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Mohawk River at Cohoes

Highest listed crest 23.15 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft55 crests since 1913

The Mohawk River at Cohoes crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 55 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2011. The highest, 23.15 ft on March 6, 1964, was major flooding, 3.15 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Mohawk River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.15 ft
March 6, 1964; 143,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
4
45th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
September 8, 2011
20.57 ft, minor flooding
Location
Albany County
Near Cohoes (0.9 mi), Troy (3.8 mi), Watervliet (4.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mohawk River at Cohoes
Action stage17.028Apr 29, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.013Sep 8, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.04Aug 29, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.04Jan 20, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

55 crests from 1913 to 2011. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mohawk River at Cohoes, 1913 to 2011 141618202224ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Mar 28, 1913: 20.40 ft, minor flooding; 99,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1914: 22.70 ft, major flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1916: 21.00 ft, moderate flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1936: 22.57 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1938: 20.61 ft, minor flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1948: 20.18 ft, minor flooding; 86,300 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1955: 21.15 ft, moderate flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1960: 20.15 ft, minor flooding; 83,300 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1964: 23.15 ft, major flooding; 143,000 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1973: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 80,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1975: 19.55 ft, action stage; 74,200 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 18.26 ft, action stage; 55,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1976: 18.80 ft, action stage; 62,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1976: 18.01 ft, action stage; 52,100 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 17.42 ft, action stage; 45,100 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1977: 21.76 ft, moderate flooding; 112,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1977: 19.11 ft, action stage; 67,300 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1977: 18.96 ft, action stage; 56,100 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1977: 19.36 ft, action stage; 70,900 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1979: 19.41 ft, action stage; 71,600 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1980: 20.79 ft, minor flooding; 93,700 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1983: 19.42 ft, action stage; 71,800 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1983: 18.85 ft, action stage; 63,400 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1984: 18.54 ft, action stage; 59,000 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1986: 20.68 ft, minor flooding; 91,800 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1986: 17.59 ft, action stage; 47,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1987: 20.05 ft, minor flooding; 81,300 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 1987: 16.93 ft, below flood stage; 40,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1989: 16.52 ft, below flood stage; 36,200 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1990: 17.21 ft, action stage; 42,900 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 1990: 17.05 ft, action stage; 41,200 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 1990: 18.42 ft, action stage; 57,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1991: 17.41 ft, action stage; 45,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1992: 16.96 ft, below flood stage; 40,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1993: 19.62 ft, action stage; 74,700 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1993: 19.44 ft, action stage; 72,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1993: 18.06 ft, action stage; 52,700 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1993: 18.65 ft, action stage; 60,600 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1994: 17.38 ft, action stage; 44,700 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1994: 18.37 ft, action stage; 56,800 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1995: 14.84 ft, below flood stage; 22,400 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 22.68 ft, major flooding; 132,000 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1996: 17.47 ft, action stage; 45,700 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1996: 19.95 ft, action stage; 79,700 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1996: 19.34 ft, action stage; 70,600 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 20.41 ft, minor flooding; 86,800 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1998: 17.62 ft, action stage; 49,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1999: 14.01 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1999: 16.53 ft, below flood stage; 40,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2000: 20.29 ft, minor flooding; 89,700 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 98,100 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2006: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 96,400 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 18.20 ft, action stage; 57,600 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2011: 21.86 ft, moderate flooding; 117,200 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2011: 20.57 ft, minor flooding; 94,275 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.15 ft, Mar 6, 1964 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mohawk River at Cohoes 1910s: 3 3 1920s: 0 1930s: 2 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 2 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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 55 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Mohawk River at Cohoes
1Mar 6, 196423.15+3.15Major143,000
2Mar 28, 191422.70+2.70Major140,000
3Jan 20, 199622.68+2.68Major132,000
4Mar 19, 193622.57+2.57Major130,000
5Aug 29, 201121.86+1.86Moderate117,200
6Mar 14, 197721.76+1.76Moderate112,000
7Oct 17, 195521.15+1.15Moderate100,000
8Apr 2, 191621.00+1.00Moderate113,000
9Apr 3, 200520.80+0.80Minor98,100
10Mar 22, 198020.79+0.79Minor93,700
11Jun 29, 200620.70+0.70Minor96,400
12Mar 16, 198620.68+0.68Minor91,800
13Sep 22, 193820.61+0.61Minor102,000
14Sep 8, 201120.57+0.57Minor94,275
15Jan 10, 199820.41+0.41Minor86,800
16Mar 28, 191320.40+0.40Minor99,000
17Feb 29, 200020.29+0.29Minor89,700
18Dec 31, 194820.18+0.18Minor86,300
19Apr 4, 196020.15+0.15Minor83,300
20Apr 5, 198720.05+0.05Minor81,300
21Dec 27, 197320.000.00Minor80,900
22Nov 10, 199619.95−0.05Action79,700
23Mar 31, 199319.62−0.38Action74,700
24Feb 25, 197519.55−0.45Action74,200
25Apr 11, 199319.44−0.56Action72,000
26Apr 25, 198319.42−0.58Action71,800
27Mar 7, 197919.41−0.59Action71,600
28Oct 18, 197719.36−0.64Action70,900
29Dec 3, 199619.34−0.66Action70,600
30Mar 31, 197719.11−0.89Action67,300
31Apr 25, 197718.96−1.04Action56,100
32Dec 14, 198318.85−1.15Action63,400
33Feb 20, 197618.80−1.20Action62,700
34Apr 23, 199318.65−1.35Action60,600
35May 29, 198418.54−1.46Action59,000
36Nov 11, 199018.42−1.58Action57,400
37Apr 14, 199418.37−1.63Action56,800
38Oct 18, 197518.26−1.74Action55,300
39Apr 29, 201118.20−1.80Action57,600
40Apr 18, 199318.06−1.94Action52,700
41Apr 2, 197618.01−1.99Action52,100
42Mar 10, 199817.62−2.38Action49,600
43Nov 27, 198617.59−2.41Action47,000
44May 12, 199617.47−2.53Action45,700
45Oct 10, 197617.42−2.58Action45,100
46Apr 22, 199117.41−2.59Action45,000
47Apr 7, 199417.38−2.62Action44,700
48May 21, 199017.21−2.79Action42,900
49Oct 24, 199017.05−2.95Action41,200
50May 3, 199216.96−3.04Below flood stage40,300

The worst floods along the Mohawk River

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

March 6, 1964: 23.15 ft here, major flooding

March 28, 1914: 22.70 ft here, major flooding

January 20, 1996: 22.68 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Mohawk River

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

Flood gauges on the Mohawk River
Cohoes this gaugeNY20.023.15 ft, Mar 6, 19644
Delta DamNY551.5553.76 ft, Aug 19, 20210
Little FallsNY15.019.86 ft, Nov 2, 20199
Schenectady (Freeman's Bridge)NY220.0232.90 ft, Mar 28, 191420
UticaNY403.0411.11 ft, Jan 4, 19077

Other gauges in Albany County

Flood gauges in Albany County
Albany11.021.71 ft, Feb 9, 185714
Troy21.529.70 ft, Mar 28, 19135

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COHN6, 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.