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Hudson River at Albany

Highest listed crest 21.71 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft42 crests since 1857

The Hudson River at Albany crested at major flood stage 14 times among the 42 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1857 to 2012. The highest, 21.71 ft on February 9, 1857, was major flooding, 10.71 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.71 ft
February 9, 1857
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
14
4th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
October 30, 2012
11.33 ft, minor flooding
Location
Albany County
Near Albany (2.9 mi), Watervliet (5.8 mi), Troy (7.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Hudson River at Albany
Action stage9.07Mar 30, 1993The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.04Oct 30, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.01Mar 15, 1977Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.014Aug 29, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

42 crests from 1857 to 2012. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Hudson River at Albany, 1857 to 2012 510152025ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Feb 9, 1857: 21.71 ft, major floodingOct 5, 1869: 18.98 ft, major floodingFeb 14, 1900: 20.42 ft, major floodingOct 10, 1903: 15.40 ft, major floodingFeb 21, 1909: 17.00 ft, major floodingMar 2, 1910: 17.40 ft, major floodingMar 28, 1913: 21.45 ft, major flooding; 240,000 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1927: 15.96 ft, major floodingMar 13, 1936: 15.30 ft, major floodingMar 19, 1936: 17.86 ft, major flooding; 215,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1938: 16.50 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1949: 17.50 ft, major flooding; 181,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1955: 10.90 ft, action stage; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1960: 12.69 ft, minor flooding; 135,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1973: 8.77 ft, below flood stageDec 28, 1973: 7.33 ft, below flood stageJul 4, 1974: 6.71 ft, below flood stageFeb 25, 1975: 9.31 ft, action stageMar 15, 1977: 14.47 ft, moderate flooding; 175,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1980: 9.78 ft, action stage; 123,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1983: 9.51 ft, action stage; 106,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1984: 10.05 ft, action stage; 109,000 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1985: 6.62 ft, below flood stageMar 16, 1986: 8.57 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1987: 9.45 ft, action stage; 122,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1988: 6.24 ft, below flood stageMay 7, 1989: 8.06 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 1990: 8.39 ft, below flood stageApr 22, 1991: 6.87 ft, below flood stageDec 11, 1992: 7.56 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 1993: 10.14 ft, action stage; 120,000 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1994: 7.92 ft, below flood stageJan 21, 1995: 6.14 ft, below flood stageJan 20, 1996: 15.50 ft, major flooding; 165,000 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1996: 8.21 ft, below flood stageDec 2, 1996: 8.58 ft, below flood stageApr 7, 1997: 7.22 ft, below flood stageJan 9, 1998: 11.46 ft, minor flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1999: 6.45 ft, below flood stageAug 29, 2011: 15.40 ft, major floodingSep 9, 2011: 11.32 ft, minor floodingOct 30, 2012: 11.33 ft, minor flooding Highest, 21.71 ft, Feb 9, 1857 18601880190019201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Hudson River at Albany 1850s: 1 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 3 3 1910s: 2 1920s: 1 1930s: 3 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 1850s1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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, Hudson River at Albany
1Feb 9, 185721.71+10.71Major—
2Mar 28, 191321.45+10.45Major240,000
3Feb 14, 190020.42+9.42Major—
4Oct 5, 186918.98+7.98Major—
5Mar 19, 193617.86+6.86Major215,000
6Jan 1, 194917.50+6.50Major181,000
7Mar 2, 191017.40+6.40Major—
8Feb 21, 190917.00+6.00Major—
9Sep 22, 193816.50+5.50Major—
10Nov 5, 192715.96+4.96Major—
11Jan 20, 199615.50+4.50Major165,000
12Oct 10, 190315.40+4.40Major—
13Aug 29, 201115.40+4.40Major—
14Mar 13, 193615.30+4.30Major—
15Mar 15, 197714.47+3.47Moderate175,000
16Apr 5, 196012.69+1.69Minor135,000
17Jan 9, 199811.46+0.46Minor140,000
18Oct 30, 201211.33+0.33Minor—
19Sep 9, 201111.32+0.32Minor—
20Oct 17, 195510.90−0.10Action113,000
21Mar 30, 199310.14−0.86Action120,000
22May 31, 198410.05−0.95Action109,000
23Mar 22, 19809.78−1.22Action123,000
24Apr 26, 19839.51−1.49Action106,000
25Apr 5, 19879.45−1.55Action122,000
26Feb 25, 19759.31−1.69Action—
27Apr 5, 19738.77−2.23Below flood stage—
28Dec 2, 19968.58−2.42Below flood stage—
29Mar 16, 19868.57−2.43Below flood stage—
30May 22, 19908.39−2.61Below flood stage—
31Nov 9, 19968.21−2.79Below flood stage—
32May 7, 19898.06−2.94Below flood stage—
33Apr 17, 19947.92−3.08Below flood stage—
34Dec 11, 19927.56−3.44Below flood stage—
35Dec 28, 19737.33−3.67Below flood stage—
36Apr 7, 19977.22−3.78Below flood stage—
37Apr 22, 19916.87−4.13Below flood stage—
38Jul 4, 19746.71−4.29Below flood stage—
39Sep 27, 19856.62−4.38Below flood stage—
40Mar 4, 19996.45−4.55Below flood stage—
41Apr 7, 19886.24−4.76Below flood stage—
42Jan 21, 19956.14−4.86Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Hudson River

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

March 28, 1913: 21.45 ft here, major flooding

  • TroyNY · Mar 28, 1913 · 29.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • HadleyNY · Mar 27, 1913 · 23.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • North CreekNY · Mar 27, 1913 · 11.70 ft · Moderate

March 19, 1936: 17.86 ft here, major flooding

  • TroyNY · Mar 19, 1936 · 29.48 ft · Major
  • Fort EdwardNY · Mar 18, 1936 · 29.00 ft · Major
  • HadleyNY · Mar 18, 1936 · 19.59 ft · Major
  • North CreekNY · Mar 19, 1936 · 12.10 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Hudson River

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

Flood gauges on the Hudson River
Albany this gaugeNY11.021.71 ft, Feb 9, 185714
Fort EdwardNY26.034.00 ft, Mar 14, 19134
HadleyNY14.023.00 ft, Mar 27, 19135
North CreekNY10.013.65 ft, Apr 29, 20111
TroyNY21.529.70 ft, Mar 28, 19135
NewcombNY12.512.84 ft, Jan 9, 19980
PoughkeepsieNY4.29.05 ft, Oct 30, 20221
WaterfordNY34.036.38 ft, May 30, 19840

Other gauges in Albany County

Flood gauges in Albany County
Troy21.529.70 ft, Mar 28, 19135
Cohoes20.023.15 ft, Mar 6, 19644

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALBN6, 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.