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Genesee River at Rochester

Highest listed crest 24.50 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft29 crests since 1865

The Genesee River at Rochester crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1865 to 2017. The highest, 24.50 ft on March 18, 1865, was major flooding, 9.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.50 ft
March 18, 1865; 54,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
1
98th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 1998
16.80 ft, minor flooding
Location
Monroe County
Near Rochester (0.9 mi)
Identifiers
NWS RHRN6
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Genesee River at Rochester
Action stage13.01Nov 7, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.024Jan 10, 1998Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.03Apr 2, 1940Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.01Mar 18, 1865Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1865 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Genesee River at Rochester, 1865 to 2017 14161820222426ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Mar 18, 1865: 24.50 ft, major flooding; 54,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1896: 20.20 ft, moderate flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1916: 23.00 ft, moderate flooding; 48,300 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1924: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1925: 17.38 ft, minor flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1927: 18.50 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1929: 16.57 ft, minor flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1935: 16.04 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1936: 15.90 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1936: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1940: 19.08 ft, moderate flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1942: 18.96 ft, minor flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1943: 16.36 ft, minor flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1945: 16.17 ft, minor flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1947: 16.03 ft, minor flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1948: 15.23 ft, minor flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1950: 18.59 ft, minor flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1956: 16.87 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 16.91 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1963: 15.69 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1972: 17.89 ft, minor flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 15.96 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1980: 16.49 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1982: 16.19 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1984: 17.55 ft, minor flooding; 28,200 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1989: 15.22 ft, minor flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1993: 15.54 ft, minor flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 16.80 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 2017: 14.17 ft, action stage Highest, 24.50 ft, Mar 18, 1865 1880190019201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Genesee River at Rochester 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 1 1900s: 0 1910s: 1 1920s: 4 1930s: 3 1940s: 6 6 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 4 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s
  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, Genesee River at Rochester
1Mar 18, 186524.50+9.50Major54,000
2Mar 31, 191623.00+8.00Moderate48,300
3Apr 4, 189620.20+5.20Moderate36,000
4Apr 2, 194019.08+4.08Moderate33,500
5Mar 19, 194218.96+3.96Minor34,400
6Mar 30, 195018.59+3.59Minor33,100
7Dec 2, 192718.50+3.50Minor29,600
8Jun 25, 197217.89+2.89Minor29,600
9Apr 25, 198417.55+2.55Minor28,200
10Mar 28, 193617.50+2.50Minor27,700
11Oct 1, 192417.40+2.40Minor24,800
12Feb 13, 192517.38+2.38Minor24,700
13Mar 31, 196016.91+1.91Minor25,800
14Mar 8, 195616.87+1.87Minor24,300
15Jan 10, 199816.80+1.80Minor25,000
16Apr 23, 192916.57+1.57Minor23,800
17Mar 24, 198016.49+1.49Minor24,300
18Jan 1, 194316.36+1.36Minor25,400
19Mar 15, 198216.19+1.19Minor23,200
20Mar 24, 194516.17+1.17Minor24,700
21Jan 23, 193516.04+1.04Minor22,700
22Apr 8, 194716.03+1.03Minor23,800
23Mar 5, 197615.96+0.96Minor22,400
24Mar 14, 193615.90+0.90Minor22,200
25Mar 18, 196315.69+0.69Minor21,500
26Apr 2, 199315.54+0.54Minor21,000
27Mar 23, 194815.23+0.23Minor21,600
28May 11, 198915.22+0.22Minor20,000
29Nov 7, 201714.17−0.83Action—

The worst floods along the Genesee River

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

March 19, 1942: 18.96 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Genesee River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Genesee River
Avon - NEW USGS gage on the old railroad bridgeNY33.040.67 ft, Jun 25, 19721
PortagevilleNY19.035.25 ft, Jun 23, 19723
Rochester this gaugeNY15.024.50 ft, Mar 18, 18651
WellsvilleNY11.020.70 ft, Jun 23, 19721

Other gauges in Monroe County

Flood gauges in Monroe County
Churchville6.09.44 ft, Mar 31, 19605
Honeoye Falls6.57.99 ft, Mar 1, 19550
Garbutt6.08.64 ft, Mar 31, 19605

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RHRN6, 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.