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St. Marys River near Fort Wayne

Highest listed crest 21.20 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft46 crests since 1931

The St. Marys River near Fort Wayne crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 46 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1931 to 2021. The highest, 21.20 ft on July 9, 2003, was major flooding, 7.20 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the St. Marys River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.20 ft
July 9, 2003
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
4
40th of 206 gauges in Indiana
Most recent flood crest
April 29, 2019
15.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Allen County
Near Fort Wayne (7.1 mi), New Haven (7.4 mi), Decatur (14.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Marys River near Fort Wayne
Action stage12.08Jul 17, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.021Apr 29, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.05Feb 9, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.04Jun 19, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

46 crests from 1931 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Marys River near Fort Wayne, 1931 to 2021 510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Apr 4, 1931: 7.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1963: 15.62 ft, minor flooding; 7,500 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1982: 19.66 ft, major flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1985: 18.33 ft, moderate flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1987: 8.55 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1991: 17.92 ft, moderate flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1992: 17.07 ft, moderate flooding; 9,790 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1993: 14.07 ft, minor flooding; 7,030 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1994: 14.34 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 1995: 11.96 ft, below flood stage; 5,180 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1996: 14.60 ft, minor flooding; 7,410 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1997: 15.23 ft, minor flooding; 7,990 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1998: 14.32 ft, minor flooding; 7,270 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1999: 17.03 ft, moderate floodingFeb 10, 2001: 11.78 ft, below flood stageOct 17, 2001: 11.17 ft, below flood stageFeb 1, 2002: 12.32 ft, action stageApr 1, 2002: 13.49 ft, action stageMay 12, 2003: 15.81 ft, minor floodingJul 9, 2003: 21.20 ft, major floodingAug 6, 2003: 13.96 ft, action stageJan 6, 2004: 12.78 ft, action stageJun 14, 2004: 15.48 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 2005: 15.23 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 19.06 ft, major floodingDec 31, 2005: 11.87 ft, below flood stageJan 17, 2007: 14.62 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 2008: 17.68 ft, moderate flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2009: 16.06 ft, minor flooding; 8,860 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2009: 16.97 ft, minor flooding; 9,740 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2010: 12.73 ft, action stage; 5,940 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2011: 14.73 ft, minor flooding; 7,635 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 2011: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 5,480 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2012: 11.87 ft, below flood stage; 5,270 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2013: 16.83 ft, minor flooding; 9,590 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2013: 14.07 ft, minor flooding; 7,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2014: 14.96 ft, minor flooding; 7,840 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2015: 19.88 ft, major flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2015: 15.74 ft, minor flooding; 8,560 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2015: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 7,153 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2016: 10.80 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 2017: 15.89 ft, minor flooding; 8,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 12.84 ft, action stage; 6,030 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2019: 15.27 ft, minor flooding; 8,120 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 13.21 ft, action stage; 6,340 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2021: 12.91 ft, action stage; 6,090 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.20 ft, Jul 9, 2003 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Marys River near Fort Wayne 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 8 2000s: 9 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, St. Marys River near Fort Wayne
1Jul 9, 200321.20+7.20Major—
2Jun 19, 201519.88+5.88Major13,100
3Mar 14, 198219.66+5.66Major12,600
4Jan 14, 200519.06+5.06Major—
5Feb 26, 198518.33+4.33Moderate12,400
6Jan 1, 199117.92+3.92Moderate10,700
7Feb 9, 200817.68+3.68Moderate10,400
8Jul 18, 199217.07+3.07Moderate9,790
9Jan 26, 199917.03+3.03Moderate—
10Mar 11, 200916.97+2.97Minor9,740
11Jan 15, 201316.83+2.83Minor9,590
12Feb 13, 200916.06+2.06Minor8,860
13May 27, 201715.89+1.89Minor8,690
14May 12, 200315.81+1.81Minor—
15Jun 29, 201515.74+1.74Minor8,560
16Mar 8, 196315.62+1.62Minor7,500
17Jun 14, 200415.48+1.48Minor—
18Apr 29, 201915.27+1.27Minor8,120
19Mar 1, 199715.23+1.23Minor7,990
20Jan 7, 200515.23+1.23Minor—
21Dec 4, 201115.00+1.00Minor5,480
22Feb 26, 201414.96+0.96Minor7,840
23May 26, 201114.73+0.73Minor7,635
24Jan 17, 200714.62+0.62Minor—
25May 30, 199614.60+0.60Minor7,410
26Apr 14, 199414.34+0.34Minor—
27Apr 11, 199814.32+0.32Minor7,270
28Dec 29, 201514.18+0.18Minor7,153
29Jul 6, 199314.07+0.07Minor7,030
30Apr 12, 201314.07+0.07Minor7,060
31Aug 6, 200313.96−0.04Action—
32Apr 1, 200213.49−0.51Action—
33Jan 12, 202013.21−0.79Action6,340
34Jul 17, 202112.91−1.09Action6,090
35Feb 21, 201812.84−1.16Action6,030
36Jan 6, 200412.78−1.22Action—
37May 22, 201012.73−1.27Action5,940
38Feb 1, 200212.32−1.68Action—
39Apr 11, 199511.96−2.04Below flood stage5,180
40Dec 31, 200511.87−2.13Below flood stage—
41Jan 18, 201211.87−2.13Below flood stage5,270
42Feb 10, 200111.78−2.22Below flood stage—
43Oct 17, 200111.17−2.83Below flood stage—
44Mar 15, 201610.80−3.20Below flood stage—
45Feb 4, 19878.55−5.45Below flood stage2,850
46Apr 4, 19317.49−6.51Below flood stage2,000

The worst floods along the St. Marys River

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

July 9, 2003: 21.20 ft here, major flooding

  • DecaturIN · Jul 9, 2003 · 26.92 ft · Major · its highest

June 19, 2015: 19.88 ft here, major flooding

  • DecaturIN · Jun 18, 2015 · 25.11 ft · Major
  • RockfordOH · Jun 18, 2015 · 14.68 ft · Minor · its highest

March 14, 1982: 19.66 ft here, major flooding

  • DecaturIN · Mar 14, 1982 · 24.40 ft · Major

Gauges on the St. Marys River

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

Flood gauges on the St. Marys River
RockfordOH13.014.68 ft, Jun 18, 20150
DecaturIN17.026.92 ft, Jul 9, 20037
Fort Wayne this gaugeIN14.021.20 ft, Jul 9, 20034

Other gauges in Allen County

Flood gauges in Allen County
Coliseum Blvd In Fort Wayne17.023.72 ft, Mar 13, 20090
Fort Wayne17.026.10 ft, Mar 26, 19131
New Haven17.025.49 ft, Mar 17, 19821
Ft. Wayne Childrens Zoo11.014.58 ft, Jun 1, 20133
Fort Wayne12.022.00 ft, Mar 26, 19132

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SASI3, 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.