Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Shiawassee River at Owosso

Highest listed crest 10.35 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft63 crests since 1936

The Shiawassee River at Owosso crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 63 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2021. The highest, 10.35 ft on April 6, 1947, was major flooding, 3.35 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.35 ft
April 6, 1947; 6,240 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
3
11th of 98 gauges in Michigan
Most recent flood crest
June 27, 2021
7.19 ft, minor flooding
Location
Shiawassee County
Near Owosso (1.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Shiawassee River at Owosso
Action stage6.07Apr 23, 1999The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.049Jun 27, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.03Feb 21, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.03Oct 1, 1981Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

63 crests from 1936 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Shiawassee River at Owosso, 1936 to 2021 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 12, 1936: 7.97 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 1938: 8.10 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1942: 8.74 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 1943: 8.35 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 1945: 8.06 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1946: 7.45 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1947: 10.35 ft, major flooding; 6,240 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1948: 10.27 ft, major floodingApr 4, 1950: 8.28 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1951: 7.48 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 1954: 7.00 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1956: 8.27 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1959: 7.48 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1960: 8.41 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1962: 7.65 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 1965: 7.50 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1967: 7.17 ft, minor floodingFeb 2, 1968: 7.29 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1971: 7.03 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 1972: 8.32 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1974: 7.76 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1975: 9.25 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1976: 8.17 ft, minor floodingOct 1, 1981: 10.30 ft, major floodingMar 13, 1982: 8.39 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1986: 7.02 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 1986: 7.61 ft, minor flooding; 3,040 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1988: 6.48 ft, action stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1989: 6.29 ft, action stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1990: 6.67 ft, action stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1991: 6.00 ft, action stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1993: 7.10 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1993: 8.00 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 1994: 7.10 ft, minor floodingJul 8, 1994: 7.70 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1995: 6.64 ft, action stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1996: 7.26 ft, minor flooding; 2,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1997: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1998: 6.34 ft, action stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 6.88 ft, action stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2000: 7.10 ft, minor flooding; 2,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 4,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2001: 7.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 2001: 7.00 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 2002: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 9.03 ft, moderate flooding; 4,478 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 7.25 ft, minor flooding; 2,698 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2008: 7.25 ft, minor flooding; 2,771 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,470 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2009: 7.28 ft, minor flooding; 2,796 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2009: 7.92 ft, minor flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2009: 7.35 ft, minor flooding; 2,857 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2011: 7.54 ft, minor flooding; 3,027 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2011: 7.61 ft, minor flooding; 3,092 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2011: 7.54 ft, minor flooding; 3,027 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2011: 7.10 ft, minor flooding; 2,643 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 3,712 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2014: 7.45 ft, minor flooding; 2,945 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2014: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 3,757 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2017: 8.71 ft, minor flooding; 4,051 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 9.10 ft, moderate flooding; 4,419 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 7.28 ft, minor flooding; 2,836 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2021: 7.19 ft, minor flooding; 2,765 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.35 ft, Apr 6, 1947 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Shiawassee River at Owosso 1930s: 2 1940s: 6 1950s: 5 1960s: 5 1970s: 5 1980s: 4 1990s: 6 2000s: 11 11 2010s: 9 2020s: 2 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 5 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 5.80 ft on Mar 2, 1910; 8.00 ft on Apr 14, 1912; 8.30 ft on Mar 29, 1916; 8.60 ft on Feb 19, 1918; 7.30 ft on Apr 1, 1933.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 63 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Shiawassee River at Owosso
1Apr 6, 194710.35+3.35Major6,240
2Oct 1, 198110.30+3.30Major—
3Mar 20, 194810.27+3.27Major—
4Apr 22, 19759.25+2.25Moderate—
5Feb 21, 20189.10+2.10Moderate4,419
6May 24, 20049.03+2.03Moderate4,478
7Mar 17, 19428.74+1.74Minor—
8Apr 7, 20178.71+1.71Minor4,051
9May 15, 20148.45+1.45Minor3,757
10Apr 1, 19608.41+1.41Minor—
11Mar 13, 19828.39+1.39Minor—
12Apr 19, 20138.38+1.38Minor3,712
13Jun 2, 19438.35+1.35Minor—
14Dec 13, 19728.32+1.32Minor—
15Apr 4, 19508.28+1.28Minor—
16May 14, 19568.27+1.27Minor—
17Feb 10, 20018.20+1.20Minor4,200
18Mar 5, 19768.17+1.17Minor—
19Feb 18, 19388.10+1.10Minor—
20May 18, 19458.06+1.06Minor—
21Apr 20, 19938.00+1.00Minor—
22Feb 22, 19978.00+1.00Minor3,600
23Dec 28, 20088.00+1.00Minor3,470
24Mar 12, 19367.97+0.97Minor—
25Apr 28, 20097.92+0.92Minor3,390
26May 17, 19747.76+0.76Minor—
27Jul 8, 19947.70+0.70Minor—
28Mar 13, 19627.65+0.65Minor—
29Sep 30, 19867.61+0.61Minor3,040
30May 15, 20117.61+0.61Minor3,092
31Apr 28, 20117.54+0.54Minor3,027
32May 19, 20117.54+0.54Minor3,027
33Feb 9, 19657.50+0.50Minor—
34Feb 19, 19517.48+0.48Minor—
35Mar 23, 19597.48+0.48Minor—
36Mar 6, 19467.45+0.45Minor—
37Mar 17, 20147.45+0.45Minor2,945
38Jun 20, 20097.35+0.35Minor2,857
39Feb 14, 20017.30+0.30Minor—
40Feb 2, 19687.29+0.29Minor—
41Feb 12, 20097.28+0.28Minor2,796
42Jan 12, 20207.28+0.28Minor2,836
43May 21, 19967.26+0.26Minor2,930
44Jan 13, 20057.25+0.25Minor2,698
45Sep 15, 20087.25+0.25Minor2,771
46Jun 27, 20217.19+0.19Minor2,765
47Mar 17, 19677.17+0.17Minor—
48Jan 5, 19937.10+0.10Minor—
49Jun 26, 19947.10+0.10Minor—
50May 19, 20007.10+0.10Minor2,760

The worst floods along the Shiawassee River

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

October 1, 1981: 10.30 ft here, major flooding

  • ChesaningMI · Oct 1, 1981 · 15.00 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Shiawassee River

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

Flood gauges on the Shiawassee River
Owosso this gaugeMI7.010.35 ft, Apr 6, 19473
ChesaningMI15.017.30 ft, Mar 23, 19261

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OWOM4, 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.