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Chemung River at Chemung

Highest listed crest 31.62 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft58 crests since 1904

The Chemung River at Chemung crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 58 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1904 to 2021. The highest, 31.62 ft on June 23, 1972, was major flooding, 15.62 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.62 ft
June 23, 1972; 189,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
2
68th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
October 31, 2021
16.80 ft, minor flooding
Location
Chemung County
Near Elmira (11.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chemung River at Chemung
Action stage12.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.053Oct 31, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.03Mar 6, 1964Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.02Sep 27, 1975Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

58 crests from 1904 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chemung River at Chemung, 1904 to 2021 1520253035ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Feb 8, 1904: 18.40 ft, minor floodingMar 8, 1904: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 63,200 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1910: 16.76 ft, minor flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1913: 16.50 ft, minor flooding; 52,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1914: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 59,900 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1914: 16.35 ft, minor flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1915: 16.42 ft, minor flooding; 55,700 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1916: 16.53 ft, minor flooding; 56,500 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1916: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 68,900 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1918: 17.96 ft, minor flooding; 67,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1919: 16.78 ft, minor flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1920: 17.18 ft, minor flooding; 61,200 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1929: 17.10 ft, minor flooding; 57,400 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1935: 19.45 ft, minor flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1936: 19.57 ft, minor flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1936: 18.61 ft, minor flooding; 76,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1939: 17.80 ft, minor flooding; 68,000 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1940: 19.62 ft, minor flooding; 87,800 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1941: 16.92 ft, minor flooding; 55,300 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1942: 17.47 ft, minor flooding; 60,700 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1942: 19.04 ft, minor flooding; 77,400 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1945: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 54,100 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1946: 23.97 ft, moderate flooding; 132,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1947: 18.01 ft, minor flooding; 66,500 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1947: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 18.26 ft, minor flooding; 69,300 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1950: 19.12 ft, minor flooding; 80,300 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1950: 18.66 ft, minor flooding; 74,100 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1951: 19.19 ft, minor flooding; 81,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1952: 17.17 ft, minor flooding; 54,300 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1953: 16.09 ft, minor flooding; 46,000 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1955: 20.13 ft, moderate flooding; 89,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1956: 19.22 ft, minor flooding; 76,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1956: 16.02 ft, minor flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1958: 16.94 ft, minor flooding; 52,400 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 19.02 ft, minor flooding; 73,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1961: 17.39 ft, minor flooding; 56,300 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1961: 18.24 ft, minor flooding; 64,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1964: 20.44 ft, moderate flooding; 93,800 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1972: 17.53 ft, minor flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 31.62 ft, major flooding; 189,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1975: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1975: 24.10 ft, major flooding; 125,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1976: 17.07 ft, minor flooding; 52,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 16.25 ft, minor flooding; 47,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1979: 18.24 ft, minor flooding; 61,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 61,200 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1984: 17.25 ft, minor flooding; 54,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1994: 18.97 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1994: 16.45 ft, minor flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 19.82 ft, minor floodingNov 9, 1996: 18.52 ft, minor flooding; 67,500 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2004: 16.05 ft, minor flooding; 46,176 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 18.45 ft, minor flooding; 63,341 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 55,164 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 16.63 ft, minor flooding; 53,300 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2021: 16.80 ft, minor flooding; 49,616 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.62 ft, Jun 23, 1972 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chemung River at Chemung 1900s: 2 1910s: 9 1920s: 2 1930s: 4 1940s: 9 1950s: 10 10 1960s: 4 1970s: 7 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 58 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Chemung River at Chemung
1Jun 23, 197231.62+15.62Major189,000
2Sep 27, 197524.10+8.10Major125,000
3May 28, 194623.97+7.97Moderate132,000
4Mar 6, 196420.44+4.44Moderate93,800
5Oct 15, 195520.13+4.13Moderate89,000
6Jan 20, 199619.82+3.82Minor—
7Apr 1, 194019.62+3.62Minor87,800
8Mar 12, 193619.57+3.57Minor87,300
9Jul 9, 193519.45+3.45Minor86,000
10Mar 8, 195619.22+3.22Minor76,100
11Mar 31, 195119.19+3.19Minor81,300
12Mar 29, 195019.12+3.12Minor80,300
13Dec 31, 194219.04+3.04Minor77,400
14Mar 31, 196019.02+3.02Minor73,500
15Feb 22, 199418.97+2.97Minor—
16Nov 26, 195018.66+2.66Minor74,100
17Mar 18, 193618.61+2.61Minor76,700
18Nov 9, 199618.52+2.52Minor67,500
19Sep 18, 200418.45+2.45Minor63,341
20Feb 8, 190418.40+2.40Minor—
21Mar 22, 194818.26+2.26Minor69,300
22Apr 26, 196118.24+2.24Minor64,400
23Mar 6, 197918.24+2.24Minor61,500
24Jun 18, 191618.20+2.20Minor68,900
25Feb 15, 198418.20+2.20Minor61,200
26Apr 6, 194718.01+2.01Minor66,500
27Mar 15, 191817.96+1.96Minor67,000
28Jan 22, 195917.90+1.90Minor61,000
29Feb 21, 193917.80+1.80Minor68,000
30Mar 8, 190417.60+1.60Minor63,200
31Mar 3, 197217.53+1.53Minor52,000
32Mar 10, 194217.47+1.47Minor60,700
33Apr 3, 200517.40+1.40Minor55,164
34Feb 26, 196117.39+1.39Minor56,300
35Apr 6, 198417.25+1.25Minor54,100
36Mar 13, 192017.18+1.18Minor61,200
37Mar 12, 195217.17+1.17Minor54,300
38Apr 21, 192917.10+1.10Minor57,400
39Feb 18, 197617.07+1.07Minor52,500
40Mar 29, 191417.00+1.00Minor59,900
41Feb 26, 197517.00+1.00Minor52,000
42Apr 7, 195816.94+0.94Minor52,400
43Apr 6, 194116.92+0.92Minor55,300
44Oct 31, 202116.80+0.80Minor49,616
45Mar 4, 194516.79+0.79Minor54,100
46May 23, 191916.78+0.78Minor58,300
47Apr 25, 191016.76+0.76Minor57,000
48Mar 15, 200716.63+0.63Minor53,300
49Mar 28, 191616.53+0.53Minor56,500
50Mar 26, 191316.50+0.50Minor52,500

Gauges on the Chemung River

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

Flood gauges on the Chemung River
ElmiraNY12.018.51 ft, Jan 19, 19960
Chemung this gaugeNY16.031.62 ft, Jun 23, 19722

Other gauges in Chemung County

Flood gauges in Chemung County
Elmira12.018.51 ft, Jan 19, 19960

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CMGN6, 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.