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Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel

Highest listed crest 25.00 ftFlood stage 9.5 ft25 crests since 1945

The Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel crested above flood stage 18 times among the 25 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2018. The highest, 25.00 ft on June 22, 1972, was moderate flooding, 15.50 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Patuxent River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.00 ft
June 22, 1972; 26,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
18 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
December 16, 2018
10.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Howard County
Near Laurel (1.6 mi), Greenbelt (8.4 mi), College Park (8.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel
Action stage8.57Jun 7, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.513Dec 16, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.05May 1, 2014Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

25 crests from 1945 to 2018. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel, 1945 to 2018 510152025ft Flood stage 9.5 ft Aug 1, 1945: 8.78 ft, action stage; 3,730 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1952: 10.47 ft, minor flooding; 5,200 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 1952: 8.98 ft, action stage; 4,150 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1955: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1956: 18.90 ft, moderate flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1958: 12.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,130 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1961: 9.32 ft, action stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1967: 9.30 ft, action stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1970: 12.69 ft, minor flooding; 4,740 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1971: 18.50 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 25.00 ft, moderate flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1975: 19.84 ft, moderate flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1976: 10.43 ft, minor flooding; 3,770 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 12.34 ft, minor flooding; 5,680 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 1979: 10.57 ft, minor flooding; 3,710 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1979: 8.96 ft, action stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1983: 9.18 ft, action stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1989: 11.81 ft, minor flooding; 5,110 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2003: 9.29 ft, action stage; 2,420 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2003: 11.71 ft, minor flooding; 4,900 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 11.40 ft, minor flooding; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 12.52 ft, minor flooding; 5,774 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 14.80 ft, moderate flooding; 8,210 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2018: 9.69 ft, minor flooding; 2,450 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2018: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 2,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.00 ft, Jun 22, 1972 1950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel 1940s: 0 1950s: 4 1960s: 0 1970s: 7 7 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Patuxent River below Duckett Dam near Laurel
1Jun 22, 197225.00+15.50Moderate26,000
2Sep 26, 197519.84+10.34Moderate17,000
3Jul 21, 195618.90+9.40Moderate11,800
4Sep 12, 197118.50+9.00Moderate12,000
5May 1, 201414.80+5.30Moderate8,210
6Apr 14, 197012.69+3.19Minor4,740
7Jan 31, 201312.52+3.02Minor5,774
8Jan 26, 197812.34+2.84Minor5,680
9Jul 8, 195812.26+2.76Minor5,130
10May 7, 198911.81+2.31Minor5,110
11Dec 11, 200311.71+2.21Minor4,900
12Jun 27, 200611.40+1.90Minor4,580
13Sep 6, 197910.57+1.07Minor3,710
14Sep 1, 195210.47+0.97Minor5,200
15Aug 13, 195510.43+0.93Minor5,160
16Jan 1, 197610.43+0.93Minor3,770
17Dec 16, 201810.40+0.90Minor2,700
18Jun 4, 20189.69+0.19Minor2,450
19Apr 13, 19619.32−0.18Action2,790
20Aug 28, 19679.30−0.20Action2,780
21Jun 7, 20039.29−0.21Action2,420
22Dec 14, 19839.18−0.32Action2,370
23Nov 22, 19528.98−0.52Action4,150
24Oct 4, 19798.96−0.54Action1,640
25Aug 1, 19458.78−0.72Action3,730

The worst floods along the Patuxent River

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

June 22, 1972: 25.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • UnityMD · Jun 22, 1972 · 16.10 ft · Moderate
  • BowieMD · Jun 22, 1972 · 27.90 ft · Minor · its highest

September 26, 1975: 19.84 ft here, moderate flooding

  • UnityMD · Sep 26, 1975 · 12.69 ft · Moderate

July 21, 1956: 18.90 ft here, moderate flooding

  • UnityMD · Jul 21, 1956 · 14.35 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Patuxent River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Patuxent River
Solomons Island (IN MLLW)MD3.04.82 ft, Oct 29, 20210
Brighton DamMD9.011.88 ft, Jan 31, 20130
Duckett Dam near Laurel this gaugeMD9.525.00 ft, Jun 22, 19720
BowieMD19.027.90 ft, Jun 22, 19720
UnityMD8.018.60 ft, Sep 11, 19711

Other gauges in Howard County

Flood gauges in Howard County
Rogers Avenue at Ellicott City258.0261.06 ft, May 27, 20181
Allview280.0284.53 ft, May 28, 20181
Lake Kittamaqundi298.5303.76 ft, May 28, 20180
Guilford12.018.38 ft, Jun 22, 19720
Savage10.025.40 ft, Jun 22, 19721
Elkridge at Patapsco Valley State Park15.024.76 ft, May 27, 20184
Elkridge below Patapsco Valley State Park16.021.38 ft, Aug 4, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LPRM2, 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.