Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville

Highest listed crest 10.80 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft27 crests since 1936

The Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2023. The highest, 10.80 ft on September 21, 1938, was major flooding, 5.80 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Housatonic River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.80 ft
September 21, 1938; 6,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
3
10th of 65 gauges in Massachusetts
Most recent flood crest
December 18, 2023
5.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Berkshire County
Near Pittsfield (3.5 mi), North Adams (14.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville
Action stage4.03Apr 17, 1996The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.012Dec 18, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.02Aug 28, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.03Dec 31, 1948Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1936 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville, 1936 to 2023 24681012ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 12, 1936: 7.77 ft, minor flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 10.14 ft, major flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1938: 10.80 ft, major flooding; 6,400 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1948: 10.38 ft, major flooding; 5,700 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 6.65 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1955: 7.18 ft, minor flooding; 2,010 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1960: 6.87 ft, minor flooding; 1,790 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1960: 7.05 ft, minor flooding; 1,920 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1993: 5.95 ft, minor flooding; 2,280 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1994: 5.32 ft, minor flooding; 1,730 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1995: 3.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1995: 4.11 ft, action stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1995: 3.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 4.10 ft, action stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1996: 4.07 ft, action stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1996: 3.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 3.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,250 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 3.14 ft, below flood stageMar 4, 1999: 3.08 ft, below flood stage; 902 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2000: 5.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,640 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 5.39 ft, minor flooding; 2,517 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2005: 8.14 ft, moderate flooding; 5,681 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2011: 8.20 ft, moderate flooding; 6,413 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 2011: 5.41 ft, minor flooding; 2,965 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2023: 5.07 ft, minor flooding; 2,533 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 5.27 ft, minor flooding; 2,761 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.80 ft, Sep 21, 1938 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville 1930s: 3 3 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 2 2020s: 2 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, Housatonic River at E Br at Coltsville
1Sep 21, 193810.80+5.80Major6,400
2Dec 31, 194810.38+5.38Major5,700
3Mar 18, 193610.14+5.14Major6,000
4Aug 28, 20118.20+3.20Moderate6,413
5Oct 9, 20058.14+3.14Moderate5,681
6Mar 12, 19367.77+2.77Minor2,540
7Oct 16, 19557.18+2.18Minor2,010
8Sep 12, 19607.05+2.05Minor1,920
9Apr 5, 19606.87+1.87Minor1,790
10Aug 19, 19556.65+1.65Minor1,640
11Apr 23, 19935.95+0.95Minor2,280
12Sep 7, 20115.41+0.41Minor2,965
13Apr 3, 20055.39+0.39Minor2,517
14Apr 14, 19945.32+0.32Minor1,730
15Dec 18, 20235.27+0.27Minor2,761
16Jun 7, 20005.14+0.14Minor2,640
17Jul 10, 20235.07+0.07Minor2,533
18Oct 22, 19954.11−0.89Action1,690
19Jan 19, 19964.10−0.90Action1,680
20Apr 17, 19964.07−0.93Action1,660
21Jul 13, 19963.94−1.06Below flood stage1,550
22Jan 27, 19963.84−1.16Below flood stage1,470
23Nov 12, 19953.62−1.38Below flood stage1,290
24Dec 2, 19963.57−1.43Below flood stage1,250
25Mar 9, 19953.50−1.50Below flood stage1,030
26Jan 9, 19983.14−1.86Below flood stage—
27Mar 4, 19993.08−1.92Below flood stage902

The worst floods along the Housatonic River

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

September 21, 1938: 10.80 ft here, major flooding

December 31, 1948: 10.38 ft here, major flooding

March 18, 1936: 10.14 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Housatonic River

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

Flood gauges on the Housatonic River
E Br at Coltsville this gaugeMA5.010.80 ft, Sep 21, 19383
Great BarringtonMA9.012.08 ft, Jan 1, 19491
Falls VillageCT7.019.00 ft, Jan 1, 19493
GaylordsvilleCT8.018.58 ft, Aug 19, 19552
StevensonCT11.024.50 ft, Aug 19, 19559

Other gauges in Berkshire County

Flood gauges in Berkshire County
W. Br. Nr. New Boston8.014.06 ft, Aug 19, 19552
Williamstown9.014.85 ft, Dec 31, 19484
Great Barrington9.012.08 ft, Jan 1, 19491

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CTVM3, 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.