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North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller

Highest listed crest 14.85 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft48 crests since 1950

The North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller crested above flood stage 22 times among the 48 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2021. The highest, 14.85 ft on November 5, 1985, was moderate flooding, 5.85 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the North Branch Potomac River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.85 ft
November 5, 1985; 50,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
0
22 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 30, 2019
10.77 ft, minor flooding
Location
Garrett County
Maryland

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller
Action stage8.026Mar 1, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.016Jun 30, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.06Sep 19, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

48 crests from 1950 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller, 1950 to 2021 810121416ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Dec 7, 1950: 8.71 ft, action stage; 8,510 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1951: 8.15 ft, action stage; 7,190 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1954: 9.02 ft, minor flooding; 9,280 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1954: 13.50 ft, moderate flooding; 33,400 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1955: 12.80 ft, moderate flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1956: 9.02 ft, minor flooding; 8,310 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1957: 8.61 ft, action stage; 7,110 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1960: 8.32 ft, action stage; 6,310 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1961: 8.15 ft, action stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 9.40 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 8.06 ft, action stage; 8,500 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 8.70 ft, action stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1968: 8.27 ft, action stage; 9,640 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1970: 8.32 ft, action stage; 9,920 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1970: 8.12 ft, action stage; 8,810 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1972: 9.06 ft, minor flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 8.20 ft, action stage; 8,910 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1978: 10.78 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1979: 8.40 ft, action stage; 7,540 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1980: 8.89 ft, action stage; 9,280 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 8.88 ft, action stage; 9,090 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1985: 11.87 ft, minor flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 14.85 ft, moderate flooding; 50,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1988: 8.75 ft, action stage; 8,750 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 8.13 ft, action stage; 6,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1994: 11.06 ft, minor flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1995: 11.00 ft, minor floodingJan 19, 1996: 12.88 ft, moderate floodingAug 12, 1996: 9.70 ft, minor floodingSep 6, 1996: 13.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 2, 1996: 8.26 ft, action stage; 8,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 9.93 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2001: 9.75 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2002: 8.64 ft, action stage; 9,230 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2003: 12.51 ft, moderate floodingFeb 6, 2004: 8.06 ft, action stage; 7,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 8.47 ft, action stage; 8,670 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2008: 8.22 ft, action stage; 8,330 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 9.76 ft, minor flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2011: 9.07 ft, minor flooding; 11,179 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2011: 8.92 ft, action stageSep 7, 2011: 9.23 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2012: 8.25 ft, action stage; 8,420 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2014: 8.84 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2017: 10.70 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2018: 8.98 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2019: 10.77 ft, minor flooding; 18,436 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 8.91 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.85 ft, Nov 5, 1985 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 5 5 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, North Branch Potomac River at Kitzmiller
1Nov 5, 198514.85+5.85Moderate50,400
2Oct 15, 195413.50+4.50Moderate33,400
3Sep 6, 199613.40+4.40Moderate—
4Jan 19, 199612.88+3.88Moderate—
5Aug 18, 195512.80+3.80Moderate21,400
6Sep 19, 200312.51+3.51Moderate—
7May 31, 198511.87+2.87Minor23,300
8Feb 9, 199411.06+2.06Minor19,000
9Feb 9, 199511.00+2.00Minor—
10Jul 3, 197810.78+1.78Minor17,900
11Jun 30, 201910.77+1.77Minor18,436
12Jul 29, 201710.70+1.70Minor18,100
13Feb 19, 20009.93+0.93Minor14,300
14Mar 13, 20109.76+0.76Minor13,900
15Jul 26, 20019.75+0.75Minor13,500
16Aug 12, 19969.70+0.70Minor—
17Mar 5, 19639.40+0.40Minor10,300
18Sep 7, 20119.23+0.23Minor11,800
19Apr 19, 20119.07+0.07Minor11,179
20Dec 8, 19729.06+0.06Minor14,800
21Mar 1, 19549.02+0.02Minor9,280
22Aug 6, 19569.02+0.02Minor8,310
23Sep 28, 20188.98−0.02Action10,100
24May 18, 20118.92−0.08Action—
25Mar 1, 20218.91−0.09Action10,200
26Aug 18, 19808.89−0.11Action9,280
27Feb 14, 19848.88−0.12Action9,090
28May 16, 20148.84−0.16Action10,300
29May 19, 19888.75−0.25Action8,750
30Dec 7, 19508.71−0.29Action8,510
31Mar 7, 19678.70−0.30Action12,300
32Jul 27, 20028.64−0.36Action9,230
33Feb 10, 19578.61−0.39Action7,110
34Mar 29, 20058.47−0.53Action8,670
35Feb 24, 19798.40−0.60Action7,540
36Mar 30, 19608.32−0.68Action6,310
37Jan 29, 19708.32−0.68Action9,920
38May 24, 19688.27−0.73Action9,640
39Dec 2, 19968.26−0.74Action8,000
40Feb 29, 20128.25−0.75Action8,420
41Dec 12, 20088.22−0.78Action8,330
42Oct 9, 19768.20−0.80Action8,910
43Dec 31, 19518.15−0.85Action7,190
44Feb 25, 19618.15−0.85Action5,880
45Apr 1, 19938.13−0.87Action6,690
46Dec 22, 19708.12−0.88Action8,810
47Mar 5, 19648.06−0.94Action8,500
48Feb 6, 20048.06−0.94Action7,400

The worst floods along the North Branch Potomac River

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

November 5, 1985: 14.85 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SteyerMD · Nov 5, 1985 · 13.14 ft · Major · its highest
  • CumberlandMD · Nov 5, 1985 · 18.85 ft · Minor

October 15, 1954: 13.50 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CumberlandMD · Oct 16, 1954 · 23.85 ft · Major
  • LukeMD · Oct 15, 1954 · 17.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • SteyerMD · Oct 15, 1954 · 13.00 ft · Major

September 6, 1996: 13.40 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CumberlandMD · Sep 7, 1996 · 22.55 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the North Branch Potomac River

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

Flood gauges on the North Branch Potomac River
SteyerMD9.013.14 ft, Nov 5, 19853
Kitzmiller this gaugeMD9.014.85 ft, Nov 5, 19850
LukeMD10.517.15 ft, Oct 15, 19544
CumberlandMD17.029.20 ft, Jun 1, 18899

Other gauges in Garrett County

Flood gauges in Garrett County
Grantsville4.510.70 ft, Oct 15, 19540
Steyer9.013.14 ft, Nov 5, 19853

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KITM2, 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.