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Dowagiac River at Sumnerville

Highest listed crest 11.60 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft64 crests since 1961

The Dowagiac River at Sumnerville crested above flood stage 31 times among the 64 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1961 to 2021. The highest, 11.60 ft on September 15, 2008, was moderate flooding, 3.60 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.60 ft
September 15, 2008; 2,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
0
31 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 27, 2021
8.49 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cass County
Near Niles (5.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Dowagiac River at Sumnerville
Action stage6.031Aug 17, 2009The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.019Jun 27, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.012Jan 12, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

64 crests from 1961 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Dowagiac River at Sumnerville, 1961 to 2021 468101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Sep 26, 1961: 7.79 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 6.01 ft, action stage; 667 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 6.75 ft, action stage; 820 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1964: 6.01 ft, action stage; 667 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1965: 7.62 ft, action stage; 994 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1966: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1968: 8.78 ft, minor flooding; 1,280 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1969: 6.84 ft, action stage; 838 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1970: 7.43 ft, action stage; 956 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1971: 6.46 ft, action stage; 757 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1972: 7.59 ft, action stage; 988 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1974: 7.65 ft, action stage; 1,000 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1975: 6.51 ft, action stage; 777 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1976: 7.09 ft, action stage; 893 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1977: 5.94 ft, below flood stage; 663 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1978: 6.54 ft, action stage; 783 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1979: 7.97 ft, action stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1980: 6.68 ft, action stage; 811 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1981: 7.74 ft, action stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1982: 8.33 ft, minor flooding; 1,150 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1983: 7.10 ft, action stage; 895 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 6.90 ft, action stage; 855 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1985: 9.26 ft, moderate flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1986: 8.84 ft, minor flooding; 1,460 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1988: 7.05 ft, action stage; 968 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1990: 8.71 ft, minor flooding; 1,440 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1992: 7.11 ft, action stage; 984 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1993: 8.21 ft, minor flooding; 1,290 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1994: 6.50 ft, action stage; 829 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 6.93 ft, action stage; 937 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1997: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 1,290 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 6.86 ft, action stage; 859 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 7.79 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2000: 5.88 ft, below flood stage; 629 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 7.71 ft, action stage; 1,030 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2002: 7.52 ft, action stage; 985 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2003: 6.85 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2004: 7.62 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2005: 8.54 ft, minor floodingAug 29, 2006: 6.66 ft, action stage; 791 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2007: 7.77 ft, action stage; 987 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2008: 9.34 ft, moderate floodingSep 15, 2008: 11.60 ft, moderate flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 9.23 ft, moderate floodingFeb 12, 2009: 9.52 ft, moderate flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2009: 8.83 ft, minor flooding; 884 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2009: 9.74 ft, moderate flooding; 1,100 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2009: 8.25 ft, minor flooding; 756 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2009: 8.09 ft, minor flooding; 723 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2009: 7.13 ft, action stage; 532 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2010: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 872 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2011: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 820 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 8.93 ft, minor flooding; 1,070 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2011: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 823 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2013: 8.17 ft, minor flooding; 855 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 9.11 ft, moderate flooding; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2014: 9.11 ft, moderate flooding; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2015: 8.58 ft, minor flooding; 967 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2016: 9.41 ft, moderate flooding; 1,224 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 8.83 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2018: 11.32 ft, moderate flooding; 2,140 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2019: 9.54 ft, moderate flooding; 1,230 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 9.79 ft, moderate flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2021: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 832 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.60 ft, Sep 15, 2008 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Dowagiac River at Sumnerville 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 3 2000s: 9 2010s: 12 12 2020s: 2 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 64 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Dowagiac River at Sumnerville
1Sep 15, 200811.60+3.60Moderate2,300
2Feb 22, 201811.32+3.32Moderate2,140
3Jan 12, 20209.79+1.79Moderate1,210
4Mar 11, 20099.74+1.74Moderate1,100
5May 2, 20199.54+1.54Moderate1,230
6Feb 12, 20099.52+1.52Moderate1,040
7Aug 17, 20169.41+1.41Moderate1,224
8Jan 9, 20089.34+1.34Moderate—
9Feb 24, 19859.26+1.26Moderate1,590
10Dec 28, 20089.23+1.23Moderate—
11Apr 19, 20139.11+1.11Moderate1,120
12Jun 25, 20149.11+1.11Moderate1,120
13Apr 28, 20118.93+0.93Minor1,070
14Oct 4, 19868.84+0.84Minor1,460
15Feb 27, 20098.83+0.83Minor884
16Mar 31, 20178.83+0.83Minor1,040
17Jun 26, 19688.78+0.78Minor1,280
18Nov 28, 19908.71+0.71Minor1,440
19Jun 17, 20158.58+0.58Minor967
20Jan 14, 20058.54+0.54Minor—
21Jun 27, 20218.49+0.49Minor832
22Feb 22, 19978.45+0.45Minor1,290
23Mar 17, 19828.33+0.33Minor1,150
24Apr 28, 20098.25+0.25Minor756
25Mar 12, 20108.24+0.24Minor872
26Apr 20, 19938.21+0.21Minor1,290
27Jan 30, 20138.17+0.17Minor855
28Dec 9, 19668.13+0.13Minor1,100
29Jun 20, 20098.09+0.09Minor723
30May 30, 20118.05+0.05Minor823
31Feb 21, 20118.04+0.04Minor820
32Mar 5, 19797.97−0.03Action1,070
33Sep 26, 19617.79−0.21Action1,030
34Jan 24, 19997.79−0.21Action1,090
35Jan 5, 20077.77−0.23Action987
36Apr 29, 19817.74−0.26Action1,020
37Feb 10, 20017.71−0.29Action1,030
38May 17, 19747.65−0.35Action1,000
39Dec 25, 19657.62−0.38Action994
40Jun 13, 20047.62−0.38Action1,010
41Dec 31, 19727.59−0.41Action988
42Mar 9, 20027.52−0.48Action985
43Jul 20, 19707.43−0.57Action956
44Aug 17, 20097.13−0.87Action532
45Jul 23, 19927.11−0.89Action984
46May 2, 19837.10−0.90Action895
47Apr 26, 19767.09−0.91Action893
48Nov 10, 19887.05−0.95Action968
49Jun 10, 19966.93−1.07Action937
50Feb 13, 19846.90−1.10Action855

Cass County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Michigan

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SNMM4, 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.