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Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova

Highest listed crest 21.50 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft12 crests since 1956

The Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 12 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2018. The highest, 21.50 ft on June 22, 1972, was major flooding, 10.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.50 ft
June 22, 1972; 16,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
1
32nd of 108 gauges in Maryland
Most recent flood crest
July 24, 2018
11.88 ft, minor flooding
Location
Baltimore County
Near Baltimore (7.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova
Action stage10.03Oct 8, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.06Jul 24, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.02Sep 7, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.01Jun 22, 1972Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

12 crests from 1956 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova, 1956 to 2018 10121416182022ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Jul 21, 1956: 12.60 ft, minor flooding; 5,270 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1968: 10.70 ft, action stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 21.50 ft, major flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1975: 10.75 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1979: 12.82 ft, minor flooding; 6,050 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1984: 15.50 ft, moderate flooding; 8,690 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 10.14 ft, action stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 2011: 14.49 ft, moderate flooding; 7,720 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2012: 11.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,060 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2014: 13.03 ft, minor flooding; 5,420 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2016: 12.22 ft, minor flooding; 4,700 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2018: 11.88 ft, minor flooding; 4,430 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.50 ft, Jun 22, 1972 196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 5 5 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Gwynns Falls at Villa Nova
1Jun 22, 197221.50+10.50Major16,200
2Aug 13, 198415.50+4.50Moderate8,690
3Sep 7, 201114.49+3.49Moderate7,720
4Apr 30, 201413.03+2.03Minor5,420
5Sep 6, 197912.82+1.82Minor6,050
6Jul 21, 195612.60+1.60Minor5,270
7Jul 30, 201612.22+1.22Minor4,700
8Jul 24, 201811.88+0.88Minor4,430
9Oct 29, 201211.38+0.38Minor4,060
10Sep 26, 197510.75−0.25Action4,210
11Sep 10, 196810.70−0.30Action2,850
12Oct 8, 200510.14−0.86Action3,360

The worst floods along the Gwynns Falls

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

September 7, 2011: 14.49 ft here, moderate flooding

April 30, 2014: 13.03 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Gwynns Falls

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

Flood gauges on the Gwynns Falls
Villa Nova this gaugeMD11.021.50 ft, Jun 22, 19721
Washington Blvd in BaltimoreMD13.020.03 ft, Aug 26, 19990

Other gauges in Baltimore County

Flood gauges in Baltimore County
Broadmoor4.06.08 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Cockeysville9.012.10 ft, Jul 1, 19847
Bentley Springs5.57.30 ft, Jul 25, 20180
Woodlawn10.012.24 ft, Jul 30, 20160
Franklintown10.012.50 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Woodlawn9.012.16 ft, Jul 30, 20160
Catonsville9.011.29 ft, Jul 30, 20160
Arbutus7.013.25 ft, Aug 26, 19991
Beckleysville7.07.27 ft, Jul 24, 20180
Beckleysville6.07.85 ft, Jul 23, 20180
Glencoe7.016.50 ft, Sep 8, 20119
Hoffmanville6.010.02 ft, Aug 28, 20091
Parkton10.011.62 ft, Sep 8, 20110
White Marsh6.013.51 ft, Oct 19, 20240
Sorrento17.018.11 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Blue Mount8.518.54 ft, Jun 22, 19724
Laurel Brook7.511.40 ft, Jul 1, 19840
Glen Arm10.011.15 ft, Jul 14, 20150
Ellicott City122.5124.78 ft, May 27, 20180
Hollofield11.031.30 ft, Jun 22, 19721
Catonsville20.027.15 ft, May 27, 20180
Dover8.510.86 ft, Jul 24, 20180
Rockdale7.07.83 ft, Jul 31, 20160
Woodlawn7.08.15 ft, Jul 30, 20160
Middle River10.813.06 ft, Aug 7, 20180
Idlewylde9.010.87 ft, Aug 14, 20120
Western Run8.026.00 ft, Jun 22, 19723
White Marsh11.018.49 ft, Aug 1, 19711

Baltimore County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Maryland

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge VNVM2, 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.