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Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW)

Highest listed crest 10.78 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft69 crests since 1938

The Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW) crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 69 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2022. The highest, 10.78 ft on September 20, 1938, was major flooding, 5.28 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.78 ft
September 20, 1938
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 8.5 ft
Crests at major
2
18th of 65 gauges in Massachusetts
Most recent flood crest
October 29, 2012
5.62 ft, minor flooding
Location
Barnstable County
Massachusetts
Identifiers
NWS BZBM3
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW)
Action stage5.010Dec 23, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.53Oct 29, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.01Sep 13, 1944Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.52Aug 30, 1954Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

69 crests from 1938 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW), 1938 to 2022 24681012ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 8.5 ft Sep 20, 1938: 10.78 ft, major floodingDec 1, 1942: 4.28 ft, below flood stageSep 13, 1944: 7.08 ft, moderate floodingNov 29, 1944: 4.68 ft, below flood stageOct 30, 1947: 4.08 ft, below flood stageNov 11, 1947: 4.28 ft, below flood stageNov 24, 1950: 4.18 ft, below flood stageNov 6, 1953: 4.68 ft, below flood stageAug 30, 1954: 10.18 ft, major floodingSep 10, 1954: 4.48 ft, below flood stageMar 15, 1956: 4.18 ft, below flood stageMar 19, 1958: 4.08 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1958: 4.18 ft, below flood stageDec 29, 1959: 4.18 ft, below flood stageFeb 13, 1960: 4.48 ft, below flood stageSep 12, 1960: 5.78 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1962: 4.38 ft, below flood stageDec 5, 1962: 4.28 ft, below flood stageNov 29, 1963: 5.28 ft, action stageDec 28, 1966: 4.58 ft, below flood stageNov 11, 1968: 4.68 ft, below flood stageDec 16, 1970: 4.18 ft, below flood stageFeb 18, 1972: 5.38 ft, action stageNov 19, 1972: 4.78 ft, below flood stageDec 15, 1972: 4.28 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 1973: 4.38 ft, below flood stageDec 1, 1974: 5.26 ft, action stageFeb 2, 1976: 4.47 ft, below flood stageNov 25, 1977: 4.14 ft, below flood stageJan 8, 1978: 5.19 ft, action stageFeb 5, 1978: 5.23 ft, action stageDec 30, 1978: 4.20 ft, below flood stageJan 25, 1979: 4.98 ft, below flood stageMar 14, 1980: 3.97 ft, below flood stageNov 25, 1983: 4.49 ft, below flood stageDec 5, 1984: 4.08 ft, below flood stageSep 26, 1985: 4.56 ft, below flood stageDec 3, 1986: 4.50 ft, below flood stageJan 22, 1987: 5.21 ft, action stageOct 21, 1988: 4.35 ft, below flood stageDec 4, 1990: 4.31 ft, below flood stageAug 19, 1991: 6.85 ft, minor floodingOct 30, 1991: 5.01 ft, action stageDec 12, 1992: 4.94 ft, below flood stageMar 14, 1993: 4.37 ft, below flood stageDec 24, 1994: 4.10 ft, below flood stageJan 10, 1997: 5.05 ft, action stageNov 2, 1997: 4.25 ft, below flood stageDec 30, 1997: 4.08 ft, below flood stageDec 12, 2000: 4.37 ft, below flood stageMar 7, 2001: 4.50 ft, below flood stageNov 6, 2002: 4.26 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2005: 4.29 ft, below flood stageOct 25, 2005: 4.13 ft, below flood stageDec 9, 2005: 4.78 ft, below flood stageFeb 12, 2006: 4.14 ft, below flood stageOct 28, 2006: 4.69 ft, below flood stageApr 16, 2007: 4.82 ft, below flood stageDec 3, 2009: 4.29 ft, below flood stageDec 9, 2009: 4.31 ft, below flood stageAug 28, 2011: 4.42 ft, below flood stageJun 5, 2012: 4.40 ft, below flood stageOct 29, 2012: 5.62 ft, minor floodingDec 27, 2012: 5.27 ft, action stageFeb 9, 2016: 4.63 ft, below flood stageJan 24, 2017: 4.29 ft, below flood stageOct 30, 2017: 4.49 ft, below flood stageJan 4, 2018: 4.76 ft, below flood stageDec 23, 2022: 5.42 ft, action stage Highest, 10.78 ft, Sep 20, 1938 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW) 1930s: 1 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 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

The 50 highest of 69 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Buzzards Bay at Woods Hole (IN MLLW)
1Sep 20, 193810.78+5.28Major—
2Aug 30, 195410.18+4.68Major—
3Sep 13, 19447.08+1.58Moderate—
4Aug 19, 19916.85+1.35Minor—
5Sep 12, 19605.78+0.28Minor—
6Oct 29, 20125.62+0.12Minor—
7Dec 23, 20225.42−0.08Action—
8Feb 18, 19725.38−0.12Action—
9Nov 29, 19635.28−0.22Action—
10Dec 27, 20125.27−0.23Action—
11Dec 1, 19745.26−0.24Action—
12Feb 5, 19785.23−0.27Action—
13Jan 22, 19875.21−0.29Action—
14Jan 8, 19785.19−0.31Action—
15Jan 10, 19975.05−0.45Action—
16Oct 30, 19915.01−0.49Action—
17Jan 25, 19794.98−0.52Below flood stage—
18Dec 12, 19924.94−0.56Below flood stage—
19Apr 16, 20074.82−0.68Below flood stage—
20Nov 19, 19724.78−0.72Below flood stage—
21Dec 9, 20054.78−0.72Below flood stage—
22Jan 4, 20184.76−0.74Below flood stage—
23Oct 28, 20064.69−0.81Below flood stage—
24Nov 29, 19444.68−0.82Below flood stage—
25Nov 6, 19534.68−0.82Below flood stage—
26Nov 11, 19684.68−0.82Below flood stage—
27Feb 9, 20164.63−0.87Below flood stage—
28Dec 28, 19664.58−0.92Below flood stage—
29Sep 26, 19854.56−0.94Below flood stage—
30Dec 3, 19864.50−1.00Below flood stage—
31Mar 7, 20014.50−1.00Below flood stage—
32Nov 25, 19834.49−1.01Below flood stage—
33Oct 30, 20174.49−1.01Below flood stage—
34Sep 10, 19544.48−1.02Below flood stage—
35Feb 13, 19604.48−1.02Below flood stage—
36Feb 2, 19764.47−1.03Below flood stage—
37Aug 28, 20114.42−1.08Below flood stage—
38Jun 5, 20124.40−1.10Below flood stage—
39Mar 6, 19624.38−1.12Below flood stage—
40Apr 3, 19734.38−1.12Below flood stage—
41Mar 14, 19934.37−1.13Below flood stage—
42Dec 12, 20004.37−1.13Below flood stage—
43Oct 21, 19884.35−1.15Below flood stage—
44Dec 4, 19904.31−1.19Below flood stage—
45Dec 9, 20094.31−1.19Below flood stage—
46May 26, 20054.29−1.21Below flood stage—
47Dec 3, 20094.29−1.21Below flood stage—
48Jan 24, 20174.29−1.21Below flood stage—
49Dec 1, 19424.28−1.22Below flood stage—
50Nov 11, 19474.28−1.22Below flood stage—

Other gauges in Barnstable County

Flood gauges in Barnstable County
Atlantic Coast at Chatham Harbor (IN MLLW)9.09.76 ft, Jan 3, 20140
Atlantic Coast at Dennis Sesuit Harbor (IN MLLW)13.016.38 ft, Jan 27, 20152
Atlantic Coast at Hyannisport (IN MLLW)5.08.30 ft, Dec 18, 20230
Atlantic Coast at Provincetown Harbor (IN MLLW)13.015.38 ft, Jan 4, 20181
Atlantic Coast near Sandwich Canal Side (In MLLW)12.012.99 ft, Mar 10, 20240

Barnstable County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Massachusetts

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BZBM3, 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.