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Little Calumet River at Munster

Highest listed crest 17.29 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft43 crests since 1959

The Little Calumet River at Munster crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 43 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1959 to 2021. The highest, 17.29 ft on September 14, 2008, was major flooding, 5.29 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Little Calumet River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 6 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.29 ft
September 14, 2008
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
2
67th of 206 gauges in Indiana
Most recent flood crest
June 26, 2021
13.20 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lake County
Near Lansing (1.5 mi), Calumet City (1.6 mi), Munster (2.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Calumet River at Munster
Action stage11.52Mar 31, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.023Jun 26, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.015May 23, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.02Sep 14, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

43 crests from 1959 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Calumet River at Munster, 1959 to 2021 1012141618ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Apr 28, 1959: 13.67 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 1961: 13.26 ft, minor floodingDec 25, 1965: 14.43 ft, moderate floodingAug 18, 1968: 14.10 ft, moderate floodingMay 17, 1970: 12.13 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 1972: 14.35 ft, moderate floodingMay 18, 1974: 13.21 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1979: 13.87 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1980: 13.04 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 1981: 16.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 4, 1982: 16.03 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 1984: 13.01 ft, minor floodingAug 17, 1987: 12.24 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1989: 15.66 ft, moderate floodingNov 28, 1990: 17.03 ft, major floodingOct 18, 1993: 13.41 ft, minor flooding; 793 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1995: 11.64 ft, action stageJul 19, 1996: 16.20 ft, moderate floodingFeb 22, 1997: 15.68 ft, moderate flooding; 771 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 13.68 ft, minor flooding; 718 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1999: 13.89 ft, minor flooding; 744 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2000: 13.23 ft, minor flooding; 664 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 13.38 ft, minor flooding; 575 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2002: 15.35 ft, moderate flooding; 811 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 2004: 11.07 ft, below flood stage; 428 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 708 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2007: 14.88 ft, moderate flooding; 1,110 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 17.29 ft, major floodingOct 31, 2009: 13.11 ft, minor flooding; 825 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2011: 14.24 ft, moderate flooding; 989 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2015: 12.05 ft, minor flooding; 660 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2017: 12.10 ft, minor flooding; 661 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 11.95 ft, action stage; 640 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 16.36 ft, moderate flooding; 962 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2018: 12.54 ft, minor flooding; 638 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2019: 14.24 ft, moderate flooding; 872 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2019: 13.14 ft, minor flooding; 717 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2019: 14.52 ft, moderate flooding; 913 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 12.80 ft, minor flooding; 666 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 678 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 13.94 ft, minor flooding; 828 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2020: 14.13 ft, moderate flooding; 856 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2021: 13.20 ft, minor flooding; 718 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.29 ft, Sep 14, 2008 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Calumet River at Munster 1950s: 1 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 1980s: 6 1990s: 6 2000s: 7 2010s: 8 8 2020s: 5 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Little Calumet River at Munster
1Sep 14, 200817.29+5.29Major—
2Nov 28, 199017.03+5.03Major—
3Jun 14, 198116.40+4.40Moderate—
4Feb 21, 201816.36+4.36Moderate962
5Jul 19, 199616.20+4.20Moderate—
6Dec 4, 198216.03+4.03Moderate—
7Feb 22, 199715.68+3.68Moderate771
8Jun 2, 198915.66+3.66Moderate—
9May 13, 200215.35+3.35Moderate811
10Aug 25, 200714.88+2.88Moderate1,110
11Sep 29, 201914.52+2.52Moderate913
12Dec 25, 196514.43+2.43Moderate—
13Dec 31, 197214.35+2.35Moderate—
14Jun 10, 201114.24+2.24Moderate989
15May 2, 201914.24+2.24Moderate872
16May 23, 202014.13+2.13Moderate856
17Aug 18, 196814.10+2.10Moderate—
18May 18, 202013.94+1.94Minor828
19May 8, 199913.89+1.89Minor744
20Mar 5, 197913.87+1.87Minor—
21Jan 24, 199913.68+1.68Minor718
22Apr 28, 195913.67+1.67Minor—
23Jan 13, 200513.60+1.60Minor708
24Oct 18, 199313.41+1.41Minor793
25Feb 10, 200113.38+1.38Minor575
26Sep 25, 196113.26+1.26Minor—
27Jun 25, 200013.23+1.23Minor664
28May 18, 197413.21+1.21Minor—
29Jun 26, 202113.20+1.20Minor718
30Jun 28, 201913.14+1.14Minor717
31Oct 31, 200913.11+1.11Minor825
32Jun 2, 198013.04+1.04Minor—
33Mar 16, 198413.01+1.01Minor—
34Apr 30, 202012.85+0.85Minor678
35Jan 12, 202012.80+0.80Minor666
36Jul 5, 201812.54+0.54Minor638
37Aug 17, 198712.24+0.24Minor—
38May 17, 197012.13+0.13Minor—
39Mar 1, 201712.10+0.10Minor661
40Jun 16, 201512.05+0.05Minor660
41Mar 31, 201711.95−0.05Action640
42Jan 15, 199511.64−0.36Action—
43Nov 18, 200411.07−0.93Below flood stage428

The worst floods along the Little Calumet River

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

September 14, 2008: 17.29 ft here, major flooding

November 28, 1990: 17.03 ft here, major flooding

  • South HollandIL · Nov 28, 1990 · 20.50 ft · Major · its highest

June 14, 1981: 16.40 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Little Calumet River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Calumet River
Gary (Grant St)IN11.016.00 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Lake StationIN13.017.50 ft, Sep 14, 20081
Hammond (Indianapolis Boulevard)IN14.015.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Highland (Kennedy Avenue)IN15.017.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Munster (Northcote Avenue)IN18.020.00 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Munster this gaugeIN12.017.29 ft, Sep 14, 20082
South HollandIL16.020.50 ft, Nov 28, 19905
Gary (Burr Street)IN11.014.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080

Other gauges in Lake County

Flood gauges in Lake County
Hobart13.022.18 ft, Sep 15, 20081
Liverpool17.523.00 ft, Sep 14, 20081
Merrillville8.511.80 ft, Feb 21, 20180
Dyer12.016.76 ft, Sep 14, 20084
Munster6.010.93 ft, Feb 20, 20189
East Chicago (Lake Michigan outlet)13.014.35 ft, Apr 30, 20200
Shelby10.513.04 ft, Sep 18, 20084
Gary (Burr Street)11.014.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Gary (Grant St)11.016.00 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Hammond (Indianapolis Boulevard)14.015.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Highland (Kennedy Avenue)15.017.50 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Munster (Northcote Avenue)18.020.00 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Lake Station13.017.50 ft, Sep 14, 20081
Merrillville11.017.50 ft, Sep 14, 20081
Schererville7.511.00 ft, Sep 14, 20081

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LCMI3, 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.