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St. Croix River at Stillwater

Highest listed crest 94.10 ftFlood stage 87.0 ft27 crests since 1952

The St. Croix River at Stillwater crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1952 to 2024. The highest, 94.10 ft on April 18, 1965, was major flooding, 7.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
94.10 ft
April 18, 1965
Flood stage
87.0 ft
Major flooding from 89.0 ft
Crests at major
7
20th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
July 1, 2024
88.10 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Washington County
Near Stillwater (1.3 mi), Lake Elmo (7.0 mi), Hudson (7.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Croix River at Stillwater
Action stage80.013May 18, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)87.05Jun 27, 2014Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage88.02Jul 1, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage89.07Apr 24, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1952 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Croix River at Stillwater, 1952 to 2024 80859095ft Flood stage 87.0 ftMajor 89.0 ft Apr 14, 1952: 89.70 ft, major floodingApr 18, 1965: 94.10 ft, major floodingApr 16, 1969: 92.20 ft, major floodingApr 30, 1975: 87.30 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1986: 87.50 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1993: 87.90 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 1997: 90.45 ft, major floodingApr 16, 2001: 91.10 ft, major floodingApr 27, 2001: 92.30 ft, major floodingMar 25, 2010: 85.93 ft, action stageApr 12, 2011: 87.28 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 2012: 85.99 ft, action stageMay 27, 2013: 81.75 ft, action stageJun 15, 2013: 80.48 ft, action stageJul 1, 2013: 84.19 ft, action stageJun 27, 2014: 87.63 ft, minor floodingJul 16, 2016: 85.80 ft, action stageMay 25, 2017: 83.46 ft, action stageOct 10, 2017: 83.82 ft, action stageApr 30, 2018: 85.65 ft, action stage; 19,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2018: 85.53 ft, action stageMar 31, 2019: 88.48 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 2020: 86.02 ft, action stage; 25,300 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2021: 81.55 ft, action stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2022: 85.17 ft, action stage; 25,100 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2023: 89.21 ft, major flooding; 61,500 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2024: 88.10 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 94.10 ft, Apr 18, 1965 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Croix River at Stillwater 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 2 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, St. Croix River at Stillwater
1Apr 18, 196594.10+7.10Major—
2Apr 27, 200192.30+5.30Major—
3Apr 16, 196992.20+5.20Major—
4Apr 16, 200191.10+4.10Major—
5Apr 12, 199790.45+3.45Major—
6Apr 14, 195289.70+2.70Major—
7Apr 24, 202389.21+2.21Major61,500
8Mar 31, 201988.48+1.48Moderate—
9Jul 1, 202488.10+1.10Moderate—
10Jun 28, 199387.90+0.90Minor—
11Jun 27, 201487.63+0.63Minor—
12Apr 6, 198687.50+0.50Minor—
13Apr 30, 197587.30+0.30Minor—
14Apr 12, 201187.28+0.28Minor—
15Apr 6, 202086.02−0.98Action25,300
16Jun 1, 201285.99−1.01Action—
17Mar 25, 201085.93−1.07Action—
18Jul 16, 201685.80−1.20Action—
19Apr 30, 201885.65−1.35Action19,300
20Jun 22, 201885.53−1.47Action—
21May 18, 202285.17−1.83Action25,100
22Jul 1, 201384.19−2.81Action—
23Oct 10, 201783.82−3.18Action—
24May 25, 201783.46−3.54Action—
25May 27, 201381.75−5.25Action—
26Apr 17, 202181.55−5.45Action15,500
27Jun 15, 201380.48−6.52Action—

The worst floods along the St. Croix River

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

April 27, 2001: 92.30 ft here, major flooding

  • DanburyWI · Apr 24, 2001 · 8.72 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the St. Croix River

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

Flood gauges on the St. Croix River
DanburyWI7.011.75 ft, Jun 18, 20181
Stillwater this gaugeMN87.094.10 ft, Apr 18, 19657

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STLM5, 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.