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Elkhart River at Goshen

Highest listed crest 12.53 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft81 crests since 1927

The Elkhart River at Goshen crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 81 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 2023. The highest, 12.53 ft on February 21, 2018, was major flooding, 5.53 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.53 ft
February 21, 2018; 5,930 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
4
40th of 206 gauges in Indiana
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2022
7.57 ft, minor flooding
Location
Elkhart County
Near Goshen (1.6 mi), Elkhart (9.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Elkhart River at Goshen
Action stage6.04Feb 28, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.053Feb 17, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.018May 1, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.04Feb 21, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

81 crests from 1927 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Elkhart River at Goshen, 1927 to 2023 468101214ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Dec 14, 1927: 9.30 ft, moderate flooding; 4,660 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1933: 7.05 ft, minor flooding; 3,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1939: 7.85 ft, minor flooding; 3,460 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1939: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1942: 7.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,820 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1943: 9.38 ft, moderate flooding; 5,030 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1943: 9.46 ft, moderate flooding; 5,090 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1944: 7.66 ft, minor flooding; 3,450 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1944: 7.04 ft, minor flooding; 2,830 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1945: 7.55 ft, minor flooding; 3,360 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1947: 7.56 ft, minor flooding; 3,360 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1950: 7.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1950: 7.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,060 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1950: 7.20 ft, minor flooding; 2,980 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1950: 8.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,180 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1950: 10.15 ft, moderate flooding; 5,440 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1950: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1951: 10.33 ft, moderate flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1954: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 3,480 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1954: 10.27 ft, moderate flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1956: 8.53 ft, minor flooding; 3,780 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1956: 9.25 ft, moderate flooding; 4,320 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1956: 9.07 ft, moderate flooding; 4,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1959: 7.34 ft, minor flooding; 2,910 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1959: 7.18 ft, minor flooding; 2,840 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1959: 7.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,770 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1960: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 2,910 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1961: 7.57 ft, minor flooding; 3,120 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1962: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 3,330 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1965: 8.75 ft, minor flooding; 3,960 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1968: 8.81 ft, minor flooding; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1968: 7.62 ft, minor flooding; 3,130 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1969: 7.85 ft, minor flooding; 3,300 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1972: 7.64 ft, minor flooding; 3,150 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1976: 7.23 ft, minor flooding; 2,890 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 7.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,280 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1976: 7.33 ft, minor flooding; 2,950 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1978: 9.76 ft, moderate flooding; 4,410 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1978: 7.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1979: 10.33 ft, moderate flooding; 4,850 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1981: 8.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,480 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1981: 7.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,790 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1982: 11.94 ft, major flooding; 6,180 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1983: 7.53 ft, minor flooding; 3,070 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1985: 7.88 ft, minor flooding; 3,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1985: 11.87 ft, major flooding; 6,360 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1985: 8.37 ft, minor flooding; 3,830 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1985: 10.05 ft, moderate flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1985: 8.74 ft, minor flooding; 4,080 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1988: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1989: 8.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 1990: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 3,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1990: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 2,810 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1990: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 11.03 ft, major flooding; 5,530 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1991: 7.17 ft, minor flooding; 2,910 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1993: 8.60 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1993: 9.60 ft, moderate floodingJun 9, 1993: 10.20 ft, moderate floodingFeb 22, 1997: 7.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,340 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 7.62 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1999: 8.15 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 2001: 8.71 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2002: 9.60 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 2004: 8.19 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 9.01 ft, moderate flooding; 4,140 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2008: 10.07 ft, moderate floodingFeb 6, 2008: 10.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 28, 2008: 7.00 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 2009: 8.87 ft, minor flooding; 4,050 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 7.99 ft, minor flooding; 3,440 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 8.51 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2014: 6.78 ft, action stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2015: 6.63 ft, action stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2017: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 12.53 ft, major flooding; 5,930 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2019: 9.12 ft, moderate flooding; 4,290 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 6.77 ft, action stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2021: 5.55 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2022: 7.57 ft, minor flooding; 3,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 6.92 ft, action stage; 2,900 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.53 ft, Feb 21, 2018 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Elkhart River at Goshen 1920s: 1 1930s: 3 1940s: 7 1950s: 15 15 1960s: 7 1970s: 7 1980s: 11 1990s: 11 2000s: 8 2010s: 4 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 81 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Elkhart River at Goshen
1Feb 21, 201812.53+5.53Major5,930
2Mar 14, 198211.94+4.94Major6,180
3Feb 24, 198511.87+4.87Major6,360
4Dec 30, 199011.03+4.03Major5,530
5Feb 6, 200810.40+3.40Moderate—
6Jul 10, 195110.33+3.33Moderate5,260
7Mar 5, 197910.33+3.33Moderate4,850
8Oct 11, 195410.27+3.27Moderate5,260
9Jun 9, 199310.20+3.20Moderate—
10Apr 4, 195010.15+3.15Moderate5,440
11Jan 9, 200810.07+3.07Moderate—
12Mar 29, 198510.05+3.05Moderate5,000
13Mar 23, 19789.76+2.76Moderate4,410
14Jan 5, 19939.60+2.60Moderate—
15May 13, 20029.60+2.60Moderate—
16May 25, 19439.46+2.46Moderate5,090
17May 12, 19439.38+2.38Moderate5,030
18Dec 14, 19279.30+2.30Moderate4,660
19Apr 30, 19569.25+2.25Moderate4,320
20May 1, 20199.12+2.12Moderate4,290
21May 12, 19569.07+2.07Moderate4,240
22Jan 14, 20059.01+2.01Moderate4,140
23Mar 12, 20098.87+1.87Minor4,050
24Feb 2, 19688.81+1.81Minor4,010
25Dec 26, 19658.75+1.75Minor3,960
26Apr 6, 19858.74+1.74Minor4,080
27Feb 10, 20018.71+1.71Minor—
28Mar 28, 19508.70+1.70Minor4,180
29Feb 23, 19908.66+1.66Minor3,900
30Jan 1, 19938.60+1.60Minor—
31Feb 25, 19568.53+1.53Minor3,780
32Apr 19, 20138.51+1.51Minor3,800
33Mar 13, 19398.45+1.45Minor3,940
34Jun 3, 19898.40+1.40Minor—
35Mar 5, 19858.37+1.37Minor3,830
36Jun 14, 19818.26+1.26Minor3,480
37Jun 13, 20048.19+1.19Minor—
38Apr 24, 19998.15+1.15Minor—
39Apr 26, 19548.14+1.14Minor3,480
40Apr 11, 19508.13+1.13Minor3,700
41Apr 29, 20117.99+0.99Minor3,440
42Mar 12, 19627.90+0.90Minor3,330
43Apr 7, 19887.90+0.90Minor3,390
44Oct 11, 19907.90+0.90Minor3,390
45Jan 2, 19857.88+0.88Minor3,300
46Feb 20, 19397.85+0.85Minor3,460
47Jan 30, 19697.85+0.85Minor3,300
48Mar 5, 19767.83+0.83Minor3,280
49Apr 7, 19787.83+0.83Minor3,210
50Feb 22, 19977.83+0.83Minor3,340

Other gauges in Elkhart County

Flood gauges in Elkhart County
Elkhart24.030.00 ft, Mar 8, 19081

Elkhart County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Indiana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GSHI3, 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.