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Charles River at Waltham

Highest listed crest 7.56 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft36 crests since 1936

The Charles River at Waltham crested above flood stage 14 times among the 36 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2010. The highest, 7.56 ft on March 16, 2010, was moderate flooding, 2.56 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Charles River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.56 ft
March 16, 2010; 3,811 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
0
14 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 31, 2010
6.46 ft, minor flooding
Location
Middlesex County
Near Waltham (1.2 mi), Watertown (2.9 mi), Newton (3.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Charles River at Waltham
Action stage4.022Jun 10, 2006The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.013Mar 31, 2010Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.01Mar 16, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

36 crests from 1936 to 2010. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Charles River at Waltham, 1936 to 2010 456789ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Mar 19, 1936: 4.79 ft, action stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1938: 4.56 ft, action stage; 2,180 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 4.16 ft, action stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1954: 4.44 ft, action stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 5.35 ft, minor flooding; 2,490 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 1955: 4.76 ft, action stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1958: 4.42 ft, action stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1959: 4.04 ft, action stage; 1,460 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1960: 4.33 ft, action stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1961: 5.31 ft, minor flooding; 1,850 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1962: 4.86 ft, action stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1968: 5.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,670 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1969: 4.20 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1970: 4.19 ft, action stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1972: 4.05 ft, action stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1973: 4.04 ft, action stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1976: 6.54 ft, minor flooding; 4,150 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1978: 4.12 ft, action stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1979: 6.48 ft, minor flooding; 3,480 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1982: 5.44 ft, minor flooding; 2,960 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1983: 4.39 ft, action stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1984: 4.88 ft, action stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1987: 5.51 ft, minor flooding; 2,710 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1993: 5.05 ft, minor flooding; 2,180 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1994: 4.00 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 4.01 ft, action stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1996: 6.05 ft, minor flooding; 2,990 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1998: 5.51 ft, minor flooding; 2,180 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2001: 5.42 ft, minor flooding; 2,190 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2004: 4.42 ft, action stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 4.34 ft, action stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2005: 4.10 ft, action stageJun 10, 2006: 4.92 ft, action stageMar 16, 2010: 7.56 ft, moderate flooding; 3,811 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2010: 5.19 ft, minor flooding; 1,751 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2010: 6.46 ft, minor flooding; 2,659 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.56 ft, Mar 16, 2010 19401950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Charles River at Waltham 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Charles River at Waltham
1Mar 16, 20107.56+2.56Moderate3,811
2Feb 3, 19766.54+1.54Minor4,150
3Jan 25, 19796.48+1.48Minor3,480
4Mar 31, 20106.46+1.46Minor2,659
5Oct 21, 19966.05+1.05Minor2,990
6Apr 7, 19875.51+0.51Minor2,710
7Jun 14, 19985.51+0.51Minor2,180
8Jun 7, 19825.44+0.44Minor2,960
9Mar 23, 20015.42+0.42Minor2,190
10Aug 19, 19555.35+0.35Minor2,490
11Feb 27, 19615.31+0.31Minor1,850
12Mar 22, 20105.19+0.19Minor1,751
13Mar 22, 19685.15+0.15Minor2,670
14Apr 2, 19935.05+0.05Minor2,180
15Jun 10, 20064.92−0.08Action—
16Jun 2, 19844.88−0.12Action2,410
17Apr 2, 19624.86−0.14Action1,540
18Mar 19, 19364.79−0.21Action2,540
19Nov 11, 19554.76−0.24Action1,990
20Jul 26, 19384.56−0.44Action2,180
21Sep 22, 19544.44−0.56Action1,550
22Jan 26, 19584.42−0.58Action1,940
23Apr 2, 20044.42−0.58Action1,510
24Mar 12, 19834.39−0.61Action1,970
25Apr 3, 20054.34−0.66Action1,510
26Apr 4, 19604.33−0.67Action1,510
27Mar 30, 19694.20−0.80Action1,800
28Feb 11, 19704.19−0.81Action1,790
29Mar 22, 19484.16−0.84Action1,730
30Mar 31, 19784.12−0.88Action1,740
31Oct 15, 20054.10−0.90Action—
32Mar 22, 19724.05−0.95Action1,670
33Mar 6, 19594.04−0.96Action1,460
34Jan 7, 19734.04−0.96Action1,630
35Jan 27, 19964.01−0.99Action1,430
36Mar 29, 19944.00−1.00Action1,430

The worst floods along the Charles River

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

March 16, 2010: 7.56 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DoverMA · Mar 18, 2010 · 7.76 ft · Moderate
  • MedwayMA · Mar 16, 2010 · 6.62 ft · Moderate

February 3, 1976: 6.54 ft here, minor flooding

  • DoverMA · Feb 3, 1976 · 6.12 ft · Minor

January 25, 1979: 6.48 ft here, minor flooding

  • DoverMA · Jan 28, 1979 · 8.36 ft · Major

Gauges on the Charles River

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

Flood gauges on the Charles River
MedwayMA5.07.21 ft, Mar 31, 20102
DoverMA5.09.24 ft, Aug 23, 19556
Waltham this gaugeMA5.07.56 ft, Mar 16, 20100

Other gauges in Middlesex County

Flood gauges in Middlesex County
Maynard5.08.94 ft, Aug 20, 19556
Lowell8.09.74 ft, Mar 17, 20100
Lowell52.068.40 ft, Mar 20, 19365
East Pepperell8.019.10 ft, Mar 20, 19363
Wilmington7.010.54 ft, Mar 16, 20102
West Groton7.08.50 ft, Apr 17, 20070
Saxonville10.013.99 ft, Mar 31, 20103

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WLTM3, 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.