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Grand River at Grand Rapids

Highest listed crest 21.85 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft124 crests since 1901

The Grand River at Grand Rapids crested above flood stage 12 times among the 124 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1901 to 2025. The highest, 21.85 ft on April 21, 2013, was moderate flooding, 3.85 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Grand River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.85 ft
April 21, 2013; 35,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
0
12 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 8, 2023
18.86 ft, minor flooding
Location
Kent County
Near Grand Rapids (1.1 mi), East Grand Rapids (3.7 mi), Walker (4.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Grand River at Grand Rapids
Action stage12.069Apr 8, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.011Apr 8, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.01Apr 21, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

124 crests from 1901 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Grand River at Grand Rapids, 1901 to 2025 0510152025ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft Mar 28, 1901: 13.90 ft, action stage; 30,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1902: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1903: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1904: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 54,000 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1905: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 50,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1906: 11.65 ft, below flood stage; 18,500 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1907: 15.10 ft, action stage; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1908: 15.30 ft, action stage; 28,800 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1909: 14.85 ft, action stage; 27,600 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1910: 12.42 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1911: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1912: 16.00 ft, action stage; 30,600 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1913: 11.70 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1914: 6.10 ft, below flood stage; 9,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1915: 9.60 ft, below flood stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1916: 15.80 ft, action stage; 30,600 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1917: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1918: 16.40 ft, action stage; 32,400 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1919: 16.40 ft, action stage; 32,400 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1920: 14.90 ft, action stage; 28,000 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1921: 8.20 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1921: 11.20 ft, below flood stage; 17,800 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1924: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1925: 5.70 ft, below flood stage; 8,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1926: 13.30 ft, action stage; 23,000 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1927: 6.60 ft, below flood stage; 9,800 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1928: 11.40 ft, below flood stage; 18,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1930: 13.30 ft, action stage; 23,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1931: 2.70 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1932: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 8,820 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1933: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1934: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 9,450 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1935: 10.87 ft, below flood stage; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1936: 9.68 ft, below flood stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1937: 9.59 ft, below flood stage; 16,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1938: 13.27 ft, action stage; 28,300 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1939: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1940: 6.49 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1941: 5.43 ft, below flood stage; 9,920 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1942: 15.13 ft, action stage; 34,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1943: 14.07 ft, action stage; 29,200 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1944: 8.48 ft, below flood stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1945: 9.47 ft, below flood stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1946: 13.52 ft, action stage; 26,800 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1947: 16.43 ft, action stage; 38,600 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1948: 17.03 ft, action stage; 42,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1949: 10.60 ft, below flood stage; 18,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1950: 13.92 ft, action stage; 27,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1951: 11.36 ft, below flood stage; 19,800 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1952: 11.07 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1953: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 8,090 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1954: 10.92 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1955: 10.44 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1956: 17.70 ft, action stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1957: 12.35 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1958: 11.15 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1959: 14.41 ft, action stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1960: 19.25 ft, minor flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1961: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1962: 15.47 ft, action stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1963: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 8,890 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1964: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 5,680 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1965: 16.19 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1966: 8.61 ft, below flood stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1967: 14.15 ft, action stage; 16,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1968: 15.23 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1969: 12.21 ft, action stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1970: 12.00 ft, action stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1971: 16.85 ft, action stage; 24,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1972: 14.34 ft, action stage; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1973: 16.55 ft, action stage; 23,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1974: 16.87 ft, action stage; 24,600 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1975: 16.82 ft, action stage; 23,500 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1976: 19.29 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1977: 9.64 ft, below flood stage; 9,290 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1978: 15.09 ft, action stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1979: 15.41 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1980: 9.40 ft, below flood stage; 9,170 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1981: 15.34 ft, action stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1982: 18.83 ft, minor flooding; 26,700 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1983: 13.81 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1984: 11.38 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1985: 19.64 ft, minor flooding; 30,200 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1986: 17.42 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1986: 19.25 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1988: 12.12 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1989: 15.20 ft, action stage; 17,100 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1990: 16.49 ft, action stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1990: 15.40 ft, action stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1992: 12.34 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1993: 16.10 ft, action stage; 18,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1994: 13.62 ft, action stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1994: 12.60 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1996: 15.00 ft, action stage; 16,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1997: 17.87 ft, action stage; 23,500 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1998: 13.50 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1999: 15.15 ft, action stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2000: 17.42 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2001: 16.07 ft, action stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2002: 13.04 ft, action stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2003: 8.23 ft, below flood stage; 7,690 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2004: 19.54 ft, minor flooding; 29,000 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2005: 14.27 ft, action stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2006: 13.71 ft, action stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2007: 13.93 ft, action stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2008: 13.04 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2008: 17.84 ft, action stage; 24,700 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2009: 17.29 ft, action stageMar 16, 2010: 13.19 ft, action stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2011: 16.34 ft, action stage; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2012: 11.09 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2013: 21.85 ft, moderate flooding; 35,100 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2014: 12.79 ft, action stage; 14,100 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2015: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2016: 12.31 ft, action stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2017: 17.90 ft, action stage; 25,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 20.67 ft, minor flooding; 31,900 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2019: 15.71 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 19.55 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2021: 14.28 ft, action stage; 16,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2022: 13.24 ft, action stage; 14,600 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2023: 18.86 ft, minor flooding; 27,300 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2024: 14.40 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2025: 12.80 ft, action stage; 13,900 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.85 ft, Apr 21, 2013 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Grand River at Grand Rapids 1900s: 2 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 2 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

The 50 highest of 124 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Grand River at Grand Rapids
1Apr 21, 201321.85+3.85Moderate35,100
2Feb 25, 201820.67+2.67Minor31,900
3Mar 1, 198519.64+1.64Minor30,200
4May 22, 202019.55+1.55Minor29,600
5May 27, 200419.54+1.54Minor29,000
6Mar 28, 190419.50+1.50Minor54,000
7Mar 8, 197619.29+1.29Minor28,300
8Apr 3, 196019.25+1.25Minor31,800
9Oct 4, 198619.25+1.25Minor28,300
10Apr 8, 202318.86+0.86Minor27,300
11Mar 19, 198218.83+0.83Minor26,700
12Jun 9, 190518.60+0.60Minor50,200
13Apr 10, 201717.90−0.10Action25,000
14Feb 25, 199717.87−0.13Action23,500
15Dec 31, 200817.84−0.16Action24,700
16May 13, 195617.70−0.30Action26,000
17Mar 17, 198617.42−0.58Action22,300
18May 22, 200017.42−0.58Action21,400
19May 1, 200917.29−0.71Action—
20Mar 23, 194817.03−0.97Action42,200
21Mar 9, 197416.87−1.13Action24,600
22Mar 1, 197116.85−1.15Action24,600
23Apr 24, 197516.82−1.18Action23,500
24Jan 5, 197316.55−1.45Action23,600
25Mar 16, 199016.49−1.51Action20,800
26Apr 9, 194716.43−1.57Action38,600
27Mar 18, 191816.40−1.60Action32,400
28Mar 20, 191916.40−1.60Action32,400
29May 1, 201116.34−1.66Action21,300
30Apr 12, 196516.19−1.81Action22,300
31Apr 24, 199316.10−1.90Action18,900
32Feb 14, 200116.07−1.93Action20,900
33Apr 7, 191216.00−2.00Action30,600
34Mar 30, 191615.80−2.20Action30,600
35Mar 18, 201915.71−2.29Action20,000
36Mar 23, 196215.47−2.53Action20,500
37Mar 10, 197915.41−2.59Action17,500
38Dec 2, 199015.40−2.60Action17,400
39Feb 23, 198115.34−2.66Action17,300
40Mar 15, 190815.30−2.70Action28,800
41Feb 6, 196815.23−2.77Action20,000
42Jun 5, 198915.20−2.80Action17,100
43Apr 27, 199915.15−2.85Action17,200
44Mar 20, 194215.13−2.87Action34,000
45Jan 24, 190715.10−2.90Action18,000
46Apr 4, 197815.09−2.91Action16,900
47Jun 22, 199615.00−3.00Action16,900
48Mar 17, 192014.90−3.10Action28,000
49May 4, 190914.85−3.15Action27,600
50Mar 25, 195914.41−3.59Action18,100

The worst floods along the Grand River

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

April 21, 2013: 21.85 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Comstock ParkMI · Apr 21, 2013 · 17.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • IoniaMI · Apr 20, 2013 · 24.69 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • AdaMI · Apr 21, 2013 · 22.81 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • LowellMI · Apr 21, 2013 · 19.02 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • Robinson TownshipMI · Apr 19, 2013 · 17.00 ft · Moderate
  • JacksonMI · Apr 19, 2013 · 14.25 ft · Minor
  • LansingMI · Apr 21, 2013 · 11.15 ft · Minor

February 25, 2018: 20.67 ft here, minor flooding

  • Comstock ParkMI · Feb 25, 2018 · 16.85 ft · Major
  • IoniaMI · Feb 23, 2018 · 24.40 ft · Moderate
  • AdaMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 22.56 ft · Moderate
  • LowellMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 18.20 ft · Moderate
  • Robinson TownshipMI · Feb 26, 2018 · 16.08 ft · Moderate
  • LansingMI · Feb 23, 2018 · 14.62 ft · Moderate
  • JacksonMI · Feb 21, 2018 · 14.03 ft · Minor
  • PortlandMI · Feb 23, 2018 · 12.62 ft · Minor
  • Eaton RapidsMI · Feb 23, 2018 · 6.20 ft · Minor

March 1, 1985: 19.64 ft here, minor flooding

  • Comstock ParkMI · Mar 1, 1985 · 16.70 ft · Major
  • IoniaMI · Feb 27, 1985 · 23.15 ft · Moderate
  • LansingMI · Feb 26, 1985 · 14.12 ft · Moderate
  • AdaMI · Feb 28, 1985 · 21.55 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Grand River

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

Flood gauges on the Grand River
AdaMI20.022.81 ft, Apr 21, 20130
Comstock ParkMI12.017.80 ft, Apr 21, 201310
DimondaleMI13.013.60 ft, Apr 6, 19470
Eaton RapidsMI6.09.10 ft, Apr 6, 19471
Grand LedgeMI11.014.00 ft, Mar 26, 19040
Grand Rapids this gaugeMI18.021.85 ft, Apr 21, 20130
IoniaMI21.024.69 ft, Apr 20, 20130
JacksonMI14.015.44 ft, Jun 25, 19680
LansingMI11.015.43 ft, Apr 20, 19751
LowellMI15.019.02 ft, Apr 21, 20130
PortlandMI12.012.98 ft, Apr 21, 19750
Robinson TownshipMI13.318.30 ft, Jan 21, 20052

Other gauges in Kent County

Flood gauges in Kent County
Wilson Avenue at Grandville9.010.76 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Ada20.022.81 ft, Apr 21, 20130
Comstock Park12.017.80 ft, Apr 21, 201310
Lowell15.019.02 ft, Apr 21, 20130
Rockford8.011.35 ft, Sep 12, 19861
Caledonia10.014.40 ft, Apr 7, 19471

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GDRM4, 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.