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Passaic River at Little Falls

Highest listed crest 14.19 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft47 crests since 1955

The Passaic River at Little Falls crested at major flood stage 22 times among the 47 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1955 to 2024. The highest, 14.19 ft on August 30, 2011, was major flooding, 7.19 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Passaic River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.19 ft
August 30, 2011; 20,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
22
1st of 125 gauges in New Jersey
Most recent flood crest
January 15, 2024
8.56 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Passaic County
Near Totowa (1.3 mi), Woodland Park (1.7 mi), Clifton (3.8 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 Little Falls
Action stage6.53Dec 15, 1996The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.011Dec 30, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.010Jan 15, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.022Dec 20, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

47 crests from 1955 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Passaic River at Little Falls, 1955 to 2024 6810121416ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Oct 18, 1955: 9.45 ft, major flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1968: 10.73 ft, major flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1972: 9.45 ft, major flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1973: 9.45 ft, major flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1975: 8.95 ft, moderate flooding; 9,640 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1977: 8.63 ft, moderate flooding; 9,180 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1978: 9.18 ft, major flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1979: 9.21 ft, major flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1983: 9.00 ft, major flooding; 9,740 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1983: 8.99 ft, moderate flooding; 9,720 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1984: 12.91 ft, major flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1984: 10.08 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1984: 7.58 ft, minor flooding; 7,040 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1987: 9.29 ft, major flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1989: 9.44 ft, major flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1990: 6.97 ft, action stage; 6,020 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1992: 7.21 ft, minor flooding; 6,410 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 8.48 ft, moderate flooding; 8,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1994: 6.93 ft, action stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1996: 8.82 ft, moderate flooding; 9,440 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 1996: 8.16 ft, moderate flooding; 8,180 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1996: 7.23 ft, minor flooding; 6,550 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1996: 6.90 ft, action stage; 6,020 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1998: 8.57 ft, moderate flooding; 8,950 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1999: 6.20 ft, below flood stageSep 18, 1999: 9.84 ft, major flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2003: 7.34 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 2003: 7.57 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 2005: 10.11 ft, major flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2005: 7.14 ft, minor flooding; 6,640 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2005: 9.23 ft, major flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2007: 11.88 ft, major flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2010: 11.87 ft, major floodingMar 24, 2010: 7.62 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 2010: 8.96 ft, moderate floodingMar 9, 2011: 8.98 ft, moderate flooding; 9,970 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2011: 11.81 ft, major flooding; 15,620 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2011: 9.02 ft, major floodingAug 30, 2011: 14.19 ft, major flooding; 20,800 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2011: 11.05 ft, major flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 2018: 7.18 ft, minor flooding; 6,944 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2018: 7.37 ft, minor flooding; 7,237 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2021: 9.30 ft, major flooding; 10,480 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2022: 7.44 ft, minor flooding; 7,225 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2023: 10.29 ft, major flooding; 12,413 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2023: 7.47 ft, minor flooding; 7,321 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2024: 8.56 ft, moderate flooding; 9,161 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.19 ft, Aug 30, 2011 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Passaic River at Little Falls 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 6 1980s: 7 1990s: 7 2000s: 6 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 5 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 17.50 ft on Oct 10, 1903.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Passaic River at Little Falls
1Aug 30, 201114.19+7.19Major20,800
2Apr 7, 198412.91+5.91Major18,400
3Apr 18, 200711.88+4.88Major15,800
4Mar 16, 201011.87+4.87Major—
5Mar 13, 201111.81+4.81Major15,620
6Sep 9, 201111.05+4.05Major14,000
7May 31, 196810.73+3.73Major13,500
8Dec 20, 202310.29+3.29Major12,413
9Apr 4, 200510.11+3.11Major12,100
10Jun 1, 198410.08+3.08Major12,000
11Sep 18, 19999.84+2.84Major11,600
12Oct 18, 19559.45+2.45Major11,600
13Jun 25, 19729.45+2.45Major10,300
14Feb 5, 19739.45+2.45Major10,700
15May 19, 19899.44+2.44Major10,700
16Sep 4, 20219.30+2.30Major10,480
17Apr 6, 19879.29+2.29Major10,300
18Oct 14, 20059.23+2.23Major10,300
19Jan 27, 19799.21+2.21Major10,200
20Mar 29, 19789.18+2.18Major10,100
21Apr 19, 20119.02+2.02Major—
22Mar 22, 19839.00+2.00Major9,740
23Dec 15, 19838.99+1.99Moderate9,720
24Mar 9, 20118.98+1.98Moderate9,970
25Apr 1, 20108.96+1.96Moderate—
26Sep 27, 19758.95+1.95Moderate9,640
27Jan 29, 19968.82+1.82Moderate9,440
28Nov 10, 19778.63+1.63Moderate9,180
29May 13, 19988.57+1.57Moderate8,950
30Jan 15, 20248.56+1.56Moderate9,161
31Apr 1, 19938.48+1.48Moderate8,700
32Oct 22, 19968.16+1.16Moderate8,180
33Mar 24, 20107.62+0.62Minor—
34Jul 9, 19847.58+0.58Minor7,040
35Dec 13, 20037.57+0.57Minor—
36Dec 30, 20237.47+0.47Minor7,321
37Apr 10, 20227.44+0.44Minor7,225
38Dec 23, 20187.37+0.37Minor7,237
39Mar 23, 20037.34+0.34Minor—
40Dec 4, 19967.23+0.23Minor6,550
41Jun 7, 19927.21+0.21Minor6,410
42Nov 28, 20187.18+0.18Minor6,944
43Oct 10, 20057.14+0.14Minor6,640
44May 18, 19906.97−0.03Action6,020
45Mar 30, 19946.93−0.07Action5,960
46Dec 15, 19966.90−0.10Action6,020
47Mar 24, 19996.20−0.80Below flood stage—

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.

August 30, 2011: 14.19 ft here, major flooding

  • Pine BrookNJ · Aug 30, 2011 · 24.12 ft · Major · its highest
  • MillingtonNJ · Aug 29, 2011 · 10.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • Beatties DamNJ · Aug 30, 2011 · 14.10 ft · Minor · its highest
  • ChathamNJ · Aug 29, 2011 · 7.76 ft · Minor
  • Clifton (Dundee Dam)NJ · Aug 30, 2011 · 5.90 ft · Minor

April 7, 1984: 12.91 ft here, major flooding

April 18, 2007: 11.88 ft here, major 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
ChathamNJ6.09.36 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 Falls this gaugeNJ7.014.19 ft, Aug 30, 201122
Clifton (Dundee Dam)NJ4.58.40 ft, Oct 10, 19031

Other gauges in Passaic County

Flood gauges in Passaic County
N. Haledon6.010.93 ft, May 16, 19902
Beatties Dam11.314.10 ft, Aug 30, 20110
Clifton (Dundee Dam)4.58.40 ft, Oct 10, 19031
Singac8.512.44 ft, Dec 20, 20231
Macopin5.57.75 ft, Mar 12, 19362
Riverdale8.013.60 ft, Apr 5, 19842
Pompton Plains16.025.24 ft, Aug 29, 201116
Pompton Lakes11.522.62 ft, Aug 29, 20119
Wanaque6.010.82 ft, Apr 5, 19842

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LTFN4, 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.