate floodingApr 8, 1923: 22.00 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1924: 20.70 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1925: 20.50 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 1926: 20.80 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 1927: 29.00 ft, major floodingApr 10, 1928: 18.60 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1929: 18.90 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 1931: 17.90 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1932: 20.50 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 1933: 26.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 14, 1934: 23.10 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 1935: 20.70 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 1936: 37.60 ft, major flooding; 260,000 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1937: 21.10 ft, minor floodingSep 23, 1938: 35.40 ft, major floodingApr 25, 1939: 21.80 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1940: 23.60 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1943: 17.90 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1944: 18.60 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1945: 20.90 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1946: 18.00 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1947: 20.30 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1948: 24.52 ft, moderate floodingJan 2, 1949: 25.52 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1950: 18.88 ft, minor floodingApr 2, 1951: 22.06 ft, minor floodingJun 4, 1952: 22.20 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1953: 25.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 20, 1954: 18.80 ft, minor floodingAug 20, 1955: 30.60 ft, major floodingMay 2, 1956: 22.10 ft, minor floodingDec 23, 1957: 16.60 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 1958: 22.10 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1959: 20.70 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 1960: 27.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 25, 1961: 17.80 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1962: 20.50 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1963: 19.30 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1964: 18.50 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1967: 18.44 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1968: 21.50 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1969: 23.19 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 1970: 18.30 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1971: 18.28 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1972: 20.56 ft, minor floodingJul 3, 1973: 21.38 ft, minor floodingDec 23, 1973: 21.35 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 1974: 17.86 ft, minor floodingOct 22, 1975: 19.72 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1976: 22.47 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1977: 23.04 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 1978: 16.55 ft, minor floodingMar 8, 1979: 21.57 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 1980: 19.06 ft, minor flooding; 87,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1981: 21.56 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1982: 20.99 ft, minor flooding; 101,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1983: 21.00 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1984: 30.74 ft, major flooding; 192,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1986: 18.96 ft, minor flooding; 83,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1987: 25.60 ft, moderate flooding; 139,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1988: 16.61 ft, minor flooding; 71,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1989: 18.76 ft, minor flooding; 85,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1992: 16.70 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 1993: 20.94 ft, minor floodingNov 15, 1995: 15.90 ft, action stage; 63,700 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1996: 20.70 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 1996: 21.56 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1996: 20.90 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1996: 18.60 ft, minor floodingApr 10, 1997: 18.20 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 1997: 17.10 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 1998: 19.20 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1998: 16.90 ft, minor floodingApr 2, 1998: 21.64 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 17.30 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1999: 17.40 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 1999: 17.20 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 2000: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 72,100 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2001: 20.20 ft, minor flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2003: 19.14 ft, minor flooding; 92,000 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2003: 19.95 ft, minor flooding; 98,100 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2003: 16.30 ft, minor flooding; 66,149 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2004: 20.01 ft, minor flooding; 89,866 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2005: 22.04 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2005: 17.51 ft, minor flooding; 73,709 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2005: 20.90 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 2005: 20.72 ft, minor floodingOct 27, 2005: 20.40 ft, minor flooding; 92,440 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2006: 17.13 ft, minor flooding; 71,467 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2006: 17.84 ft, minor flooding; 75,656 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2007: 23.38 ft, minor flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2008: 18.87 ft, minor flooding; 82,342 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2008: 18.95 ft, minor flooding; 87,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2008: 16.54 ft, minor flooding; 67,710 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2008: 17.36 ft, minor flooding; 72,824 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2008: 18.94 ft, minor flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2009: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 69,270 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2010: 19.42 ft, minor flooding; 85,972 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2010: 21.29 ft, minor flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2011: 19.41 ft, minor flooding; 85,906 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2011: 17.78 ft, minor flooding; 75,302 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 16.93 ft, minor flooding; 70,245 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2011: 20.16 ft, minor flooding; 90,856 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2011: 17.08 ft, minor flooding; 71,172 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2011: 24.78 ft, moderate flooding; 125,240 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2011: 21.55 ft, minor flooding; 100,029 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2011: 15.60 ft, action stage; 64,900 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2013: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 84,900 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2014: 20.05 ft, minor flooding; 90,130 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2016: 19.21 ft, minor flooding; 84,586 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2017: 16.09 ft, minor flooding; 64,785 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2017: 17.16 ft, minor flooding; 71,644 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 2017: 16.82 ft, minor flooding; 69,530 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2018: 16.32 ft, minor flooding; 66,280 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 2018: 17.37 ft, minor flooding; 72,883 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2018: 18.70 ft, minor flooding; 81,220 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2019: 20.29 ft, minor flooding; 91,714 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2020: 16.29 ft, minor flooding; 66,085 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2020: 18.56 ft, minor flooding; 80,296 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2023: 21.08 ft, minor flooding; 97,500 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2023: 18.37 ft, minor flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2023: 25.96 ft, moderate flooding; 134,680 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2023: 21.69 ft, minor flooding; 100,954 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2024: 19.11 ft, minor flooding; 83,926 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2024: 19.95 ft, minor flooding; 89,800 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2025: 18.24 ft, minor flooding; 79,300 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2025: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 70,720 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 19.20 ft, minor flooding; 85,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 37.60 ft, Mar 21, 1936 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Connecticut River at Hartford 1840s: 6 1850s: 8 1860s: 10 1870s: 9 1880s: 7 1890s: 8 1900s: 10 1910s: 10 1920s: 10 1930s: 9 1940s: 8 1950s: 10 1960s: 8 1970s: 11 1980s: 9 1990s: 14 2000s: 20 20 2010s: 19 2020s: 11 1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 207 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Connecticut River at Hartford
1Mar 21, 193637.60+21.60Major260,000
2Sep 23, 193835.40+19.40Major—
3Jun 1, 198430.74+14.74Major192,000
4Aug 20, 195530.60+14.60Major—
5May 1, 185429.30+13.30Major185,000
6Dec 10, 192729.00+13.00Major—
7Apr 21, 186228.20+12.20Major173,000
8Apr 7, 196027.60+11.60Moderate—
9Mar 29, 184326.70+10.70Moderate157,000
10Apr 9, 190126.40+10.40Moderate—
11Mar 29, 191326.30+10.30Moderate—
12Apr 23, 186926.20+10.20Moderate152,000
13Mar 3, 189626.00+10.00Moderate144,000
14Apr 21, 193326.00+10.00Moderate—
15Dec 14, 202325.96+9.96Moderate134,680
16Mar 20, 185925.90+9.90Moderate148,000
17Oct 6, 186925.80+9.80Moderate148,000
18Apr 8, 198725.60+9.60Moderate139,000
19Jan 2, 194925.52+9.52Moderate—
20Mar 4, 190225.50+9.50Moderate—
21Apr 16, 189525.20+9.20Moderate142,000
22Mar 29, 195325.00+9.00Moderate—
23Aug 31, 201124.78+8.78Moderate125,240
24Apr 17, 190924.70+8.70Moderate—
25Mar 24, 194824.52+8.52Moderate—
26Apr 14, 192224.50+8.50Moderate—
27Mar 20, 186524.30+8.30Moderate132,000
28Apr 2, 190524.00+8.00Moderate—
29May 6, 194023.60+7.60Minor—
30May 6, 189323.50+7.50Minor124,000
31Jan 9, 187423.40+7.40Minor123,000
32Apr 18, 200723.38+7.38Minor120,000
33Mar 25, 190323.30+7.30Minor—
34Apr 24, 196923.19+7.19Minor—
35Apr 14, 193423.10+7.10Minor—
36Mar 16, 197723.04+7.04Minor—
37Aug 22, 185622.80+6.80Minor117,000
38Apr 22, 190022.80+6.80Minor—
39Apr 24, 185222.60+6.60Minor116,000
40Mar 30, 192022.50+6.50Minor—
41Apr 4, 197622.47+6.47Minor—
42May 29, 187722.40+6.40Minor113,000
43Jun 4, 195222.20+6.20Minor—
44May 2, 195622.10+6.10Minor—
45Apr 25, 195822.10+6.10Minor—
46Apr 2, 195122.06+6.06Minor—
47Apr 5, 200522.04+6.04Minor113,000
48Apr 13, 188722.00+6.00Minor111,000
49Apr 8, 192322.00+6.00Minor—
50Apr 23, 191421.90+5.90Minor—

The worst floods along the Connecticut River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Connecticut River that crested above flood stage within a week.

March 21, 1936: 37.60 ft here, major flooding

  • NorthamptonMA · Mar 19, 1936 · 129.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • MontagueMA · Mar 19, 1936 · 49.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • North WalpoleNH · Mar 19, 1936 · 43.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • West LebanonNH · Mar 19, 1936 · 32.60 ft · Major
  • SpringfieldMA · Mar 20, 1936 · 28.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • ThompsonvilleCT · Mar 20, 1936 · 26.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • DaltonNH · Mar 20, 1936 · 25.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • Holyoke - UpperMA · Mar 19, 1936 · 16.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • North StratfordNH · Mar 19, 1936 · 14.64 ft · Minor

September 23, 1938: 35.40 ft here, major flooding

June 1, 1984: 30.74 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Connecticut River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Connecticut River
DaltonNH18.025.60 ft, Mar 20, 19363
Hartford this gaugeCT16.037.60 ft, Mar 21, 19367
HolyokeMA26.527.73 ft, Aug 30, 20110
Holyoke - UpperMA9.016.80 ft, Mar 19, 193610
Middle HaddamCT7.011.20 ft, Dec 21, 20230
MontagueMA28.049.20 ft, Mar 19, 19362
North StratfordNH13.016.66 ft, Mar 13, 19360
North WalpoleNH28.043.80 ft, Mar 19, 19362
NorthamptonMA112.0129.40 ft, Mar 19, 19363
SpringfieldMA20.028.60 ft, Mar 20, 19362
ThompsonvilleCT15.026.60 ft, Mar 20, 19367
Wells RiverVT12.017.35 ft, Jul 1, 19731
West LebanonNH23.035.00 ft, Nov 4, 19274

Other gauges in Hartford County

Flood gauges in Hartford County
Broad Brook7.08.78 ft, Oct 15, 20050
Burlington7.09.33 ft, Oct 15, 20052
Thompsonville15.026.60 ft, Mar 20, 19367
Simsbury12.030.10 ft, Aug 20, 19553
Tariffville9.014.00 ft, Sep 22, 19381
Unionville12.018.55 ft, Aug 28, 20110
East Hartford9.013.78 ft, Sep 21, 19381
Hartford8.018.80 ft, Aug 19, 19551
Southington8.510.49 ft, Jan 10, 20240

Hartford County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Connecticut

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HFDC3, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.