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Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook

Highest listed crest 11.40 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft42 crests since 1926

The Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook crested above flood stage 19 times among the 42 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2024. The highest, 11.40 ft on July 1, 1984, was minor flooding, 3.90 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.40 ft
July 1, 1984; 11,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
19 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
8.56 ft, minor flooding
Location
Baltimore County
Near Bel Air (5.0 mi), Aberdeen (13.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook
Action stage6.023Aug 22, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.519Jan 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

42 crests from 1926 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook, 1926 to 2024 681012ft Flood stage 7.5 ft Nov 16, 1926: 9.30 ft, minor flooding; 7,800 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1928: 9.64 ft, minor flooding; 8,220 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1933: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 9,200 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1934: 7.60 ft, minor flooding; 5,520 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1937: 6.85 ft, action stage; 4,740 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1940: 6.34 ft, action stage; 3,970 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1943: 7.02 ft, action stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1945: 7.34 ft, action stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1947: 6.02 ft, action stage; 2,490 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1948: 6.07 ft, action stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1950: 6.20 ft, action stage; 2,810 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1951: 6.62 ft, action stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1952: 8.25 ft, minor flooding; 5,920 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1952: 6.20 ft, action stage; 2,810 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1955: 6.57 ft, action stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1958: 6.18 ft, action stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1960: 6.48 ft, action stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1967: 7.72 ft, minor flooding; 5,130 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1970: 6.40 ft, action stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1971: 6.90 ft, action stage; 3,900 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 10.18 ft, minor flooding; 9,030 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1973: 7.59 ft, minor flooding; 4,940 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1975: 8.39 ft, minor flooding; 6,140 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1976: 8.40 ft, minor flooding; 6,210 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 9.80 ft, minor flooding; 8,400 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1979: 9.50 ft, minor flooding; 7,920 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1980: 6.40 ft, action stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1982: 6.60 ft, action stage; 3,450 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 6.22 ft, action stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1984: 11.40 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1985: 9.21 ft, minor flooding; 7,460 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1999: 7.30 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 8.19 ft, minor flooding; 5,280 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2006: 7.79 ft, minor flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2010: 6.74 ft, action stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2011: 6.28 ft, action stageSep 8, 2011: 8.31 ft, minor floodingOct 29, 2012: 6.41 ft, action stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 8.74 ft, minor flooding; 6,693 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2016: 7.29 ft, action stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2018: 6.85 ft, action stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 8.56 ft, minor flooding; 5,517 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.40 ft, Jul 1, 1984 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook 1920s: 2 1930s: 2 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 2 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook
1Jul 1, 198411.40+3.90Minor11,800
2Aug 23, 193310.30+2.80Minor9,200
3Jun 22, 197210.18+2.68Minor9,030
4Jan 26, 19789.80+2.30Minor8,400
5Jun 14, 19289.64+2.14Minor8,220
6Sep 6, 19799.50+2.00Minor7,920
7Nov 16, 19269.30+1.80Minor7,800
8Feb 12, 19859.21+1.71Minor7,460
9May 1, 20148.74+1.24Minor6,693
10Jan 10, 20248.56+1.06Minor5,517
11Sep 16, 19768.40+0.90Minor6,210
12Jul 13, 19758.39+0.89Minor6,140
13Sep 8, 20118.31+0.81Minor—
14Sep 1, 19528.25+0.75Minor5,920
15Oct 8, 20058.19+0.69Minor5,280
16Nov 16, 20067.79+0.29Minor5,230
17Aug 27, 19677.72+0.22Minor5,130
18Sep 17, 19347.60+0.10Minor5,520
19Jul 3, 19737.59+0.09Minor4,940
20Jul 19, 19457.34−0.16Action4,580
21Sep 16, 19997.30−0.20Action4,480
22Feb 24, 20167.29−0.21Action3,590
23Nov 9, 19437.02−0.48Action4,050
24Aug 1, 19716.90−0.60Action3,900
25Aug 11, 19376.85−0.65Action4,740
26Aug 22, 20186.85−0.65Action3,040
27Sep 30, 20106.74−0.76Action3,590
28Jul 4, 19516.62−0.88Action3,450
29Feb 3, 19826.60−0.90Action3,450
30Aug 13, 19556.57−0.93Action3,400
31Sep 12, 19606.48−1.02Action3,260
32Oct 29, 20126.41−1.09Action2,540
33Jul 10, 19706.40−1.10Action3,130
34Jun 7, 19806.40−1.10Action3,130
35May 20, 19406.34−1.16Action3,970
36Mar 10, 20116.28−1.22Action—
37Apr 16, 19836.22−1.28Action2,840
38Sep 11, 19506.20−1.30Action2,810
39Nov 21, 19526.20−1.30Action2,810
40Jan 25, 19586.18−1.32Action2,780
41May 30, 19486.07−1.43Action2,570
42Jun 7, 19476.02−1.48Action2,490

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
Villa Nova11.021.50 ft, Jun 22, 19721
White Marsh6.013.51 ft, Oct 19, 20240
Sorrento17.018.11 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Blue Mount8.518.54 ft, Jun 22, 19724
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 LBFM2, 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.