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Tonawanda Creek at Rapids

Highest listed crest 16.96 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft30 crests since 1956

The Tonawanda Creek at Rapids crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1956 to 2026. The highest, 16.96 ft on April 1, 1960, was major flooding, 4.96 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tonawanda Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.96 ft
April 1, 1960; 6,280 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
2
68th of 160 gauges in New York
Most recent flood crest
April 3, 2026
13.63 ft, minor flooding
Location
Erie County
Near Lockport (6.1 mi), North Tonawanda (12.2 mi), Depew (13.0 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 Rapids
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.014Apr 3, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.014Dec 24, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.02Feb 26, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1956 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tonawanda Creek at Rapids, 1956 to 2026 121314151617ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Mar 10, 1956: 15.20 ft, moderate flooding; 5,090 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1957: 15.46 ft, moderate flooding; 5,210 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1959: 13.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,450 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1960: 16.96 ft, major flooding; 6,280 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 15.32 ft, moderate flooding; 4,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1965: 13.18 ft, minor flooding; 4,270 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1979: 15.91 ft, moderate flooding; 5,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1981: 14.10 ft, moderate flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1982: 14.78 ft, moderate flooding; 4,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1984: 14.54 ft, moderate flooding; 4,710 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1985: 16.38 ft, major flooding; 6,240 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1986: 15.00 ft, moderate flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1991: 13.67 ft, minor flooding; 4,880 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1991: 13.13 ft, minor flooding; 4,580 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1993: 14.61 ft, moderate flooding; 5,480 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1996: 13.86 ft, minor flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1998: 15.33 ft, moderate flooding; 5,870 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1999: 13.08 ft, minor flooding; 4,670 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2003: 13.74 ft, minor flooding; 4,990 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2005: 13.79 ft, minor flooding; 5,010 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2007: 14.17 ft, moderate flooding; 5,210 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2008: 14.73 ft, moderate flooding; 5,520 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2009: 14.38 ft, moderate flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2009: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2013: 15.13 ft, moderate flooding; 5,750 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2019: 12.89 ft, minor flooding; 3,290 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2022: 13.93 ft, minor flooding; 5,096 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2022: 12.32 ft, minor floodingJan 29, 2024: 12.89 ft, minor flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2026: 13.63 ft, minor flooding; 4,823 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.96 ft, Apr 1, 1960 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tonawanda Creek at Rapids 1950s: 3 1960s: 3 1970s: 1 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 6 2010s: 2 2020s: 4 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 Rapids
1Apr 1, 196016.96+4.96Major6,280
2Feb 26, 198516.38+4.38Major6,240
3Mar 7, 197915.91+3.91Moderate5,500
4Jan 25, 195715.46+3.46Moderate5,210
5Jan 10, 199815.33+3.33Moderate5,870
6Mar 20, 196315.32+3.32Moderate4,300
7Mar 10, 195615.20+3.20Moderate5,090
8Dec 24, 201315.13+3.13Moderate5,750
9Jan 22, 198615.00+3.00Moderate5,000
10Mar 17, 198214.78+2.78Moderate4,830
11Dec 30, 200814.73+2.73Moderate5,520
12Apr 2, 199314.61+2.61Moderate5,480
13Feb 16, 198414.54+2.54Moderate4,710
14Feb 15, 200914.38+2.38Moderate5,000
15Mar 17, 200714.17+2.17Moderate5,210
16Feb 21, 198114.10+2.10Moderate4,500
17Feb 21, 202213.93+1.93Minor5,096
18Jan 22, 199613.86+1.86Minor5,080
19Apr 5, 200513.79+1.79Minor5,010
20Mar 20, 200313.74+1.74Minor4,990
21Apr 4, 195913.70+1.70Minor4,450
22Jan 2, 199113.67+1.67Minor4,880
23Apr 3, 202613.63+1.63Minor4,823
24Mar 11, 200913.60+1.60Minor4,500
25Feb 12, 196513.18+1.18Minor4,270
26Apr 24, 199113.13+1.13Minor4,580
27Jan 27, 199913.08+1.08Minor4,670
28Jan 8, 201912.89+0.89Minor3,290
29Jan 29, 202412.89+0.89Minor4,380
30Feb 26, 202212.32+0.32Minor—

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.

April 1, 1960: 16.96 ft here, major flooding

  • BataviaNY · Mar 31, 1960 · 12.70 ft · Major

February 26, 1985: 16.38 ft here, major flooding

  • BataviaNY · Feb 25, 1985 · 12.45 ft · Major

January 10, 1998: 15.33 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BataviaNY · Jan 9, 1998 · 12.44 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
BataviaNY9.013.85 ft, Apr 6, 19477
Rapids this gaugeNY12.016.96 ft, Apr 1, 19602

Other gauges in Erie County

Flood gauges in Erie County
Gardenville7.014.34 ft, Mar 21, 19786
Lancaster8.013.35 ft, Jan 23, 19993
Ebenezer10.015.82 ft, Mar 1, 19558
Williamsville8.011.59 ft, Mar 31, 19600
Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point (NOS)8.09.48 ft, Dec 11, 20210
Lake Erie near Buffalo8.012.08 ft, Dec 2, 19853

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RAPN6, 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.