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Big Walnut Creek at Central College

Highest listed crest 19.75 ftFlood stage 11.7 ft29 crests since 1939

The Big Walnut Creek at Central College crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1939 to 2020. The highest, 19.75 ft on January 21, 1959, was major flooding, 8.05 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.75 ft
January 21, 1959; 23,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.7 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
2
34th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
June 25, 2014
12.47 ft, minor flooding
Location
Franklin County
Near Westerville (2.1 mi), Gahanna (4.6 mi), New Albany (5.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Walnut Creek at Central College
Action stage10.05May 19, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.716Jun 25, 2014Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.06Jan 6, 2005Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.02Jan 21, 1959Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1939 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Walnut Creek at Central College, 1939 to 2020 101214161820ft Flood stage 11.7 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jun 19, 1939: 14.20 ft, moderate flooding; 9,310 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1943: 16.60 ft, major flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1945: 14.90 ft, moderate flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 15.40 ft, moderate flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1950: 12.98 ft, minor flooding; 7,900 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1951: 12.31 ft, minor flooding; 6,960 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1952: 15.30 ft, moderate flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1957: 13.02 ft, minor flooding; 6,990 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1959: 19.75 ft, major flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1961: 12.52 ft, minor flooding; 6,440 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 5,910 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1964: 13.18 ft, minor flooding; 7,340 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1968: 14.63 ft, moderate flooding; 9,770 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1969: 13.33 ft, minor flooding; 7,220 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1970: 12.27 ft, minor flooding; 5,620 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1972: 13.42 ft, minor flooding; 8,200 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1973: 12.20 ft, minor flooding; 6,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1990: 13.13 ft, minor flooding; 7,750 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1990: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 7,340 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1997: 13.29 ft, minor flooding; 8,050 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2000: 12.19 ft, minor flooding; 6,170 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2004: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 5,920 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2005: 15.21 ft, moderate flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2013: 11.56 ft, action stage; 5,230 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2014: 12.47 ft, minor flooding; 6,620 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2016: 10.46 ft, action stage; 4,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2018: 11.46 ft, action stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2019: 10.80 ft, action stageMay 19, 2020: 11.52 ft, action stage; 5,340 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.75 ft, Jan 21, 1959 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Walnut Creek at Central College 1930s: 1 1940s: 3 1950s: 5 5 1960s: 5 1970s: 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Big Walnut Creek at Central College
1Jan 21, 195919.75+8.05Major23,800
2Aug 4, 194316.60+4.90Major14,400
3Feb 14, 194815.40+3.70Moderate11,900
4Jan 27, 195215.30+3.60Moderate11,700
5Jan 6, 200515.21+3.51Moderate12,100
6Mar 6, 194514.90+3.20Moderate11,000
7May 27, 196814.63+2.93Moderate9,770
8Jun 19, 193914.20+2.50Moderate9,310
9Apr 13, 197213.42+1.72Minor8,200
10May 19, 196913.33+1.63Minor7,220
11Jun 1, 199713.29+1.59Minor8,050
12Apr 21, 196413.18+1.48Minor7,340
13Feb 15, 199013.13+1.43Minor7,750
14May 20, 195713.02+1.32Minor6,990
15Jan 6, 195012.98+1.28Minor7,900
16Dec 31, 199012.90+1.20Minor7,340
17Apr 26, 196112.52+0.82Minor6,440
18Jun 25, 201412.47+0.77Minor6,620
19Jan 5, 200412.33+0.63Minor5,920
20Jan 4, 195112.31+0.61Minor6,960
21Apr 2, 197012.27+0.57Minor5,620
22Jun 20, 197312.20+0.50Minor6,120
23Apr 8, 200012.19+0.49Minor6,170
24Mar 5, 196312.07+0.37Minor5,910
25Jul 9, 201311.56−0.14Action5,230
26May 19, 202011.52−0.18Action5,340
27Feb 16, 201811.46−0.24Action5,430
28Jun 20, 201910.80−0.90Action—
29Apr 12, 201610.46−1.24Action4,390

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
Worthington11.015.68 ft, Jan 21, 19592
Frank Road24.027.22 ft, Jan 22, 19591

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CSCO1, 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.