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Fall Creek at Ithaca

Highest listed crest 11.16 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft23 crests since 1929

The Fall Creek at Ithaca crested at major flood stage 13 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1929 to 2009. The highest, 11.16 ft on February 21, 1971, was major flooding, 5.16 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.16 ft
February 21, 1971
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 7.0 ft
Crests at major
13
5th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
February 12, 2009
6.64 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Tompkins County
Near Ithaca (1.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Fall Creek at Ithaca
Action stage5.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.07Apr 3, 2005Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.53Feb 12, 2009Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage7.013Jan 19, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1929 to 2009. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Fall Creek at Ithaca, 1929 to 2009 681012ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 7.0 ft Feb 27, 1929: 7.64 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1934: 7.80 ft, major floodingJul 8, 1935: 9.52 ft, major flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1946: 8.20 ft, major floodingMar 14, 1947: 6.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 1955: 8.84 ft, major floodingJan 21, 1959: 8.76 ft, major floodingJan 25, 1964: 6.13 ft, minor floodingFeb 8, 1965: 7.72 ft, major floodingFeb 11, 1966: 8.25 ft, major floodingMar 17, 1968: 8.18 ft, major floodingJan 24, 1969: 6.02 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1971: 11.16 ft, major floodingFeb 25, 1977: 9.11 ft, major floodingMar 15, 1978: 6.87 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1979: 6.34 ft, minor floodingFeb 11, 1981: 6.01 ft, minor floodingOct 28, 1981: 8.35 ft, major flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1990: 6.62 ft, moderate floodingFeb 28, 1995: 6.00 ft, minor floodingJan 19, 1996: 7.47 ft, major flooding; 9,450 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 6.10 ft, minor flooding; 6,190 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2009: 6.64 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 11.16 ft, Feb 21, 1971 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Fall Creek at Ithaca 1920s: 1 1930s: 2 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 5 5 1970s: 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 2 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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, Fall Creek at Ithaca
1Feb 21, 197111.16+5.16Major—
2Jul 8, 19359.52+3.52Major15,500
3Feb 25, 19779.11+3.11Major—
4Feb 22, 19558.84+2.84Major—
5Jan 21, 19598.76+2.76Major—
6Oct 28, 19818.35+2.35Major11,900
7Feb 11, 19668.25+2.25Major—
8Mar 2, 19468.20+2.20Major—
9Mar 17, 19688.18+2.18Major—
10Mar 4, 19347.80+1.80Major—
11Feb 8, 19657.72+1.72Major—
12Feb 27, 19297.64+1.64Major—
13Jan 19, 19967.47+1.47Major9,450
14Mar 15, 19786.87+0.87Moderate—
15Feb 12, 20096.64+0.64Moderate—
16Jan 18, 19906.62+0.62Moderate—
17Mar 2, 19796.34+0.34Minor—
18Jan 25, 19646.13+0.13Minor—
19Apr 3, 20056.10+0.10Minor6,190
20Jan 24, 19696.02+0.02Minor—
21Feb 11, 19816.01+0.01Minor—
22Mar 14, 19476.000.00Minor—
23Feb 28, 19956.000.00Minor—

Other gauges in Tompkins County

Flood gauges in Tompkins County
Cayuga Lake at Ithaca383.5386.46 ft, Apr 26, 19934

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FLLN6, 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.