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Tonawanda Creek at Batavia

Highest listed crest 13.85 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft30 crests since 1947

The Tonawanda Creek at Batavia crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2026. The highest, 13.85 ft on April 6, 1947, was major flooding, 4.85 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.85 ft
April 6, 1947; 4,840 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
7
20th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
April 1, 2026
10.90 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Genesee County
Near Batavia (0.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tonawanda Creek at Batavia
Action stage7.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.03Mar 8, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.020Apr 1, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.07Jan 9, 1998Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1947 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tonawanda Creek at Batavia, 1947 to 2026 91011121314ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Apr 6, 1947: 13.85 ft, major flooding; 4,840 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1950: 13.73 ft, major flooding; 5,530 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1955: 13.44 ft, major flooding; 5,240 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1956: 12.07 ft, major flooding; 6,480 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 10.87 ft, moderate flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 12.70 ft, major flooding; 7,200 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1972: 10.82 ft, moderate flooding; 4,770 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 1976: 11.31 ft, moderate flooding; 5,660 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1977: 10.89 ft, moderate flooding; 5,120 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1984: 11.59 ft, moderate flooding; 5,320 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 12.45 ft, major flooding; 6,050 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1990: 10.42 ft, moderate flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 12.44 ft, major flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1998: 11.70 ft, moderate flooding; 5,500 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 11.00 ft, moderate flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2002: 10.14 ft, moderate flooding; 4,040 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2004: 10.13 ft, moderate flooding; 3,670 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 11.89 ft, moderate flooding; 5,010 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 11.72 ft, moderate flooding; 4,870 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2009: 10.70 ft, moderate flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2009: 10.57 ft, moderate flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2013: 11.94 ft, moderate flooding; 5,050 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 2014: 9.02 ft, minor flooding; 3,129 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 2017: 9.88 ft, minor flooding; 3,540 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 2017: 11.27 ft, moderate floodingJan 13, 2018: 10.05 ft, moderate flooding; 3,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2022: 10.29 ft, moderate flooding; 3,770 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2022: 10.07 ft, moderate flooding; 3,640 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2026: 9.01 ft, minor flooding; 3,124 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2026: 10.90 ft, moderate flooding; 4,224 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.85 ft, Apr 6, 1947 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tonawanda Creek at Batavia 1940s: 1 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 2000s: 6 6 2010s: 5 2020s: 4 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Tonawanda Creek at Batavia
1Apr 6, 194713.85+4.85Major4,840
2Mar 29, 195013.73+4.73Major5,530
3Mar 2, 195513.44+4.44Major5,240
4Mar 31, 196012.70+3.70Major7,200
5Feb 25, 198512.45+3.45Major6,050
6Jan 9, 199812.44+3.44Major6,000
7Mar 7, 195612.07+3.07Major6,480
8Dec 22, 201311.94+2.94Moderate5,050
9Mar 15, 200711.89+2.89Moderate5,010
10Dec 28, 200811.72+2.72Moderate4,870
11Jul 9, 199811.70+2.70Moderate5,500
12Dec 30, 198411.59+2.59Moderate5,320
13May 5, 197611.31+2.31Moderate5,660
14Nov 7, 201711.27+2.27Moderate—
15Jan 24, 199911.00+2.00Moderate5,300
16Apr 1, 202610.90+1.90Moderate4,224
17Sep 25, 197710.89+1.89Moderate5,120
18Jan 22, 195910.87+1.87Moderate5,230
19Jun 24, 197210.82+1.82Moderate4,770
20Feb 13, 200910.70+1.70Moderate4,800
21Mar 9, 200910.57+1.57Moderate4,800
22Dec 31, 199010.42+1.42Moderate4,810
23Feb 19, 202210.29+1.29Moderate3,770
24Feb 2, 200210.14+1.14Moderate4,040
25Sep 10, 200410.13+1.13Moderate3,670
26Feb 24, 202210.07+1.07Moderate3,640
27Jan 13, 201810.05+1.05Moderate3,630
28Jul 14, 20179.88+0.88Minor3,540
29Nov 25, 20149.02+0.02Minor3,129
30Mar 8, 20269.01+0.01Minor3,124

The worst floods along the Tonawanda Creek

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

March 31, 1960: 12.70 ft here, major flooding

  • RapidsNY · Apr 1, 1960 · 16.96 ft · Major · its highest

February 25, 1985: 12.45 ft here, major flooding

  • RapidsNY · Feb 26, 1985 · 16.38 ft · Major

Gauges on the Tonawanda Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Tonawanda Creek
AtticaNY8.012.70 ft, Jul 8, 19982
Batavia this gaugeNY9.013.85 ft, Apr 6, 19477
RapidsNY12.016.96 ft, Apr 1, 19602

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BTVN6, 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.