Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper

Highest listed crest 16.80 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft99 crests since 1850

The Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper crested at major flood stage 10 times among the 99 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1850 to 2023. The highest, 16.80 ft on March 19, 1936, was major flooding, 7.80 feet above flood stage. 9 other gauges on the Connecticut River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 8 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.80 ft
March 19, 1936; 244,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
10
1st of 65 gauges in Massachusetts
Most recent flood crest
July 12, 2023
9.47 ft, minor flooding
Location
Hampshire County
Near Holyoke (2.0 mi), Chicopee (3.0 mi), Easthampton (5.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper
Action stage8.032Apr 17, 2007The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.034Jul 12, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.021Aug 30, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.010May 31, 1984Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

99 crests from 1850 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper, 1850 to 2023 681012141618ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft May 1, 1850: 9.50 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1852: 8.50 ft, action stageMay 1, 1854: 10.50 ft, moderate floodingAug 21, 1856: 8.60 ft, action stageMar 20, 1859: 9.80 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1862: 12.50 ft, major floodingApr 19, 1863: 8.10 ft, action stageMar 18, 1865: 9.20 ft, minor floodingOct 5, 1869: 12.70 ft, major floodingApr 20, 1870: 9.50 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 1874: 8.00 ft, action stageApr 16, 1876: 9.20 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1877: 8.80 ft, action stageDec 11, 1878: 9.20 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 1879: 8.50 ft, action stageSep 24, 1882: 8.10 ft, action stageApr 2, 1886: 8.40 ft, action stageApr 12, 1887: 8.70 ft, action stageMay 11, 1888: 9.60 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 1893: 9.00 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1895: 10.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1896: 10.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 21, 1900: 10.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 8, 1901: 12.10 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1902: 11.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 24, 1903: 11.10 ft, moderate floodingMar 27, 1904: 10.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 1905: 11.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 17, 1906: 9.30 ft, minor floodingNov 8, 1907: 9.50 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1908: 8.10 ft, action stageApr 16, 1909: 11.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1910: 8.90 ft, action stageApr 9, 1912: 9.80 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1913: 12.70 ft, major floodingApr 22, 1914: 10.40 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1915: 9.00 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1916: 9.30 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1918: 8.20 ft, action stageMar 29, 1919: 9.60 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1920: 10.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 11, 1921: 9.20 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 1922: 11.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1923: 9.80 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1924: 8.00 ft, action stageMar 31, 1925: 9.90 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 1926: 9.50 ft, minor floodingNov 5, 1927: 14.75 ft, major flooding; 183,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1928: 9.10 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1929: 8.60 ft, action stageApr 12, 1931: 8.80 ft, action stageApr 14, 1932: 9.90 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1933: 13.20 ft, major floodingApr 14, 1934: 10.80 ft, moderate floodingJan 11, 1935: 9.30 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1936: 16.80 ft, major flooding; 244,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1937: 9.60 ft, minor floodingSep 22, 1938: 14.90 ft, major flooding; 189,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1939: 9.70 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 1940: 10.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 22, 1945: 8.60 ft, action stageApr 13, 1947: 9.30 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1948: 11.40 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1949: 11.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 1950: 8.40 ft, action stageApr 1, 1951: 10.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 3, 1952: 10.95 ft, moderate floodingMar 28, 1953: 10.70 ft, moderate floodingApr 19, 1954: 8.05 ft, action stageApr 17, 1955: 8.15 ft, action stageMay 1, 1956: 9.21 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1958: 9.30 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1959: 8.90 ft, action stageApr 6, 1960: 12.00 ft, major floodingApr 2, 1962: 8.89 ft, action stageMar 25, 1968: 9.20 ft, minor floodingApr 23, 1969: 9.27 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 1972: 8.46 ft, action stageJul 2, 1973: 9.06 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1976: 9.43 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1977: 9.89 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1979: 8.85 ft, action stageApr 19, 1982: 9.08 ft, minor floodingMay 31, 1984: 12.01 ft, major floodingApr 2, 1986: 8.48 ft, action stageApr 1, 1987: 10.55 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 1990: 8.16 ft, action stageApr 18, 1993: 8.00 ft, action stageMay 13, 1996: 7.78 ft, below flood stage; 94,800 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1998: 8.25 ft, action stageApr 24, 2001: 8.60 ft, action stageOct 30, 2003: 8.66 ft, action stageApr 2, 2004: 8.50 ft, action stageOct 9, 2005: 9.80 ft, minor floodingJan 20, 2006: 8.10 ft, action stageApr 17, 2007: 8.90 ft, action stageDec 13, 2008: 7.40 ft, below flood stageAug 30, 2011: 10.40 ft, moderate floodingJul 12, 2023: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 106,884 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.80 ft, Mar 19, 1936 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper 1850s: 3 1860s: 3 1870s: 3 1880s: 1 1890s: 3 1900s: 9 9 1910s: 6 1920s: 8 1930s: 8 1940s: 4 1950s: 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1850s1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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 99 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Connecticut River at Holyoke - Upper
1Mar 19, 193616.80+7.80Major244,000
2Sep 22, 193814.90+5.90Major189,000
3Nov 5, 192714.75+5.75Major183,000
4Apr 20, 193313.20+4.20Major—
5Oct 5, 186912.70+3.70Major—
6Mar 29, 191312.70+3.70Major—
7Apr 20, 186212.50+3.50Major—
8Apr 8, 190112.10+3.10Major—
9May 31, 198412.01+3.01Major—
10Apr 6, 196012.00+3.00Major—
11Mar 4, 190211.90+2.90Moderate—
12Apr 13, 192211.90+2.90Moderate—
13Jan 1, 194911.60+2.60Moderate—
14Mar 23, 194811.40+2.40Moderate—
15Apr 1, 190511.20+2.20Moderate—
16Apr 16, 190911.20+2.20Moderate—
17Mar 24, 190311.10+2.10Moderate—
18Jun 3, 195210.95+1.95Moderate—
19May 5, 194010.90+1.90Moderate—
20Apr 21, 190010.80+1.80Moderate—
21Apr 14, 193410.80+1.80Moderate—
22Mar 28, 195310.70+1.70Moderate—
23Apr 1, 198710.55+1.55Moderate—
24May 1, 185410.50+1.50Moderate—
25Apr 22, 191410.40+1.40Moderate—
26Aug 30, 201110.40+1.40Moderate—
27Apr 16, 189510.30+1.30Moderate—
28Mar 2, 189610.20+1.20Moderate—
29Mar 28, 192010.20+1.20Moderate—
30Mar 27, 190410.00+1.00Moderate—
31Apr 1, 195110.00+1.00Moderate—
32Mar 31, 19259.90+0.90Minor—
33Apr 14, 19329.90+0.90Minor—
34Mar 15, 19779.89+0.89Minor—
35Mar 20, 18599.80+0.80Minor—
36Apr 9, 19129.80+0.80Minor—
37Apr 7, 19239.80+0.80Minor—
38Oct 9, 20059.80+0.80Minor—
39Apr 23, 19399.70+0.70Minor—
40May 11, 18889.60+0.60Minor—
41Mar 29, 19199.60+0.60Minor—
42May 16, 19379.60+0.60Minor—
43May 1, 18509.50+0.50Minor—
44Apr 20, 18709.50+0.50Minor—
45Nov 8, 19079.50+0.50Minor—
46Apr 27, 19269.50+0.50Minor—
47Jul 12, 20239.47+0.47Minor106,884
48Apr 3, 19769.43+0.43Minor—
49Apr 17, 19069.30+0.30Minor—
50Apr 3, 19169.30+0.30Minor—

The worst floods along the Connecticut River

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

March 19, 1936: 16.80 ft here, major flooding

  • NorthamptonMA · Mar 19, 1936 · 129.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • MontagueMA · Mar 19, 1936 · 49.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • North WalpoleNH · Mar 19, 1936 · 43.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • HartfordCT · Mar 21, 1936 · 37.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • West LebanonNH · Mar 19, 1936 · 32.60 ft · Major
  • SpringfieldMA · Mar 20, 1936 · 28.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • ThompsonvilleCT · Mar 20, 1936 · 26.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • DaltonNH · Mar 20, 1936 · 25.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • North StratfordNH · Mar 13, 1936 · 16.66 ft · Moderate · its highest

September 22, 1938: 14.90 ft here, major flooding

November 5, 1927: 14.75 ft here, major flooding

  • West LebanonNH · Nov 4, 1927 · 35.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • SpringfieldMA · Nov 6, 1927 · 22.45 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Connecticut River

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

Flood gauges on the Connecticut River
DaltonNH18.025.60 ft, Mar 20, 19363
HartfordCT16.037.60 ft, Mar 21, 19367
HolyokeMA26.527.73 ft, Aug 30, 20110
Holyoke - Upper this gaugeMA9.016.80 ft, Mar 19, 193610
Middle HaddamCT7.011.20 ft, Dec 21, 20230
MontagueMA28.049.20 ft, Mar 19, 19362
North StratfordNH13.016.66 ft, Mar 13, 19360
North WalpoleNH28.043.80 ft, Mar 19, 19362
NorthamptonMA112.0129.40 ft, Mar 19, 19363
SpringfieldMA20.028.60 ft, Mar 20, 19362
ThompsonvilleCT15.026.60 ft, Mar 20, 19367
Wells RiverVT12.017.35 ft, Jul 1, 19731
West LebanonNH23.035.00 ft, Nov 4, 19274

Other gauges in Hampshire County

Flood gauges in Hampshire County
Northampton112.0129.40 ft, Mar 19, 19363
Northampton11.016.42 ft, Aug 28, 20110
Gibbs Crossing7.018.20 ft, Sep 21, 19383
Huntington9.016.78 ft, Aug 28, 20114

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HLUM3, 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.