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North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village

Highest listed crest 21.53 ftFlood stage 12.3 ft23 crests since 1938

The North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village crested above flood stage 20 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2023. The highest, 21.53 ft on September 16, 1999, was minor flooding, 9.23 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the North Branch Raritan River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.53 ft
September 16, 1999; 27,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.3 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
20 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
December 28, 2023
14.77 ft, minor flooding
Location
Somerset County
Near Somerville (4.1 mi), Manville (6.0 mi), Bound Brook (7.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village
Action stage11.32May 14, 2002The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.320Dec 28, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1938 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village, 1938 to 2023 10121416182022ft Flood stage 12.3 ft Sep 21, 1938: 15.40 ft, minor floodingAug 19, 1955: 13.30 ft, minor floodingAug 28, 1971: 18.70 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 1979: 16.62 ft, minor flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1984: 19.31 ft, minor flooding; 27,300 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1996: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1999: 21.53 ft, minor flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2000: 11.40 ft, action stage; 6,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2002: 12.15 ft, action stage; 6,900 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2003: 10.14 ft, below flood stage; 4,600 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2004: 15.15 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 13.50 ft, minor flooding; 8,830 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2007: 15.43 ft, minor floodingAug 28, 2011: 20.54 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2014: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 2018: 13.03 ft, minor flooding; 8,558 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 2021: 14.93 ft, minor flooding; 11,960 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 21.12 ft, minor flooding; 27,160 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2022: 12.58 ft, minor flooding; 7,850 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2023: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 16.06 ft, minor flooding; 14,220 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2023: 14.77 ft, minor flooding; 11,640 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.53 ft, Sep 16, 1999 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 6 6 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

Highest listed crests, North Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village
1Sep 16, 199921.53+9.23Minor27,800
2Sep 2, 202121.12+8.82Minor27,160
3Aug 28, 201120.54+8.24Minor—
4Jul 7, 198419.31+7.01Minor27,300
5Aug 28, 197118.70+6.40Minor—
6Oct 19, 199618.60+6.30Minor24,600
7Jan 25, 197916.62+4.32Minor14,100
8May 1, 201416.10+3.80Minor14,300
9Dec 18, 202316.06+3.76Minor14,220
10Apr 16, 200715.43+3.13Minor—
11Sep 21, 193815.40+3.10Minor—
12Jul 23, 200415.15+2.85Minor11,600
13Aug 23, 202114.93+2.63Minor11,960
14Dec 28, 202314.77+2.47Minor11,640
15Apr 16, 198314.44+2.14Minor10,400
16Jul 10, 202314.00+1.70Minor10,200
17Apr 3, 200513.50+1.20Minor8,830
18Aug 19, 195513.30+1.00Minor—
19Nov 25, 201813.03+0.73Minor8,558
20Apr 8, 202212.58+0.28Minor7,850
21May 14, 200212.15−0.15Action6,900
22Aug 3, 200011.40−0.90Action6,000
23Jun 4, 200310.14−2.16Below flood stage4,600

The worst floods along the North Branch Raritan River

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

September 16, 1999: 21.53 ft here, minor flooding

  • RaritanNJ · Sep 16, 1999 · 18.98 ft · Major
  • South BranchNJ · Sep 16, 1999 · 18.98 ft · Major
  • Far HillsNJ · Sep 16, 1999 · 6.76 ft · Minor

September 2, 2021: 21.12 ft here, minor flooding

  • South BranchNJ · Sep 2, 2021 · 20.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • RaritanNJ · Sep 2, 2021 · 19.52 ft · Major · its highest
  • Far HillsNJ · Sep 2, 2021 · 6.53 ft · Minor

August 28, 2011: 20.54 ft here, minor flooding

  • RaritanNJ · Aug 28, 2011 · 17.97 ft · Major
  • South BranchNJ · Aug 28, 2011 · 17.69 ft · Major
  • Far HillsNJ · Aug 28, 2011 · 6.84 ft · Minor

Gauges on the North Branch Raritan River

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

Flood gauges on the North Branch Raritan River
Far HillsNJ6.07.60 ft, Jul 23, 19190
North Branch Village this gaugeNJ12.321.53 ft, Sep 16, 19990
RaritanNJ10.019.52 ft, Sep 2, 20216
South BranchNJ8.020.26 ft, Sep 2, 202114

Other gauges in Somerset County

Flood gauges in Somerset County
Seeley Mills5.59.05 ft, Sep 2, 20210
Burnt Mills11.016.79 ft, Sep 2, 20214
Bound Brook11.020.66 ft, Sep 2, 20210
Burnt Mills9.512.76 ft, Sep 2, 20211
Blackwells Mills9.021.24 ft, Aug 28, 201111
Griggstown10.024.21 ft, Aug 28, 201114
Millstone10.022.45 ft, Sep 2, 20216
Weston11.523.75 ft, Sep 2, 20217
South Branch8.020.26 ft, Sep 2, 202114
Far Hills6.07.60 ft, Jul 23, 19190
Raritan10.019.52 ft, Sep 2, 20216
Millington8.010.26 ft, Aug 29, 20112
Bound Brook28.042.13 ft, Sep 17, 199913
Manville14.027.66 ft, Sep 2, 202110
North Plainfield7.010.65 ft, Aug 2, 19730
Watchung14.024.50 ft, Aug 2, 19730
Martinsville6.011.47 ft, Sep 2, 20210

Somerset County: every hazard · River floods across the country · New Jersey

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NBAN4, 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.