Stony Brook at North Plainfield

Highest listed crest 10.65 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft8 crests since 1938

The Stony Brook at North Plainfield crested above flood stage 8 times among the 8 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2021. The highest, 10.65 ft on August 2, 1973, was minor flooding, 3.65 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Stony Brook crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 10.65 ft; August 2, 1973
Flood stage: 7.0 ft; No major stage set
Crests at major: 0; 8 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: September 2, 2021; 8.85 ft, minor flooding
Location: Somerset County; Near North Plainfield (0.2 mi), Plainfield (1.2 mi), South Plainfield (3.5 mi)
Identifiers: NWS STBN4; USGS 01403570

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Stony Brook at North Plainfield

Action stage	6.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	7.0	8	Sep 2, 2021	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

8 crests from 1938 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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, Stony Brook at North Plainfield

1	Aug 2, 1973	10.65	+3.65	Minor	—
2	Jul 23, 1938	10.00	+3.00	Minor	—
3	Sep 2, 2021	8.85	+1.85	Minor	—
4	Sep 16, 1999	8.36	+1.36	Minor	—
5	Aug 28, 2011	8.36	+1.36	Minor	—
6	Oct 19, 1996	8.35	+1.35	Minor	3,130
7	Apr 27, 2007	7.77	+0.77	Minor	—
8	Apr 30, 2014	7.05	+0.05	Minor	—

The worst floods along the Stony Brook

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

August 2, 1973: 10.65 ft here, minor flooding

WatchungNJ · Aug 2, 1973 · 24.50 ft · Minor · its highest

September 16, 1999: 8.36 ft here, minor flooding

PrincetonNJ · Sep 16, 1999 · 14.02 ft · Major
WatchungNJ · Sep 16, 1999 · 17.16 ft · Minor

August 28, 2011: 8.36 ft here, minor flooding

PrincetonNJ · Aug 28, 2011 · 16.23 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Stony Brook

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

Flood gauges on the Stony Brook

Princeton	NJ	9.0	16.23 ft, Aug 28, 2011	3
Watchung	NJ	14.0	24.50 ft, Aug 2, 1973	0
North Plainfield this gauge	NJ	7.0	10.65 ft, Aug 2, 1973	0

Other gauges in Somerset County

Flood gauges in Somerset County

Seeley Mills	5.5	9.05 ft, Sep 2, 2021	0
Burnt Mills	11.0	16.79 ft, Sep 2, 2021	4
Bound Brook	11.0	20.66 ft, Sep 2, 2021	0
Burnt Mills	9.5	12.76 ft, Sep 2, 2021	1
Blackwells Mills	9.0	21.24 ft, Aug 28, 2011	11
Griggstown	10.0	24.21 ft, Aug 28, 2011	14
Millstone	10.0	22.45 ft, Sep 2, 2021	6
Weston	11.5	23.75 ft, Sep 2, 2021	7
North Branch Village	12.3	21.53 ft, Sep 16, 1999	0
South Branch	8.0	20.26 ft, Sep 2, 2021	14
Far Hills	6.0	7.60 ft, Jul 23, 1919	0
Raritan	10.0	19.52 ft, Sep 2, 2021	6
Millington	8.0	10.26 ft, Aug 29, 2011	2
Bound Brook	28.0	42.13 ft, Sep 17, 1999	13
Manville	14.0	27.66 ft, Sep 2, 2021	10
Watchung	14.0	24.50 ft, Aug 2, 1973	0
Martinsville	6.0	11.47 ft, Sep 2, 2021	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STBN4, 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.