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Auglaize River near Defiance

Highest listed crest 29.70 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft41 crests since 1937

The Auglaize River near Defiance crested at major flood stage 13 times among the 41 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2020. The highest, 29.70 ft on January 16, 1937, was major flooding, 8.70 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.70 ft
January 16, 1937; 39,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
13
5th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2019
21.34 ft, minor flooding
Location
Defiance County
Near Defiance (3.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Auglaize River near Defiance
Action stage17.04May 20, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.016May 18, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.05Jun 29, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.013Feb 8, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

41 crests from 1937 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Auglaize River near Defiance, 1937 to 2020 1015202530ft Flood stage 21.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Jan 16, 1937: 29.70 ft, major flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1938: 28.60 ft, major flooding; 31,400 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1939: 29.40 ft, major flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1940: 27.60 ft, major flooding; 25,500 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1943: 25.50 ft, major flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1944: 22.40 ft, minor flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1950: 26.40 ft, major flooding; 52,500 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1952: 21.27 ft, minor flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 21.75 ft, minor flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1959: 27.65 ft, major floodingDec 11, 1966: 22.52 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1976: 21.79 ft, minor flooding; 36,200 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 23.74 ft, moderate flooding; 40,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1979: 21.82 ft, minor flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1980: 21.16 ft, minor flooding; 32,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1981: 25.91 ft, major flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1982: 27.93 ft, major flooding; 52,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 25.94 ft, major flooding; 47,300 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1991: 25.64 ft, major flooding; 46,400 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1997: 22.39 ft, minor flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 22.81 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2002: 19.92 ft, action stage; 30,300 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2003: 21.41 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 25.77 ft, major floodingAug 23, 2007: 23.13 ft, moderate flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2008: 26.35 ft, major flooding; 48,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2009: 22.37 ft, minor flooding; 36,700 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2009: 24.36 ft, moderate flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2010: 14.33 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2011: 22.61 ft, minor flooding; 37,300 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2012: 16.25 ft, below flood stage; 19,800 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2013: 21.53 ft, minor flooding; 34,500 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2013: 21.65 ft, minor flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2014: 19.51 ft, action stage; 29,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2015: 23.28 ft, moderate flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2015: 23.61 ft, moderate flooding; 42,100 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 15.27 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2017: 21.84 ft, minor flooding; 36,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2018: 17.71 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2019: 21.34 ft, minor flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 20.10 ft, action stage; 30,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 29.70 ft, Jan 16, 1937 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Auglaize River near Defiance 1930s: 3 1940s: 3 1950s: 4 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 1980s: 4 1990s: 3 2000s: 6 2010s: 7 7 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 20 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 38.80 ft on Mar 25, 1913; 27.00 ft on Feb 7, 1915; 29.20 ft on Jan 3, 1916; 26.10 ft on Apr 3, 1917; 29.70 ft on Feb 14, 1918; 29.60 ft on Mar 18, 1919; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Auglaize River near Defiance
1Jan 16, 193729.70+8.70Major39,000
2Mar 14, 193929.40+8.40Major38,900
3Apr 10, 193828.60+7.60Major31,400
4Mar 15, 198227.93+6.93Major52,300
5Feb 13, 195927.65+6.65Major—
6Mar 5, 194027.60+6.60Major25,500
7Feb 16, 195026.40+5.40Major52,500
8Feb 8, 200826.35+5.35Major48,700
9Feb 25, 198525.94+4.94Major47,300
10Jun 15, 198125.91+4.91Major47,300
11Jan 14, 200525.77+4.77Major—
12Jan 1, 199125.64+4.64Major46,400
13May 19, 194325.50+4.50Major48,000
14Mar 11, 200924.36+3.36Moderate42,000
15Mar 22, 197823.74+2.74Moderate40,200
16Jun 29, 201523.61+2.61Moderate42,100
17Jun 18, 201523.28+2.28Moderate39,000
18Aug 23, 200723.13+2.13Moderate38,700
19Jan 24, 199922.81+1.81Minor37,200
20Mar 2, 201122.61+1.61Minor37,300
21Dec 11, 196622.52+1.52Minor37,200
22Apr 13, 194422.40+1.40Minor37,700
23Jun 3, 199722.39+1.39Minor35,900
24Feb 13, 200922.37+1.37Minor36,700
25May 7, 201721.84+0.84Minor36,500
26Mar 5, 197921.82+0.82Minor34,200
27Feb 17, 197621.79+0.79Minor36,200
28Apr 6, 195721.75+0.75Minor33,900
29Dec 24, 201321.65+0.65Minor35,800
30Jan 14, 201321.53+0.53Minor34,500
31May 11, 200321.41+0.41Minor—
32May 18, 201921.34+0.34Minor34,800
33Mar 13, 195221.27+0.27Minor32,400
34Jun 4, 198021.16+0.16Minor32,200
35May 20, 202020.10−0.90Action30,800
36Mar 31, 200219.92−1.08Action30,300
37Feb 24, 201419.51−1.49Action29,000
38Feb 22, 201817.71−3.29Action23,700
39Jan 18, 201216.25−4.75Below flood stage19,800
40Jan 1, 201615.27−5.73Below flood stage17,200
41Mar 29, 201014.33−6.67Below flood stage15,000

The worst floods along the Auglaize River

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

March 15, 1982: 27.93 ft here, major flooding

February 13, 1959: 27.65 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Auglaize River

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

Flood gauges on the Auglaize River
Ft. JenningsOH13.020.30 ft, Jan 23, 19591
Defiance this gaugeOH21.029.70 ft, Jan 16, 193713

Other gauges in Defiance County

Flood gauges in Defiance County
Defiance10.020.50 ft, Mar 15, 19821
Defiance (Independence Dam)14.015.87 ft, Mar 15, 19821
Newville12.017.98 ft, Mar 12, 20095

Defiance County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Ohio

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DFCO1, 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.