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Priest Brook at Winchendon

Highest listed crest 9.90 ftFlood stage 6.5 ft33 crests since 1917

The Priest Brook at Winchendon crested above flood stage 6 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1917 to 2021. The highest, 9.90 ft on September 21, 1938, was moderate flooding, 3.40 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
9.90 ft
September 21, 1938; 3,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.5 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 19, 2021
6.55 ft, minor flooding
Location
Worcester County
Near Gardner (9.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Priest Brook at Winchendon
Action stage5.027Oct 16, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.54Jul 19, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.02Sep 21, 1938Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1917 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Priest Brook at Winchendon, 1917 to 2021 5678910ft Flood stage 6.5 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 28, 1917: 5.00 ft, action stage; 3,195 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1919: 5.80 ft, action stage; 6,085 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1920: 5.40 ft, action stage; 4,575 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1922: 5.90 ft, action stage; 6,485 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1923: 5.60 ft, action stage; 5,305 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1924: 5.70 ft, action stage; 5,695 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1927: 5.15 ft, action stage; 3,685 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1927: 6.80 ft, minor flooding; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1929: 5.00 ft, action stage; 3,195 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1932: 5.40 ft, action stage; 4,575 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1933: 5.50 ft, action stage; 4,935 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1934: 5.15 ft, action stage; 3,685 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1935: 5.10 ft, action stage; 3,525 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 8.40 ft, moderate flooding; 1,840 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1938: 9.90 ft, moderate flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1938: 5.06 ft, action stage; 3,705 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1940: 6.70 ft, minor flooding; 685 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1942: 5.70 ft, action stage; 5,505 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1944: 5.64 ft, action stage; 5,325 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1946: 5.22 ft, action stage; 4,135 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1948: 5.75 ft, action stage; 5,655 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1950: 5.86 ft, action stage; 6,055 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1952: 5.08 ft, action stage; 3,895 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1953: 5.46 ft, action stage; 4,795 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1956: 5.77 ft, action stage; 5,685 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1959: 6.00 ft, action stageApr 6, 1960: 6.30 ft, action stage; 744 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1984: 6.40 ft, action stage; 850 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1987: 6.55 ft, minor flooding; 871 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1996: 5.63 ft, action stage; 5,735 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2004: 5.04 ft, action stage; 410 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2005: 5.66 ft, action stage; 5,830 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2021: 6.55 ft, minor flooding; 888 cubic feet per second Highest, 9.90 ft, Sep 21, 1938 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Priest Brook at Winchendon 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 2 2 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Priest Brook at Winchendon
1Sep 21, 19389.90+3.40Moderate3,000
2Mar 18, 19368.40+1.90Moderate1,840
3Nov 4, 19276.80+0.30Minor1,000
4Apr 13, 19406.70+0.20Minor685
5Apr 1, 19876.55+0.05Minor871
6Jul 19, 20216.55+0.05Minor888
7May 31, 19846.40−0.10Action850
8Apr 6, 19606.30−0.20Action744
9Apr 3, 19596.00−0.50Action—
10Jun 21, 19225.90−0.60Action6,485
11Nov 27, 19505.86−0.64Action6,055
12Mar 28, 19195.80−0.70Action6,085
13Apr 30, 19565.77−0.73Action5,685
14Mar 23, 19485.75−0.75Action5,655
15Apr 7, 19245.70−0.80Action5,695
16Mar 10, 19425.70−0.80Action5,505
17Oct 16, 20055.66−0.84Action5,830
18Jun 25, 19445.64−0.86Action5,325
19Apr 17, 19965.63−0.87Action5,735
20Apr 29, 19235.60−0.90Action5,305
21Apr 18, 19335.50−1.00Action4,935
22Mar 16, 19535.46−1.04Action4,795
23Oct 4, 19205.40−1.10Action4,575
24Apr 1, 19325.40−1.10Action4,575
25Mar 10, 19465.22−1.28Action4,135
26Mar 17, 19275.15−1.35Action3,685
27Apr 12, 19345.15−1.35Action3,685
28Jan 10, 19355.10−1.40Action3,525
29Apr 6, 19525.08−1.42Action3,895
30Dec 6, 19385.06−1.44Action3,705
31Apr 2, 20045.04−1.46Action410
32Mar 28, 19175.00−1.50Action3,195
33Mar 23, 19295.00−1.50Action3,195

Other gauges in Worcester County

Flood gauges in Worcester County
Northbridge9.016.74 ft, Aug 20, 19551
Webster8.526.05 ft, Aug 19, 19550
Athol13.515.79 ft, Jan 13, 20180
Fitchburg6.59.25 ft, Apr 5, 19870
Barre Plains5.57.49 ft, Mar 7, 20110

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WINM3, 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.