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Aroostook River at Washburn

Highest listed crest 21.14 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft26 crests since 1940

The Aroostook River at Washburn crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2024. The highest, 21.14 ft on April 18, 2015, was major flooding, 7.14 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.14 ft
April 18, 2015
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
2
12th of 55 gauges in Maine
Most recent flood crest
April 20, 2019
19.66 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Aroostook County
Maine

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Aroostook River at Washburn
Action stage12.59Apr 24, 2007The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.010Apr 21, 2018Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.03Apr 20, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.02Apr 18, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1940 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Aroostook River at Washburn, 1940 to 2024 10121416182022ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Apr 15, 1940: 13.50 ft, action stage; 30,900 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1950: 15.78 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1953: 13.95 ft, action stageDec 22, 1954: 13.40 ft, action stageDec 21, 1958: 14.90 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1973: 13.68 ft, action stage; 43,100 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1973: 20.91 ft, major floodingMay 2, 1974: 13.58 ft, action stage; 42,500 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1976: 14.74 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1979: 13.17 ft, action stage; 37,700 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1982: 15.67 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1983: 13.73 ft, action stage; 43,400 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1984: 13.46 ft, action stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1990: 17.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1991: 17.47 ft, moderate flooding; 31,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1994: 15.27 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2003: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2005: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2007: 12.74 ft, action stageApr 18, 2008: 14.40 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 2009: 16.43 ft, minor flooding; 69,740 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2015: 21.14 ft, major floodingApr 21, 2018: 14.99 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2019: 19.66 ft, moderate flooding; 92,716 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2023: 10.03 ft, below flood stage; 24,400 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2024: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 24,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.14 ft, Apr 18, 2015 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Aroostook River at Washburn 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 4 4 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Aroostook River at Washburn
1Apr 18, 201521.14+7.14Major—
2Dec 24, 197320.91+6.91Major—
3Apr 20, 201919.66+5.66Moderate92,716
4Apr 8, 199017.80+3.80Moderate—
5Apr 12, 199117.47+3.47Moderate31,100
6Apr 7, 200916.43+2.43Minor69,740
7Apr 6, 195015.78+1.78Minor—
8Apr 22, 198215.67+1.67Minor—
9Apr 16, 199415.27+1.27Minor—
10Apr 21, 201814.99+0.99Minor—
11Dec 21, 195814.90+0.90Minor—
12Apr 3, 197614.74+0.74Minor—
13Apr 18, 200814.40+0.40Minor—
14Apr 9, 200514.10+0.10Minor42,600
15Apr 20, 200314.000.00Minor42,000
16Mar 30, 195313.95−0.05Action—
17Apr 19, 198313.73−0.27Action43,400
18Apr 30, 197313.68−0.32Action43,100
19May 2, 197413.58−0.42Action42,500
20Apr 15, 194013.50−0.50Action30,900
21Apr 17, 198413.46−0.54Action25,500
22Dec 22, 195413.40−0.60Action—
23Apr 30, 197913.17−0.83Action37,700
24Apr 24, 200712.74−1.26Action—
25Apr 15, 202410.11−3.89Below flood stage24,800
26Dec 20, 202310.03−3.97Below flood stage24,400

Gauges on the Aroostook River

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

Flood gauges on the Aroostook River
MasardisME17.018.70 ft, Apr 9, 20090
Washburn this gaugeME14.021.14 ft, Apr 18, 20152

Other gauges in Aroostook County

Flood gauges in Aroostook County
Allagash15.019.78 ft, Apr 10, 19912
Masardis17.018.70 ft, Apr 9, 20090
Depot Mountain13.515.62 ft, Apr 1, 19870
Fort Kent11.013.93 ft, Apr 30, 20081
Caribou9.511.38 ft, Apr 27, 20180
South Branch near Houlton8.011.04 ft, Apr 4, 20050
Houlton4.85.58 ft, Dec 14, 20100
Connors15.015.93 ft, May 1, 20080
Dickey25.037.89 ft, Apr 9, 19911
Fort Kent22.530.07 ft, Apr 30, 20084
Nine Mile Bridge15.023.00 ft, Apr 11, 19911
Presque Isle7.58.34 ft, Apr 16, 20140
Reed Plantation10.010.27 ft, Apr 16, 20140

Aroostook County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Maine

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WSHM1, 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.