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Penobscot River above Grindstone

Highest listed crest 16.90 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft13 crests since 1909

The Penobscot River above Grindstone crested above flood stage 6 times among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1909 to 2023. The highest, 16.90 ft on April 30, 1923, was moderate flooding, 2.90 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Penobscot River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.90 ft
April 30, 1923; 37,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
December 19, 2023
14.67 ft, minor flooding
Location
Penobscot County
Maine

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Penobscot River above Grindstone
Action stage11.54Apr 28, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.05Dec 19, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Apr 30, 1923Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1909 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Penobscot River above Grindstone, 1909 to 2023 1012141618ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Sep 29, 1909: 14.30 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1923: 16.90 ft, moderate flooding; 37,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1936: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1973: 14.71 ft, minor flooding; 30,600 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2007: 10.41 ft, below flood stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2008: 15.02 ft, minor flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2010: 12.49 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2014: 11.87 ft, action stage; 18,800 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2018: 12.22 ft, action stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2019: 12.50 ft, action stage; 22,400 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2020: 10.70 ft, below flood stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 2022: 11.22 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2023: 14.67 ft, minor flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.90 ft, Apr 30, 1923 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Penobscot River above Grindstone 1900s: 1 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Penobscot River above Grindstone
1Apr 30, 192316.90+2.90Moderate37,000
2Apr 30, 200815.02+1.02Minor34,300
3Apr 29, 197314.71+0.71Minor30,600
4Dec 19, 202314.67+0.67Minor27,800
5Sep 29, 190914.30+0.30Minor24,400
6Mar 20, 193614.000.00Minor26,900
7Apr 28, 201912.50−1.50Action22,400
8Dec 14, 201012.49−1.51Action22,300
9Apr 27, 201812.22−1.78Action21,100
10Apr 16, 201411.87−2.13Action18,800
11Oct 19, 202211.22−2.78Below flood stage14,300
12Apr 14, 202010.70−3.30Below flood stage14,700
13Nov 17, 200710.41−3.59Below flood stage13,700

The worst floods along the Penobscot River

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

April 30, 1923: 16.90 ft here, moderate flooding

  • West EnfieldME · May 1, 1923 · 25.15 ft · Major · its highest

April 30, 2008: 15.02 ft here, minor flooding

April 29, 1973: 14.71 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Penobscot River

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

Flood gauges on the Penobscot River
Grindstone this gaugeME14.016.90 ft, Apr 30, 19230
West EnfieldME17.025.15 ft, May 1, 19231
EddingtonME18.023.53 ft, Apr 3, 19871
BangorME11.617.90 ft, Feb 2, 19761

Other gauges in Penobscot County

Flood gauges in Penobscot County
Grand Lake Matagamon8.59.60 ft, Dec 19, 20230
Bangor10.012.85 ft, Jan 15, 20180
Mattawamkeag13.516.31 ft, Apr 18, 20140
Bangor11.617.90 ft, Feb 2, 19761
Eddington18.023.53 ft, Apr 3, 19871
West Enfield17.025.15 ft, May 1, 19231
Shin Pond11.013.48 ft, Apr 30, 20080

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GRNM1, 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.