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North Branch Potomac River at Steyer

Highest listed crest 13.14 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft29 crests since 1954

The North Branch Potomac River at Steyer crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1954 to 2019. The highest, 13.14 ft on November 5, 1985, was major flooding, 4.14 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
13.14 ft
November 5, 1985; 11,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
3
24th of 108 gauges in Maryland
Most recent flood crest
June 30, 2019
13.01 ft, major 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 Steyer
Action stage8.07Feb 19, 2000The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.07Jul 29, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.01May 31, 1985Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.03Jun 30, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1954 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Branch Potomac River at Steyer, 1954 to 2019 68101214ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Oct 15, 1954: 13.00 ft, major flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1956: 8.84 ft, action stage; 5,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1957: 8.40 ft, action stage; 5,150 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1961: 8.00 ft, action stage; 4,650 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 9.13 ft, minor flooding; 6,240 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1967: 8.45 ft, action stage; 5,220 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1968: 8.49 ft, action stage; 5,280 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1978: 10.30 ft, minor flooding; 6,900 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1985: 12.12 ft, moderate flooding; 9,860 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1985: 13.14 ft, major flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1990: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 3,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1994: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 7,290 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1995: 8.09 ft, action stage; 4,170 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 11.75 ft, minor flooding; 9,260 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 6.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 8.63 ft, action stage; 4,840 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2001: 9.91 ft, minor flooding; 6,580 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 2002: 7.83 ft, below flood stage; 3,870 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2003: 10.78 ft, minor flooding; 7,810 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2003: 7.21 ft, below flood stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 6.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2007: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2008: 6.23 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2008: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 7.06 ft, below flood stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2011: 7.55 ft, below flood stage; 3,565 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 2011: 6.76 ft, below flood stageJul 29, 2017: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 8,117 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2019: 13.01 ft, major flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.14 ft, Nov 5, 1985 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Branch Potomac River at Steyer 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 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, North Branch Potomac River at Steyer
1Nov 5, 198513.14+4.14Major11,500
2Jun 30, 201913.01+4.01Major10,700
3Oct 15, 195413.00+4.00Major11,300
4May 31, 198512.12+3.12Moderate9,860
5Jan 19, 199611.75+2.75Minor9,260
6Jul 29, 201711.12+2.12Minor8,117
7Sep 19, 200310.78+1.78Minor7,810
8Feb 9, 199410.40+1.40Minor7,290
9Jul 3, 197810.30+1.30Minor6,900
10Jul 26, 20019.91+0.91Minor6,580
11Mar 5, 19639.13+0.13Minor6,240
12Aug 6, 19568.84−0.16Action5,800
13Feb 19, 20008.63−0.37Action4,840
14May 24, 19688.49−0.51Action5,280
15Mar 6, 19678.45−0.55Action5,220
16Feb 10, 19578.40−0.60Action5,150
17Aug 6, 19958.09−0.91Action4,170
18Aug 11, 19618.00−1.00Action4,650
19Jul 27, 20027.83−1.17Below flood stage3,870
20May 26, 19907.62−1.38Below flood stage3,630
21Apr 19, 20117.55−1.45Below flood stage3,565
22Nov 12, 20037.21−1.79Below flood stage3,180
23Mar 13, 20107.06−1.94Below flood stage3,020
24Dec 11, 20086.81−2.19Below flood stage2,790
25Dec 2, 19966.80−2.20Below flood stage2,780
26Sep 7, 20116.76−2.24Below flood stage—
27Mar 29, 20056.35−2.65Below flood stage2,380
28Mar 5, 20086.23−2.77Below flood stage2,280
29Jul 6, 20076.00−3.00Below flood stage2,090

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: 13.14 ft here, major flooding

  • KitzmillerMD · Nov 5, 1985 · 14.85 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • CumberlandMD · Nov 5, 1985 · 18.85 ft · Minor

June 30, 2019: 13.01 ft here, major flooding

October 15, 1954: 13.00 ft here, major flooding

  • CumberlandMD · Oct 16, 1954 · 23.85 ft · Major
  • LukeMD · Oct 15, 1954 · 17.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • KitzmillerMD · Oct 15, 1954 · 13.50 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
Steyer this gaugeMD9.013.14 ft, Nov 5, 19853
KitzmillerMD9.014.85 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
Kitzmiller9.014.85 ft, Nov 5, 19850

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STYM2, 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.