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St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles

Highest listed crest 17.33 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft58 crests since 1939

The St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 58 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2023. The highest, 17.33 ft on February 22, 2018, was major flooding, 6.33 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.33 ft
February 22, 2018; 25,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
2
14th of 98 gauges in Michigan
Most recent flood crest
May 20, 2020
11.52 ft, minor flooding
Location
Berrien County
Near Niles (0.7 mi), South Bend (10.5 mi), Mishawaka (11.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles
Action stage7.011Mar 6, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.042May 20, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.03Jan 9, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.02Feb 22, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

58 crests from 1939 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles, 1939 to 2023 81012141618ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Mar 13, 1939: 11.28 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1942: 11.03 ft, minor flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1943: 13.78 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1944: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1947: 11.80 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 11.78 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1950: 15.10 ft, major flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1952: 11.00 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1954: 11.09 ft, minor flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1956: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1965: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1974: 11.15 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1976: 12.53 ft, minor flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1978: 12.01 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1979: 12.36 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1981: 12.50 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1982: 14.97 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1983: 11.36 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 14.96 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1989: 13.30 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 1990: 13.58 ft, minor flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1993: 11.90 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1993: 13.77 ft, minor flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1993: 13.60 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 1996: 11.40 ft, minor floodingJun 10, 1996: 13.40 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 1997: 11.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 28, 1997: 11.81 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 11.25 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1999: 11.40 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 2000: 8.43 ft, action stage; 7,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 11.53 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2002: 11.96 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 2003: 8.98 ft, action stage; 7,970 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2004: 11.34 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 12.76 ft, minor floodingMar 14, 2006: 10.35 ft, action stageAug 24, 2007: 11.19 ft, minor flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2008: 14.19 ft, moderate floodingFeb 7, 2008: 13.40 ft, minor floodingSep 15, 2008: 12.22 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 2008: 11.00 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 2009: 13.82 ft, minor flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2009: 11.07 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2010: 9.56 ft, action stage; 8,920 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 11.82 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2013: 11.28 ft, minor flooding; 12,400 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2014: 10.61 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2015: 10.49 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2016: 9.62 ft, action stage; 8,900 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2017: 9.22 ft, action stage; 8,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2018: 17.33 ft, major flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2019: 11.93 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 11.52 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2021: 10.15 ft, action stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 10.54 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2023: 10.37 ft, action stage; 10,900 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.33 ft, Feb 22, 2018 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles 1930s: 1 1940s: 5 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 1980s: 5 1990s: 10 2000s: 11 11 2010s: 5 2020s: 1 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 58 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, St. Joseph River (MI/IN) at Niles
1Feb 22, 201817.33+6.33Major25,300
2Apr 5, 195015.10+4.10Major20,200
3Mar 21, 198214.97+3.97Moderate19,900
4Feb 25, 198514.96+3.96Moderate19,900
5Jan 9, 200814.19+3.19Moderate—
6Mar 11, 200913.82+2.82Minor17,500
7May 26, 194313.78+2.78Minor17,300
8Jan 5, 199313.77+2.77Minor17,100
9Jun 10, 199313.60+2.60Minor—
10Dec 31, 199013.58+2.58Minor16,800
11Jun 10, 199613.40+2.40Minor—
12Feb 7, 200813.40+2.40Minor—
13Jun 4, 198913.30+2.30Minor—
14Jan 14, 200512.76+1.76Minor—
15Mar 6, 197612.53+1.53Minor14,700
16Jun 15, 198112.50+1.50Minor12,900
17May 13, 195612.45+1.45Minor14,500
18Apr 20, 201312.40+1.40Minor14,700
19Mar 6, 197912.36+1.36Minor14,300
20Sep 15, 200812.22+1.22Minor—
21Mar 24, 197812.01+1.01Minor13,600
22May 13, 200211.96+0.96Minor—
23May 2, 201911.93+0.93Minor13,700
24Jan 1, 199311.90+0.90Minor—
25Apr 29, 201111.82+0.82Minor13,500
26Feb 28, 199711.81+0.81Minor13,300
27Apr 21, 194711.80+0.80Minor13,600
28Mar 22, 194811.78+0.78Minor13,600
29Feb 10, 200111.53+0.53Minor—
30May 20, 202011.52+0.52Minor13,000
31Feb 22, 199711.50+0.50Minor—
32May 11, 199611.40+0.40Minor—
33Apr 24, 199911.40+0.40Minor—
34May 3, 198311.36+0.36Minor12,400
35Jun 14, 200411.34+0.34Minor—
36Mar 13, 193911.28+0.28Minor13,300
37Apr 25, 201311.28+0.28Minor12,400
38Jan 9, 199811.25+0.25Minor12,200
39Aug 24, 200711.19+0.19Minor12,300
40Mar 10, 197411.15+0.15Minor12,100
41Mar 16, 194411.12+0.12Minor12,100
42Dec 26, 196511.10+0.10Minor12,000
43Oct 12, 195411.09+0.09Minor12,000
44Apr 7, 200911.07+0.07Minor12,100
45Mar 18, 194211.03+0.03Minor12,700
46Jan 21, 195211.000.00Minor11,800
47Dec 28, 200811.000.00Minor—
48Apr 4, 201410.61−0.39Action10,700
49Feb 18, 202210.54−0.46Action11,200
50Jul 19, 201510.49−0.51Action10,300

The worst floods along the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN) that crested above flood stage within a week.

February 22, 2018: 17.33 ft here, major flooding

  • South BendIN · Feb 22, 2018 · 12.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • Three RiversMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 11.37 ft · Major
  • MottvilleMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 10.17 ft · Major
  • BurlingtonMI · Feb 22, 2018 · 6.93 ft · Minor · its highest

March 21, 1982: 14.97 ft here, moderate flooding

February 25, 1985: 14.96 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)

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

Flood gauges on the St. Joseph River (MI/IN)
BurlingtonMI6.56.93 ft, Feb 22, 20180
Three RiversMI7.011.80 ft, Jun 3, 19892
MottvilleMI8.010.76 ft, Apr 27, 19503
ElkhartIN24.030.00 ft, Mar 8, 19081
South BendIN5.512.70 ft, Feb 22, 20186
Niles this gaugeMI11.017.33 ft, Feb 22, 20182

Other gauges in Berrien County

Flood gauges in Berrien County
Riverside11.011.80 ft, Feb 23, 20180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NILM4, 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.