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Chemung River at Elmira

Highest listed crest 18.51 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft15 crests since 1989

The Chemung River at Elmira crested above flood stage 15 times among the 15 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1989 to 2021. The highest, 18.51 ft on January 19, 1996, was moderate flooding, 6.51 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Chemung River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.51 ft
January 19, 1996; 52,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
0
15 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
October 30, 2021
13.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
Chemung County
Near Elmira (0.6 mi), Corning (13.7 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 Elmira
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.013Oct 30, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.02Nov 8, 1996Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

15 crests from 1989 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chemung River at Elmira, 1989 to 2021 1214161820ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft May 11, 1989: 12.06 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1990: 12.70 ft, minor flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 12.43 ft, minor flooding; 32,800 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 18.51 ft, moderate flooding; 52,800 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 16.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 8, 1998: 13.18 ft, minor floodingJul 23, 2003: 12.23 ft, minor flooding; 37,400 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2004: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 35,206 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 38,962 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 13.17 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2005: 12.47 ft, minor flooding; 33,049 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2006: 12.19 ft, minor floodingMay 16, 2014: 12.16 ft, minor flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2021: 12.49 ft, minor flooding; 39,545 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2021: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 44,262 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.51 ft, Jan 19, 1996 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chemung River at Elmira 1980s: 1 1990s: 5 2000s: 6 6 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 21 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 18.30 ft on Jul 9, 1935; 17.80 ft on Apr 1, 1940; 15.90 ft on Mar 10, 1942; 17.40 ft on Dec 31, 1942; 21.20 ft on May 28, 1946; 15.80 ft on Apr 6, 1947; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Chemung River at Elmira
1Jan 19, 199618.51+6.51Moderate52,800
2Nov 8, 199616.00+4.00Moderate—
3Sep 18, 200413.55+1.55Minor38,962
4Oct 30, 202113.40+1.40Minor44,262
5Jan 8, 199813.18+1.18Minor—
6Apr 3, 200513.17+1.17Minor42,600
7Sep 9, 200412.85+0.85Minor35,206
8Oct 24, 199012.70+0.70Minor32,400
9Aug 19, 202112.49+0.49Minor39,545
10Nov 30, 200512.47+0.47Minor33,049
11Apr 1, 199312.43+0.43Minor32,800
12Jul 23, 200312.23+0.23Minor37,400
13Sep 3, 200612.19+0.19Minor—
14May 16, 201412.16+0.16Minor37,900
15May 11, 198912.06+0.06Minor30,800

The worst floods along the Chemung River

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

January 19, 1996: 18.51 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChemungNY · Jan 20, 1996 · 19.82 ft · Minor

November 8, 1996: 16.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChemungNY · Nov 9, 1996 · 18.52 ft · Minor

September 18, 2004: 13.55 ft here, minor flooding

  • ChemungNY · Sep 18, 2004 · 18.45 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Chemung River

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

Flood gauges on the Chemung River
Elmira this gaugeNY12.018.51 ft, Jan 19, 19960
ChemungNY16.031.62 ft, Jun 23, 19722

Other gauges in Chemung County

Flood gauges in Chemung County
Chemung16.031.62 ft, Jun 23, 19722

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHEN6, 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.