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Stony Brook at Princeton

Highest listed crest 16.23 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft18 crests since 1955

The Stony Brook at Princeton crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1955 to 2024. The highest, 16.23 ft on August 28, 2011, was major flooding, 7.23 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Stony Brook crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.23 ft
August 28, 2011
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
3
39th of 125 gauges in New Jersey
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
10.34 ft, minor flooding
Location
Mercer County
Near Princeton (1.9 mi), Trenton (8.7 mi)

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 Princeton
Action stage8.03Apr 2, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.05Jan 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.07Aug 22, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.03Aug 28, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Stony Brook at Princeton, 1955 to 2024 81012141618ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Aug 13, 1955: 11.90 ft, moderate flooding; 5,130 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1971: 14.26 ft, major flooding; 8,960 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1984: 11.32 ft, moderate flooding; 5,350 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1994: 11.48 ft, moderate flooding; 5,530 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 12.27 ft, moderate flooding; 7,210 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1998: 8.69 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1999: 8.30 ft, action stage; 3,900 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1999: 14.02 ft, major flooding; 8,780 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2005: 8.46 ft, action stage; 4,030 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2005: 10.32 ft, minor flooding; 5,550 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2007: 10.55 ft, minor floodingAug 28, 2011: 16.23 ft, major floodingMay 1, 2014: 12.18 ft, moderate flooding; 6,280 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2018: 11.83 ft, moderate flooding; 5,950 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 2018: 10.36 ft, minor flooding; 4,663 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2021: 12.48 ft, moderate flooding; 7,082 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 10.70 ft, minor flooding; 5,353 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 10.34 ft, minor flooding; 5,011 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.23 ft, Aug 28, 2011 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Stony Brook at Princeton 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 3 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, Stony Brook at Princeton
1Aug 28, 201116.23+7.23Major—
2Aug 28, 197114.26+5.26Major8,960
3Sep 16, 199914.02+5.02Major8,780
4Aug 22, 202112.48+3.48Moderate7,082
5Jan 19, 199612.27+3.27Moderate7,210
6May 1, 201412.18+3.18Moderate6,280
7Aug 13, 195511.90+2.90Moderate5,130
8May 27, 201811.83+2.83Moderate5,950
9Jan 28, 199411.48+2.48Moderate5,530
10Jul 7, 198411.32+2.32Moderate5,350
11Dec 18, 202310.70+1.70Minor5,353
12Apr 16, 200710.55+1.55Minor—
13Nov 25, 201810.36+1.36Minor4,663
14Jan 10, 202410.34+1.34Minor5,011
15Oct 12, 200510.32+1.32Minor5,550
16Apr 2, 19988.69−0.31Action4,210
17Apr 2, 20058.46−0.54Action4,030
18Mar 22, 19998.30−0.70Action3,900

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 28, 2011: 16.23 ft here, major flooding

September 16, 1999: 14.02 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Stony Brook

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

Flood gauges on the Stony Brook
Princeton this gaugeNJ9.016.23 ft, Aug 28, 20113
WatchungNJ14.024.50 ft, Aug 2, 19730
North PlainfieldNJ7.010.65 ft, Aug 2, 19730

Other gauges in Mercer County

Flood gauges in Mercer County
Clarksville8.010.90 ft, Aug 28, 19710
Trenton8.515.12 ft, Aug 28, 20119
Mercerville9.515.82 ft, Sep 2, 20212
Extonville12.017.10 ft, Aug 28, 20110
Trenton20.030.60 ft, Mar 8, 19045

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PCTN4, 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.