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Peace River at SR 60 Bartow

Highest listed crest 11.13 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft45 crests since 1947

The Peace River at SR 60 Bartow crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2024. The highest, 11.13 ft on September 12, 2004, was major flooding, 3.13 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Peace River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.13 ft
September 12, 2004
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
3
63rd of 237 gauges in Florida
Most recent flood crest
October 15, 2024
8.84 ft, minor flooding
Location
Polk County
Near Bartow (1.1 mi), Winter Haven (11.2 mi), Lake Wales (13.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Peace River at SR 60 Bartow
Action stage7.60—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.039Oct 15, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.23Sep 17, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.03Oct 2, 2022Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1947 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Peace River at SR 60 Bartow, 1947 to 2024 89101112ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Sep 24, 1947: 8.52 ft, minor flooding; 4,140 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1948: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 3,190 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1948: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 2,920 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1949: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 2,850 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1953: 8.97 ft, minor flooding; 2,030 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1953: 8.51 ft, minor flooding; 1,520 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1953: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1953: 8.22 ft, minor flooding; 1,230 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1959: 9.07 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1959: 9.73 ft, moderate flooding; 3,410 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1959: 8.73 ft, minor flooding; 1,950 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1959: 8.80 ft, minor flooding; 2,030 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1959: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 1,550 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1960: 9.72 ft, moderate flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1960: 9.16 ft, minor flooding; 2,470 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1960: 11.01 ft, major flooding; 3,550 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1965: 8.19 ft, minor flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1979: 8.37 ft, minor flooding; 1,280 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1979: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1982: 8.21 ft, minor flooding; 1,140 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1987: 8.26 ft, minor flooding; 1,150 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1988: 8.48 ft, minor flooding; 1,150 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1991: 8.07 ft, minor flooding; 945 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 1994: 8.75 ft, minor flooding; 1,150 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 1995: 8.83 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1997: 8.41 ft, minor flooding; 1,440 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1997: 8.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,480 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1998: 9.03 ft, minor flooding; 2,140 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1998: 8.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,910 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1998: 8.62 ft, minor flooding; 1,660 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2002: 8.32 ft, minor floodingSep 27, 2002: 8.16 ft, minor floodingDec 18, 2002: 8.70 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 2003: 8.32 ft, minor floodingAug 27, 2004: 8.53 ft, minor floodingSep 12, 2004: 11.13 ft, major floodingOct 14, 2011: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 1,070 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 2015: 8.03 ft, minor floodingJun 11, 2016: 8.06 ft, minor floodingSep 17, 2017: 9.48 ft, moderate flooding; 1,572 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2019: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 1,630 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2019: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 1,186 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 2020: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 1,273 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2022: 10.80 ft, major flooding; 3,890 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2024: 8.84 ft, minor flooding; 1,613 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.13 ft, Sep 12, 2004 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Peace River at SR 60 Bartow 1940s: 4 1950s: 9 9 1960s: 4 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 8 2000s: 6 2010s: 6 2020s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Peace River at SR 60 Bartow
1Sep 12, 200411.13+3.13Major—
2Sep 13, 196011.01+3.01Major3,550
3Oct 2, 202210.80+2.80Major3,890
4Jun 22, 19599.73+1.73Moderate3,410
5Mar 20, 19609.72+1.72Moderate3,390
6Sep 17, 20179.48+1.48Moderate1,572
7Aug 2, 19609.16+1.16Minor2,470
8Mar 22, 19599.07+1.07Minor2,360
9Feb 23, 19989.03+1.03Minor2,140
10Oct 11, 19538.97+0.97Minor2,030
11Mar 24, 19988.85+0.85Minor1,910
12Oct 15, 20248.84+0.84Minor1,613
13Aug 12, 19958.83+0.83Minor1,590
14Sep 18, 19598.80+0.80Minor2,030
15Sep 30, 19948.75+0.75Minor1,150
16Jul 14, 19598.73+0.73Minor1,950
17Dec 18, 20028.70+0.70Minor—
18Oct 4, 19798.66+0.66Minor1,640
19Aug 17, 20198.64+0.64Minor1,630
20Sep 29, 19988.62+0.62Minor1,660
21Aug 27, 20048.53+0.53Minor—
22Sep 24, 19478.52+0.52Minor4,140
23Nov 27, 19538.51+0.51Minor1,520
24Sep 14, 19888.48+0.48Minor1,150
25Dec 31, 19978.46+0.46Minor1,480
26Dec 19, 19978.41+0.41Minor1,440
27Dec 7, 19538.38+0.38Minor1,390
28May 16, 19798.37+0.37Minor1,280
29Oct 24, 19598.34+0.34Minor1,550
30Sep 14, 20028.32+0.32Minor—
31Jun 25, 20038.32+0.32Minor—
32Aug 22, 19488.27+0.27Minor3,190
33Apr 2, 19878.26+0.26Minor1,150
34Dec 26, 19538.22+0.22Minor1,230
35Sep 29, 19828.21+0.21Minor1,140
36Sep 29, 19488.20+0.20Minor2,920
37Aug 13, 19658.19+0.19Minor1,380
38Aug 30, 19498.18+0.18Minor2,850
39Sep 7, 20208.18+0.18Minor1,273
40Sep 27, 20028.16+0.16Minor—
41Oct 14, 20118.13+0.13Minor1,070
42Jul 18, 19918.07+0.07Minor945
43Jun 11, 20168.06+0.06Minor—
44Aug 31, 20198.05+0.05Minor1,186
45Aug 18, 20158.03+0.03Minor—

The worst floods along the Peace River

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

September 12, 2004: 11.13 ft here, major flooding

September 13, 1960: 11.01 ft here, major flooding

October 2, 2022: 10.80 ft here, major flooding

  • Fort MeadeFL · Sep 29, 2022 · 81.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • Zolfo SpringsFL · Sep 29, 2022 · 27.24 ft · Major · its highest
  • SR 70 ArcadiaFL · Oct 1, 2022 · 23.70 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Peace River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Peace River
SR 60 Bartow this gaugeFL8.011.13 ft, Sep 12, 20043
Fort MeadeFL78.081.00 ft, Sep 29, 20223
Zolfo SpringsFL16.027.24 ft, Sep 29, 20228
SR 70 ArcadiaFL11.023.70 ft, Oct 1, 202215

Other gauges in Polk County

Flood gauges in Polk County
Fort Meade78.081.00 ft, Sep 29, 20223

Polk County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Florida

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BARF1, 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.