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Passaic River at Chatham

Highest listed crest 9.36 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft30 crests since 1907

The Passaic River at Chatham crested above flood stage 28 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1907 to 2025. The highest, 9.36 ft on August 2, 1973, was moderate flooding, 3.36 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
9.36 ft
August 2, 1973; 3,380 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
0
28 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
July 14, 2025
7.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Morris County
Near Chatham (1.0 mi), Summit (1.5 mi), New Providence (2.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Passaic River at Chatham
Action stage5.52Mar 23, 1999The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.023Jul 14, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.05Sep 2, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1907 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Passaic River at Chatham, 1907 to 2025 5678910ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 18, 1907: 8.00 ft, moderate flooding; 2,860 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1942: 7.32 ft, minor flooding; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1968: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 2,560 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1971: 8.16 ft, moderate flooding; 2,540 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1973: 9.36 ft, moderate flooding; 3,380 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1975: 8.14 ft, moderate flooding; 2,520 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1984: 7.26 ft, minor flooding; 1,930 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1992: 6.87 ft, minor flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1994: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 1,970 cubic feet per secondNov 15, 1995: 5.81 ft, action stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 6.38 ft, minor flooding; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1996: 6.00 ft, minor flooding; 1,180 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 1996: 7.49 ft, minor flooding; 2,080 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1998: 6.19 ft, minor flooding; 1,290 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1999: 5.67 ft, action stage; 992 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1999: 7.60 ft, minor flooding; 2,210 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2005: 6.07 ft, minor flooding; 1,240 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2007: 7.45 ft, minor flooding; 2,110 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 7.91 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 2010: 6.34 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 2011: 6.41 ft, minor flooding; 1,627 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 6.38 ft, minor floodingAug 29, 2011: 7.76 ft, minor flooding; 2,620 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2011: 6.25 ft, minor flooding; 1,515 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 6.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,662 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 8.41 ft, moderate flooding; 3,047 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 6.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,898 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2024: 6.43 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2025: 6.10 ft, minor floodingJul 14, 2025: 7.27 ft, minor flooding Highest, 9.36 ft, Aug 2, 1973 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Passaic River at Chatham 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 7 7 2000s: 2 2010s: 7 2020s: 5 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 8.30 ft on Jan 9, 1905.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Passaic River at Chatham
1Aug 2, 19739.36+3.36Moderate3,380
2Sep 2, 20218.41+2.41Moderate3,047
3Aug 28, 19718.16+2.16Moderate2,540
4Sep 27, 19758.14+2.14Moderate2,520
5Mar 18, 19078.00+2.00Moderate2,860
6Mar 15, 20107.91+1.91Minor—
7May 29, 19687.90+1.90Minor2,560
8Aug 29, 20117.76+1.76Minor2,620
9Sep 17, 19997.60+1.60Minor2,210
10Oct 21, 19967.49+1.49Minor2,080
11Apr 17, 20077.45+1.45Minor2,110
12Aug 16, 19427.32+1.32Minor2,020
13Jul 14, 20257.27+1.27Minor—
14Apr 6, 19847.26+1.26Minor1,930
15Jan 30, 19947.02+1.02Minor1,970
16Jun 5, 19926.87+0.87Minor1,700
17Dec 18, 20236.85+0.85Minor1,898
18May 1, 20146.46+0.46Minor1,662
19Jan 13, 20246.43+0.43Minor1,590
20Mar 11, 20116.41+0.41Minor1,627
21Jan 19, 19966.38+0.38Minor1,400
22Apr 17, 20116.38+0.38Minor—
23Mar 30, 20106.34+0.34Minor—
24Sep 9, 20116.25+0.25Minor1,515
25May 11, 19986.19+0.19Minor1,290
26May 14, 20256.10+0.10Minor—
27Apr 2, 20056.07+0.07Minor1,240
28Jan 27, 19966.000.00Minor1,180
29Nov 15, 19955.81−0.19Action1,070
30Mar 23, 19995.67−0.33Action992

The worst floods along the Passaic River

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

September 2, 2021: 8.41 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Pine BrookNJ · Sep 3, 2021 · 21.66 ft · Major
  • Little FallsNJ · Sep 4, 2021 · 9.30 ft · Major
  • SingacNJ · Sep 3, 2021 · 11.45 ft · Moderate
  • MillingtonNJ · Sep 2, 2021 · 8.86 ft · Minor

August 28, 1971: 8.16 ft here, moderate flooding

  • MillingtonNJ · Aug 29, 1971 · 9.73 ft · Moderate

September 27, 1975: 8.14 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Passaic River

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

Flood gauges on the Passaic River
MillingtonNJ8.010.26 ft, Aug 29, 20112
Chatham this gaugeNJ6.09.36 ft, Aug 2, 19730
Pine BrookNJ19.024.12 ft, Aug 30, 201113
SingacNJ8.512.44 ft, Dec 20, 20231
Beatties DamNJ11.314.10 ft, Aug 30, 20110
Little FallsNJ7.014.19 ft, Aug 30, 201122
Clifton (Dundee Dam)NJ4.58.40 ft, Oct 10, 19031

Other gauges in Morris County

Flood gauges in Morris County
Picatinny3.03.84 ft, Aug 28, 20110
Pottersville4.55.94 ft, Jul 7, 19840
Pine Brook19.024.12 ft, Aug 30, 201113
Boonton above reservoir4.54.71 ft, Dec 18, 20230
Boonton below reservoir5.09.73 ft, Aug 29, 20117
Morristown6.09.60 ft, Aug 28, 20114
Pine Brook9.012.54 ft, Aug 30, 20110
at Midwood7.515.20 ft, Apr 16, 20071
at Ryerson12.017.00 ft, Apr 16, 20071

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CAMN4, 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.