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Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley

Highest listed crest 11.30 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft83 crests since 1921

The Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 83 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1921 to 2026. The highest, 11.30 ft on January 1, 1921, was major flooding, 3.30 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.30 ft
January 1, 1921; 3,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
1
65th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
April 14, 2023
9.80 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Clay County
Minnesota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley
Action stage7.57Oct 16, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.016Apr 26, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.025Apr 14, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.01Jan 1, 1921Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

83 crests from 1921 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley, 1921 to 2026 4681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Jan 1, 1921: 11.30 ft, major flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1945: 9.52 ft, moderate flooding; 894 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1946: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 452 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1947: 9.39 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1949: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 256 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1950: 9.32 ft, moderate flooding; 841 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1951: 9.00 ft, moderate flooding; 792 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1952: 9.10 ft, moderate flooding; 880 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1953: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 598 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1954: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 630 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1955: 9.31 ft, moderate flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1956: 8.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1957: 6.61 ft, below flood stage; 456 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1958: 5.80 ft, below flood stageJul 5, 1958: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 195 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1959: 7.46 ft, below flood stageApr 27, 1960: 7.54 ft, action stage; 660 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1961: 5.60 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 1962: 9.11 ft, moderate flooding; 1,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1963: 5.83 ft, below flood stageApr 19, 1964: 8.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1965: 9.36 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 1966: 10.58 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 1967: 7.57 ft, action stage; 669 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1968: 6.16 ft, below flood stageApr 9, 1969: 9.07 ft, moderate flooding; 1,880 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1970: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 498 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1971: 6.72 ft, below flood stageMar 17, 1972: 8.54 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1973: 5.55 ft, below flood stageApr 13, 1974: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 1,280 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1975: 9.76 ft, moderate flooding; 2,050 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1976: 6.89 ft, below flood stageJul 4, 1977: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 121 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1978: 9.44 ft, moderate flooding; 2,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1979: 8.67 ft, minor flooding; 980 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1980: 7.42 ft, below flood stage; 619 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1981: 5.28 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 1982: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 468 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1983: 8.96 ft, minor flooding; 1,080 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1984: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 846 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1985: 8.58 ft, minor flooding; 1,060 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1986: 8.11 ft, minor flooding; 866 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1987: 6.07 ft, below flood stageMar 12, 1988: 7.25 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1989: 9.11 ft, moderate flooding; 1,510 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1990: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 562 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1991: 5.90 ft, below flood stageJul 11, 1992: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 237 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1993: 10.40 ft, moderate flooding; 2,010 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1994: 7.88 ft, action stage; 540 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1996: 9.31 ft, moderate flooding; 1,350 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1997: 10.77 ft, moderate flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1998: 9.69 ft, moderate flooding; 1,520 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1999: 8.74 ft, minor flooding; 799 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2000: 10.86 ft, moderate flooding; 2,200 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2001: 10.17 ft, moderate flooding; 1,820 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2002: 8.55 ft, minor flooding; 963 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2003: 6.46 ft, below flood stage; 431 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2004: 7.60 ft, action stageMar 31, 2005: 7.63 ft, action stage; 658 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2006: 10.82 ft, moderate flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2007: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 845 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2008: 7.69 ft, action stage; 633 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2009: 10.60 ft, moderate flooding; 2,270 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 9.60 ft, moderate flooding; 1,580 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 9.16 ft, moderate flooding; 1,160 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2012: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 199 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2013: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 1,030 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2014: 7.11 ft, below flood stage; 657 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2015: 5.22 ft, below flood stage; 289 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2016: 6.65 ft, below flood stage; 558 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2017: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 241 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2018: 5.54 ft, below flood stageApr 9, 2019: 9.73 ft, moderate flooding; 1,480 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2019: 7.68 ft, action stage; 782 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2020: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 1,050 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2021: 5.37 ft, below flood stage; 327 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2022: 8.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,130 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2023: 9.80 ft, moderate flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2024: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 532 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2025: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 366 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2026: 5.16 ft, below flood stage Highest, 11.30 ft, Jan 1, 1921 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 1950s: 5 1960s: 5 1970s: 5 1980s: 5 1990s: 5 2000s: 6 6 2010s: 4 2020s: 3 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 83 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Buffalo River (MN) near Hawley
1Jan 1, 192111.30+3.30Major3,000
2Jun 22, 200010.86+2.86Moderate2,200
3Apr 1, 200610.82+2.82Moderate2,420
4Apr 6, 199710.77+2.77Moderate2,360
5Mar 25, 200910.60+2.60Moderate2,270
6Mar 17, 196610.58+2.58Moderate—
7Jul 18, 199310.40+2.40Moderate2,010
8Apr 8, 200110.17+2.17Moderate1,820
9Apr 14, 20239.80+1.80Moderate1,540
10Jul 1, 19759.76+1.76Moderate2,050
11Apr 9, 20199.73+1.73Moderate1,480
12May 17, 19989.69+1.69Moderate1,520
13Mar 15, 20109.60+1.60Moderate1,580
14Mar 16, 19459.52+1.52Moderate894
15Apr 7, 19789.44+1.44Moderate2,000
16Apr 14, 19479.39+1.39Moderate—
17Apr 9, 19659.36+1.36Moderate—
18Apr 7, 19509.32+1.32Moderate841
19Aug 5, 19559.31+1.31Moderate1,590
20Apr 13, 19969.31+1.31Moderate1,350
21Apr 12, 20119.16+1.16Moderate1,160
22Jun 10, 19629.11+1.11Moderate1,430
23Apr 5, 19899.11+1.11Moderate1,510
24Apr 8, 19529.10+1.10Moderate880
25Apr 9, 19699.07+1.07Moderate1,880
26Apr 7, 19519.00+1.00Moderate792
27Jul 5, 19838.96+0.96Minor1,080
28Apr 26, 20228.90+0.90Minor1,130
29May 14, 19998.74+0.74Minor799
30Apr 28, 20138.69+0.69Minor1,030
31Apr 2, 20208.69+0.69Minor1,050
32Apr 17, 19798.67+0.67Minor980
33Apr 13, 19748.64+0.64Minor1,280
34May 13, 19858.58+0.58Minor1,060
35Jul 11, 20028.55+0.55Minor963
36Mar 17, 19728.54+0.54Minor—
37Apr 11, 19568.50+0.50Minor1,020
38Mar 19, 19468.49+0.49Minor452
39Jun 18, 20078.49+0.49Minor845
40Apr 19, 19648.46+0.46Minor1,000
41May 13, 19868.11+0.11Minor866
42Jun 10, 19848.10+0.10Minor846
43Mar 23, 19947.88−0.12Action540
44Jun 8, 20087.69−0.31Action633
45Oct 16, 20197.68−0.32Action782
46Mar 31, 20057.63−0.37Action658
47Mar 30, 20047.60−0.40Action—
48Mar 30, 19677.57−0.43Action669
49Apr 27, 19607.54−0.46Action660
50Jun 17, 19537.47−0.53Below flood stage598

The worst floods along the Buffalo River (MN)

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

June 22, 2000: 10.86 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DilworthMN · Jun 23, 2000 · 21.67 ft · Moderate

April 1, 2006: 10.82 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DilworthMN · Apr 1, 2006 · 24.11 ft · Moderate

April 6, 1997: 10.77 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DilworthMN · Apr 6, 1997 · 27.02 ft · Major

Gauges on the Buffalo River (MN)

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

Flood gauges on the Buffalo River (MN)
Hawley this gaugeMN8.011.30 ft, Jan 1, 19211
DilworthMN13.027.10 ft, Jul 2, 19752

Other gauges in Clay County

Flood gauges in Clay County
Dilworth13.027.10 ft, Jul 2, 19752
Hickson30.039.04 ft, Mar 26, 20091
Sabin13.019.90 ft, Jul 2, 19753

Clay County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HWYM5, 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.