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Cayuga Creek at Lancaster

Highest listed crest 13.35 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft38 crests since 1939

The Cayuga Creek at Lancaster crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2026. The highest, 13.35 ft on January 23, 1999, was major flooding, 5.35 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.35 ft
January 23, 1999
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
3
50th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
April 1, 2026
9.73 ft, minor flooding
Location
Erie County
Near Depew (3.3 mi), Lackawanna (10.7 mi), Buffalo (10.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cayuga Creek at Lancaster
Action stage6.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.023Apr 1, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.012Jul 13, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.03Jan 23, 1999Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1939 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cayuga Creek at Lancaster, 1939 to 2026 8101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Feb 28, 1939: 8.60 ft, minor flooding; 6,720 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1941: 12.00 ft, major flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1942: 12.36 ft, major flooding; 8,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1944: 10.76 ft, moderate flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1945: 11.01 ft, moderate flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1948: 11.65 ft, moderate flooding; 2,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1954: 8.17 ft, minor flooding; 5,370 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1956: 10.06 ft, moderate flooding; 8,700 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 10.09 ft, moderate flooding; 8,750 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1960: 9.10 ft, minor flooding; 7,070 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1962: 10.60 ft, moderate flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 8.13 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1966: 9.09 ft, minor flooding; 5,600 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 10.09 ft, moderate flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1977: 10.08 ft, moderate flooding; 9,410 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1978: 11.74 ft, moderate flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1979: 10.48 ft, moderate flooding; 9,440 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1982: 9.80 ft, minor flooding; 8,170 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 9.31 ft, minor flooding; 6,500 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1987: 9.34 ft, minor flooding; 7,340 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 9.40 ft, minor flooding; 7,450 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1998: 8.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1998: 10.23 ft, moderate flooding; 8,970 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1999: 13.35 ft, major floodingFeb 1, 2002: 8.84 ft, minor flooding; 6,450 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2004: 9.61 ft, minor flooding; 7,820 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2005: 8.89 ft, minor flooding; 6,500 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 5,100 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2008: 9.23 ft, minor flooding; 5,800 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2009: 9.32 ft, minor flooding; 7,300 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2010: 8.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,360 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2011: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2013: 8.50 ft, minor flooding; 5,800 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 2014: 9.29 ft, minor flooding; 7,244 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2017: 8.44 ft, minor flooding; 5,690 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2017: 11.06 ft, moderate flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 8.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,910 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2026: 9.73 ft, minor flooding; 9,251 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.35 ft, Jan 23, 1999 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cayuga Creek at Lancaster 1930s: 1 1940s: 5 1950s: 3 1960s: 4 1970s: 4 1980s: 3 1990s: 4 2000s: 6 6 2010s: 6 2020s: 2 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Cayuga Creek at Lancaster
1Jan 23, 199913.35+5.35Major—
2Mar 9, 194212.36+4.36Major8,000
3Mar 24, 194112.00+4.00Major6,000
4Mar 21, 197811.74+3.74Moderate4,600
5Feb 19, 194811.65+3.65Moderate2,800
6Jul 13, 201711.06+3.06Moderate12,900
7Mar 3, 194511.01+3.01Moderate3,700
8Feb 27, 194410.76+2.76Moderate4,500
9Jan 27, 196210.60+2.60Moderate3,000
10Sep 14, 197910.48+2.48Moderate9,440
11Jul 8, 199810.23+2.23Moderate8,970
12Jan 22, 195910.09+2.09Moderate8,750
13Jun 23, 197210.09+2.09Moderate8,800
14Sep 25, 197710.08+2.08Moderate9,410
15Mar 7, 195610.06+2.06Moderate8,700
16Mar 14, 19829.80+1.80Minor8,170
17Apr 1, 20269.73+1.73Minor9,251
18Sep 9, 20049.61+1.61Minor7,820
19Jan 19, 19969.40+1.40Minor7,450
20Jun 22, 19879.34+1.34Minor7,340
21Mar 8, 20099.32+1.32Minor7,300
22Feb 23, 19859.31+1.31Minor6,500
23Nov 24, 20149.29+1.29Minor7,244
24Dec 27, 20089.23+1.23Minor5,800
25Mar 30, 19609.10+1.10Minor7,070
26Feb 11, 19669.09+1.09Minor5,600
27Jan 8, 19988.90+0.90Minor5,000
28Sep 16, 20058.89+0.89Minor6,500
29Feb 1, 20028.84+0.84Minor6,450
30Feb 28, 19398.60+0.60Minor6,720
31Jun 13, 20138.50+0.50Minor5,800
32Apr 21, 20178.44+0.44Minor5,690
33Feb 18, 20228.43+0.43Minor5,910
34Jan 25, 20108.26+0.26Minor5,360
35Apr 26, 20118.18+0.18Minor5,220
36Feb 15, 19548.17+0.17Minor5,370
37Mar 5, 19648.13+0.13Minor5,300
38Mar 15, 20078.10+0.10Minor5,100

Other gauges in Erie County

Flood gauges in Erie County
Gardenville7.014.34 ft, Mar 21, 19786
Ebenezer10.015.82 ft, Mar 1, 19558
Williamsville8.011.59 ft, Mar 31, 19600
Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point (NOS)8.09.48 ft, Dec 11, 20210
Lake Erie near Buffalo8.012.08 ft, Dec 2, 19853
Rapids12.016.96 ft, Apr 1, 19602

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LCSN6, 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.