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Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave

Highest listed crest 17.72 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft67 crests since 1876

The Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1876 to 2025. The highest, 17.72 ft on October 17, 1942, was major flooding, 11.72 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Potomac River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.72 ft
October 17, 1942
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
9
2nd of 6 gauges in District of Columbia
Most recent flood crest
May 16, 2025
8.88 ft, moderate flooding
Location
District of Columbia
Near Washington (2.8 mi), Alexandria (5.9 mi), Falls Church (5.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave
Action stage5.52Mar 28, 2010The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.029May 1, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.027May 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.09Mar 15, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1876 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave, 1876 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Sep 18, 1876: 7.90 ft, moderate floodingOct 13, 1893: 9.80 ft, moderate floodingSep 30, 1896: 7.00 ft, moderate floodingOct 30, 1924: 7.80 ft, moderate floodingMar 19, 1936: 17.30 ft, major floodingApr 28, 1937: 14.30 ft, major floodingOct 30, 1937: 7.80 ft, moderate floodingOct 17, 1942: 17.72 ft, major floodingOct 15, 1954: 8.90 ft, moderate floodingAug 20, 1955: 8.80 ft, moderate floodingJun 24, 1972: 15.45 ft, major floodingNov 7, 1985: 11.76 ft, major floodingNov 1, 1991: 5.97 ft, action stageDec 10, 1992: 6.29 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1993: 8.29 ft, moderate floodingMar 25, 1993: 6.49 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 1993: 6.53 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1994: 7.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 21, 1996: 13.88 ft, major floodingSep 9, 1996: 13.75 ft, major floodingNov 9, 1997: 6.48 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 1998: 6.73 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 1998: 7.84 ft, moderate floodingFeb 19, 1998: 6.82 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 1998: 6.22 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1998: 7.61 ft, moderate floodingJan 3, 2003: 6.24 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 2003: 6.28 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2003: 11.27 ft, major floodingSep 23, 2003: 7.13 ft, moderate floodingJan 27, 2010: 7.68 ft, moderate floodingMar 15, 2010: 10.42 ft, major floodingMar 28, 2010: 5.97 ft, action stageMar 12, 2011: 7.81 ft, moderate floodingApr 18, 2011: 9.01 ft, moderate floodingMay 20, 2011: 8.63 ft, moderate floodingSep 9, 2011: 7.11 ft, moderate floodingNov 1, 2012: 7.62 ft, moderate floodingMar 10, 2013: 6.16 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 2013: 6.26 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2014: 8.88 ft, moderate floodingOct 4, 2015: 6.44 ft, minor floodingOct 29, 2015: 6.22 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 2017: 6.34 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 2018: 6.48 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 2018: 6.22 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 2018: 7.51 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 2018: 9.63 ft, moderate floodingJun 24, 2018: 6.36 ft, minor floodingJul 23, 2018: 6.00 ft, minor floodingSep 11, 2018: 8.97 ft, moderate floodingSep 30, 2018: 8.81 ft, moderate floodingNov 27, 2018: 6.86 ft, minor floodingDec 17, 2018: 9.38 ft, moderate floodingDec 21, 2018: 6.70 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 2019: 6.06 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2019: 6.21 ft, minor floodingMay 7, 2019: 6.73 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 2019: 6.15 ft, minor floodingAug 27, 2019: 6.13 ft, minor floodingOct 13, 2019: 6.70 ft, minor floodingNov 1, 2019: 6.54 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2020: 6.11 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2020: 6.42 ft, minor floodingOct 29, 2021: 8.19 ft, moderate floodingJan 9, 2024: 7.35 ft, moderate floodingMay 16, 2025: 8.88 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 17.72 ft, Oct 17, 1942 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave 1870s: 1 1880s: 0 1890s: 2 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 3 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 13 2000s: 4 2010s: 31 31 2020s: 5 1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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.
  3. 7 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 14.05 ft on Nov 26, 1877; 13.63 ft on Feb 12, 1881; 10.50 ft on Mar 2, 1902; 13.80 ft on Feb 14, 1918; 12.80 ft on May 14, 1924; 8.10 ft on Apr 1, 1929; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Potomac River at Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave
1Oct 17, 194217.72+11.72Major—
2Mar 19, 193617.30+11.30Major—
3Jun 24, 197215.45+9.45Major—
4Apr 28, 193714.30+8.30Major—
5Jan 21, 199613.88+7.88Major—
6Sep 9, 199613.75+7.75Major—
7Nov 7, 198511.76+5.76Major—
8Sep 19, 200311.27+5.27Major—
9Mar 15, 201010.42+4.42Major—
10Oct 13, 18939.80+3.80Moderate—
11Jun 5, 20189.63+3.63Moderate—
12Dec 17, 20189.38+3.38Moderate—
13Apr 18, 20119.01+3.01Moderate—
14Sep 11, 20188.97+2.97Moderate—
15Oct 15, 19548.90+2.90Moderate—
16May 18, 20148.88+2.88Moderate—
17May 16, 20258.88+2.88Moderate—
18Sep 30, 20188.81+2.81Moderate—
19Aug 20, 19558.80+2.80Moderate—
20May 20, 20118.63+2.63Moderate—
21Mar 6, 19938.29+2.29Moderate—
22Oct 29, 20218.19+2.19Moderate—
23Sep 18, 18767.90+1.90Moderate—
24Feb 6, 19987.84+1.84Moderate—
25Mar 12, 20117.81+1.81Moderate—
26Oct 30, 19247.80+1.80Moderate—
27Oct 30, 19377.80+1.80Moderate—
28Jan 27, 20107.68+1.68Moderate—
29Nov 1, 20127.62+1.62Moderate—
30Mar 23, 19987.61+1.61Moderate—
31May 19, 20187.51+1.51Moderate—
32Jan 9, 20247.35+1.35Moderate—
33Mar 30, 19947.20+1.20Moderate—
34Sep 23, 20037.13+1.13Moderate—
35Sep 9, 20117.11+1.11Moderate—
36Sep 30, 18967.00+1.00Moderate—
37Nov 27, 20186.86+0.86Minor—
38Feb 19, 19986.82+0.82Minor—
39Jan 10, 19986.73+0.73Minor—
40May 7, 20196.73+0.73Minor—
41Dec 21, 20186.70+0.70Minor—
42Oct 13, 20196.70+0.70Minor—
43Nov 1, 20196.54+0.54Minor—
44Apr 18, 19936.53+0.53Minor—
45Mar 25, 19936.49+0.49Minor—
46Nov 9, 19976.48+0.48Minor—
47Mar 7, 20186.48+0.48Minor—
48Oct 4, 20156.44+0.44Minor—
49May 1, 20206.42+0.42Minor—
50Jun 24, 20186.36+0.36Minor—

The worst floods along the Potomac River

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

October 17, 1942: 17.72 ft here, major flooding

March 19, 1936: 17.30 ft here, major flooding

  • Paw PawMD · Mar 18, 1936 · 54.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • HancockMD · Mar 18, 1936 · 47.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • ShepherdstownWV · Mar 19, 1936 · 42.07 ft · Major · its highest
  • Point of RocksMD · Mar 19, 1936 · 41.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • Harpers FerryMD · Mar 19, 1936 · 36.50 ft · Major · its highest
  • AlexandriaDC · Mar 19, 1936 · 7.40 ft · Major

June 24, 1972: 15.45 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Potomac River

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

Flood gauges on the Potomac River
AlexandriaDC3.38.66 ft, Sep 19, 20032
Edwards FerryMD15.022.45 ft, Jun 5, 20180
Georgetown / Wisconsin Ave this gaugeDC6.017.72 ft, Oct 17, 19429
HancockMD25.047.60 ft, Mar 18, 19368
Harpers FerryMD18.036.50 ft, Mar 19, 193614
Lewisetta (IN MLLW)VA3.05.76 ft, Sep 1, 200611
Paw PawMD25.054.00 ft, Mar 18, 19368
Point of RocksMD16.041.03 ft, Mar 19, 193614
ShepherdstownWV15.042.07 ft, Mar 19, 193614
Washington DC (Little Falls)MD10.022.03 ft, Jun 24, 19724

Other gauges in District of Columbia

Flood gauges in District of Columbia
Alexandria3.38.66 ft, Sep 19, 20032
Joyce Road in Washington7.012.33 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Sherrill Drive/DC7.016.20 ft, Jun 22, 19727
SW Waterfront (IN MLLW)5.311.05 ft, Oct 17, 194213
Washington10.011.19 ft, Sep 10, 20200

District of Columbia: every hazard · River floods across the country · District of Columbia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GTND2, 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.