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Thornapple River at Hastings

Highest listed crest 10.20 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft85 crests since 1945

The Thornapple River at Hastings crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 85 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2026. The highest, 10.20 ft on April 7, 1947, was major flooding, 3.20 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Thornapple River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.20 ft
April 7, 1947; 6,810 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
1
26th of 98 gauges in Michigan
Most recent flood crest
April 18, 2026
7.56 ft, minor flooding
Location
Barry County
Michigan

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Thornapple River at Hastings
Action stage5.038Jan 29, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.034Apr 18, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.09Apr 7, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.01Apr 7, 1947Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

85 crests from 1945 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Thornapple River at Hastings, 1945 to 2026 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft May 18, 1945: 6.85 ft, action stage; 2,360 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1946: 7.92 ft, minor flooding; 3,290 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1947: 10.20 ft, major flooding; 6,810 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1948: 9.02 ft, moderate flooding; 4,890 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1949: 6.68 ft, action stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1950: 7.65 ft, minor flooding; 3,140 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1951: 6.06 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1952: 6.45 ft, action stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1953: 4.48 ft, below flood stage; 723 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1954: 6.10 ft, action stage; 1,810 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1955: 5.68 ft, action stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1956: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,680 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1957: 6.75 ft, action stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1958: 5.47 ft, action stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1959: 6.05 ft, action stage; 1,770 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1960: 8.75 ft, minor flooding; 3,880 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1961: 5.17 ft, action stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 6.43 ft, action stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1963: 5.30 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1964: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 482 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1965: 7.00 ft, minor flooding; 2,410 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1966: 5.04 ft, action stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1967: 6.16 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1968: 7.17 ft, minor flooding; 2,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1969: 6.05 ft, action stage; 1,740 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1970: 6.73 ft, action stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1971: 6.65 ft, action stage; 2,130 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1972: 6.90 ft, action stage; 2,420 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1973: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 2,770 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1974: 7.44 ft, minor flooding; 2,940 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1975: 9.72 ft, moderate flooding; 5,040 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1976: 7.27 ft, minor flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1977: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 785 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1978: 6.45 ft, action stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1979: 8.11 ft, minor flooding; 3,290 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1980: 5.21 ft, action stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1981: 7.29 ft, minor flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1982: 9.00 ft, moderate flooding; 4,180 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1983: 6.59 ft, action stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 5.52 ft, action stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1985: 9.80 ft, moderate flooding; 5,140 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1986: 7.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,160 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1986: 7.61 ft, minor flooding; 2,830 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1988: 6.15 ft, action stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1989: 8.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,560 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1990: 7.32 ft, minor flooding; 2,580 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1990: 7.82 ft, minor flooding; 3,170 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1992: 5.36 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1993: 8.17 ft, minor flooding; 3,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1994: 6.94 ft, action stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1994: 5.89 ft, action stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1996: 7.42 ft, minor flooding; 2,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1997: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 3,140 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1998: 6.04 ft, action stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1999: 7.16 ft, minor flooding; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2000: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 2,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2001: 8.04 ft, minor flooding; 3,060 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2002: 6.10 ft, action stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2003: 5.53 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2004: 9.74 ft, moderate flooding; 5,530 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2005: 7.95 ft, minor flooding; 3,140 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2006: 6.20 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 6.20 ft, action stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2008: 8.32 ft, minor flooding; 3,470 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 2008: 6.51 ft, action stageDec 30, 2008: 8.07 ft, minor flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 7.09 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2011: 7.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,160 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2012: 5.67 ft, action stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 8.77 ft, minor flooding; 3,970 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2014: 6.78 ft, action stage; 2,180 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2015: 5.81 ft, action stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2016: 5.90 ft, action stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2017: 8.54 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2018: 9.79 ft, moderate flooding; 5,640 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2019: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 2,370 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2020: 7.48 ft, minor flooding; 2,737 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2020: 9.25 ft, moderate flooding; 4,630 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2021: 7.26 ft, minor flooding; 2,560 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2022: 6.45 ft, action stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2023: 9.10 ft, moderate flooding; 4,400 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2024: 6.83 ft, action stage; 2,220 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2026: 9.01 ft, moderate floodingApr 18, 2026: 7.56 ft, minor flooding Highest, 10.20 ft, Apr 7, 1947 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Thornapple River at Hastings 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 6 1990s: 6 2000s: 6 2010s: 6 2020s: 7 7 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 85 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Thornapple River at Hastings
1Apr 7, 194710.20+3.20Major6,810
2Feb 27, 19859.80+2.80Moderate5,140
3Feb 23, 20189.79+2.79Moderate5,640
4May 25, 20049.74+2.74Moderate5,530
5Apr 21, 19759.72+2.72Moderate5,040
6May 19, 20209.25+2.25Moderate4,630
7Apr 7, 20239.10+2.10Moderate4,400
8Mar 21, 19489.02+2.02Moderate4,890
9Apr 7, 20269.01+2.01Moderate—
10Mar 16, 19829.00+2.00Moderate4,180
11Apr 20, 20138.77+1.77Minor3,970
12Apr 1, 19608.75+1.75Minor3,880
13Apr 8, 20178.54+1.54Minor3,700
14Jun 10, 20088.32+1.32Minor3,470
15Jun 3, 19898.26+1.26Minor3,560
16Apr 22, 19938.17+1.17Minor3,320
17Feb 23, 19978.14+1.14Minor3,140
18Mar 8, 19798.11+1.11Minor3,290
19Mar 7, 19568.10+1.10Minor3,680
20Dec 30, 20088.07+1.07Minor3,240
21Feb 12, 20018.04+1.04Minor3,060
22Mar 14, 19867.98+0.98Minor3,160
23Jul 31, 20117.98+0.98Minor3,160
24Jan 15, 20057.95+0.95Minor3,140
25Mar 7, 19467.92+0.92Minor3,290
26Nov 30, 19907.82+0.82Minor3,170
27Mar 29, 19507.65+0.65Minor3,140
28Oct 5, 19867.61+0.61Minor2,830
29Apr 18, 20267.56+0.56Minor—
30Jan 14, 20207.48+0.48Minor2,737
31Jan 25, 19747.44+0.44Minor2,940
32Jun 21, 19967.42+0.42Minor2,510
33Mar 14, 19907.32+0.32Minor2,580
34Jan 3, 19737.29+0.29Minor2,770
35Feb 21, 19817.29+0.29Minor2,610
36Mar 7, 19767.27+0.27Minor2,540
37Jun 30, 20217.26+0.26Minor2,560
38Feb 4, 19687.17+0.17Minor2,600
39Apr 26, 19997.16+0.16Minor2,380
40Mar 14, 20107.09+0.09Minor2,420
41Jun 24, 20197.02+0.02Minor2,370
42May 21, 20007.01+0.01Minor2,270
43Apr 6, 20257.01+0.01Minor2,360
44Apr 9, 19657.000.00Minor2,410
45Feb 23, 19946.94−0.06Action2,290
46Apr 19, 19726.90−0.10Action2,420
47May 18, 19456.85−0.15Action2,360
48Jan 29, 20246.83−0.17Action2,220
49Mar 24, 20146.78−0.22Action2,180
50May 22, 19576.75−0.25Action2,350

The worst floods along the Thornapple River

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

April 7, 1947: 10.20 ft here, major flooding

  • CaledoniaMI · Apr 7, 1947 · 14.40 ft · Major · its highest

February 27, 1985: 9.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CaledoniaMI · Feb 27, 1985 · 11.43 ft · Minor

February 23, 2018: 9.79 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CaledoniaMI · Feb 24, 2018 · 11.79 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Thornapple River

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

Flood gauges on the Thornapple River
Hastings this gaugeMI7.010.20 ft, Apr 7, 19471
CaledoniaMI10.014.40 ft, Apr 7, 19471

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HSTM4, 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.