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Black River at Watertown

Highest listed crest 16.02 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft28 crests since 1926

The Black River at Watertown crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1926 to 2026. The highest, 16.02 ft on January 10, 1998, was major flooding, 6.02 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Black River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.02 ft
January 10, 1998; 55,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
2
68th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
April 3, 2026
10.42 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Watertown (1.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Black River at Watertown
Action stage8.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.020Apr 3, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.06Apr 17, 2014Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.02Jan 10, 1998Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1926 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Black River at Watertown, 1926 to 2026 1012141618ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Apr 26, 1926: 11.30 ft, minor flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1928: 11.60 ft, minor flooding; 29,800 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1948: 11.09 ft, minor flooding; 33,400 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1963: 12.43 ft, moderate flooding; 33,600 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1969: 11.86 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1972: 11.32 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1977: 12.84 ft, moderate flooding; 39,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1981: 11.02 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1982: 11.65 ft, minor flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1983: 11.64 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1984: 11.64 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1985: 13.15 ft, moderate flooding; 40,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1990: 11.46 ft, minor flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1993: 14.20 ft, major flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1994: 12.19 ft, moderate flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 16.02 ft, major flooding; 55,500 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2001: 11.01 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2002: 10.69 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2005: 10.99 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2008: 10.74 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2011: 12.70 ft, moderate flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2014: 13.81 ft, moderate flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2017: 10.51 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2021: 10.13 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2022: 10.12 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2023: 10.55 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2026: 10.52 ft, minor flooding; 26,118 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2026: 10.42 ft, minor flooding; 25,676 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.02 ft, Jan 10, 1998 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Black River at Watertown 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 3 2020s: 5 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Black River at Watertown
1Jan 10, 199816.02+6.02Major55,500
2Apr 12, 199314.20+4.20Major42,600
3Apr 17, 201413.81+3.81Moderate42,500
4Jan 1, 198513.15+3.15Moderate40,000
5Mar 16, 197712.84+2.84Moderate39,600
6Apr 30, 201112.70+2.70Moderate34,000
7Apr 5, 196312.43+2.43Moderate33,600
8Apr 18, 199412.19+2.19Moderate36,000
9May 22, 196911.86+1.86Minor31,000
10Apr 20, 198211.65+1.65Minor30,000
11Dec 16, 198311.64+1.64Minor29,900
12Dec 16, 198411.64+1.64Minor29,900
13Apr 9, 192811.60+1.60Minor29,800
14Mar 19, 199011.46+1.46Minor29,100
15May 5, 197211.32+1.32Minor28,500
16Apr 26, 192611.30+1.30Minor28,400
17Mar 24, 194811.09+1.09Minor33,400
18Feb 23, 198111.02+1.02Minor27,100
19Apr 14, 200111.01+1.01Minor29,300
20Apr 4, 200510.99+0.99Minor29,200
21Apr 13, 200810.74+0.74Minor27,100
22Apr 16, 200210.69+0.69Minor27,500
23Dec 20, 202310.55+0.55Minor26,300
24Mar 14, 202610.52+0.52Minor26,118
25Apr 8, 201710.51+0.51Minor26,100
26Apr 3, 202610.42+0.42Minor25,676
27Mar 29, 202110.13+0.13Minor24,400
28Mar 22, 202210.12+0.12Minor24,400

The worst floods along the Black River

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

January 10, 1998: 16.02 ft here, major flooding

  • DadvilleNY · Jan 9, 1998 · 26.39 ft · Major · its highest
  • BoonvilleNY · Jan 9, 1998 · 11.25 ft · Moderate

April 12, 1993: 14.20 ft here, major flooding

  • DadvilleNY · Apr 12, 1993 · 24.99 ft · Moderate
  • BoonvilleNY · Apr 11, 1993 · 10.79 ft · Minor

April 17, 2014: 13.81 ft here, moderate flooding

  • DadvilleNY · Apr 16, 2014 · 25.69 ft · Major
  • BoonvilleNY · Apr 16, 2014 · 10.61 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Black River

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

Flood gauges on the Black River
BoonvilleNY10.012.50 ft, Mar 28, 19131
DadvilleNY22.026.39 ft, Jan 9, 19982
Watertown this gaugeNY10.016.02 ft, Jan 10, 19982

Jefferson County: every hazard · River floods across the country · New York

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ARTN6, 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.