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Chagrin River at Willoughby

Highest listed crest 17.95 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft74 crests since 1913

The Chagrin River at Willoughby crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 74 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2026. The highest, 17.95 ft on March 22, 1948, was major flooding, 5.95 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.95 ft
March 22, 1948; 28,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
5
16th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
April 1, 2026
14.19 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Lake County
Near Willoughby (1.1 mi), Eastlake (2.2 mi), Willowick (3.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chagrin River at Willoughby
Action stage9.038Apr 13, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.023Aug 24, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.08Apr 1, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.05Feb 28, 2011Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

74 crests from 1913 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chagrin River at Willoughby, 1913 to 2026 81012141618ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Mar 23, 1913: 10.30 ft, action stage; 24,500 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1929: 9.40 ft, action stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1931: 9.90 ft, action stage; 24,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1942: 11.90 ft, action stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1943: 10.21 ft, action stage; 8,160 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1944: 10.50 ft, action stage; 7,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1945: 11.12 ft, action stage; 8,740 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1947: 13.70 ft, minor flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 17.95 ft, major flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1950: 11.60 ft, action stage; 9,400 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1950: 11.52 ft, action stage; 9,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1952: 12.06 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1954: 12.53 ft, minor flooding; 11,300 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1954: 15.22 ft, moderate flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1956: 11.07 ft, action stage; 8,410 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1957: 14.74 ft, moderate flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1958: 10.03 ft, action stage; 6,900 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1959: 16.73 ft, major flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1959: 13.15 ft, minor floodingJun 1, 1959: 13.80 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1960: 10.14 ft, action stage; 7,080 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1961: 11.84 ft, action stage; 9,560 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1962: 13.24 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1963: 10.81 ft, action stage; 7,990 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 15.33 ft, moderate flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1965: 10.07 ft, action stage; 6,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1966: 10.56 ft, action stage; 7,640 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1966: 9.49 ft, action stage; 6,210 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1968: 9.84 ft, action stage; 6,200 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1969: 16.83 ft, major flooding; 23,300 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 11.68 ft, action stage; 9,720 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1973: 10.21 ft, action stage; 7,520 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1975: 11.17 ft, action stage; 8,960 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1976: 12.71 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1977: 12.27 ft, minor floodingDec 14, 1977: 12.24 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1979: 10.28 ft, action stage; 8,130 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1979: 11.92 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1981: 11.30 ft, action stage; 9,350 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1982: 10.35 ft, action stageMay 12, 1984: 9.87 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1989: 17.14 ft, major flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1990: 11.32 ft, action stage; 9,750 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 12.47 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1992: 11.13 ft, action stage; 9,480 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1994: 14.41 ft, moderate flooding; 15,200 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 11.15 ft, action stage; 9,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1997: 14.22 ft, moderate flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 11.57 ft, action stageJan 12, 2005: 12.11 ft, minor floodingJul 28, 2006: 14.77 ft, moderate flooding; 19,100 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2006: 11.66 ft, action stage; 10,246 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2007: 13.04 ft, minor flooding; 12,577 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 12.04 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2008: 14.04 ft, moderate flooding; 17,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2009: 10.31 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2010: 9.01 ft, action stage; 6,410 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2011: 16.57 ft, major floodingOct 30, 2012: 13.77 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2013: 11.88 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2014: 13.39 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2014: 13.34 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2014: 12.10 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2015: 12.17 ft, minor flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2018: 12.66 ft, minor flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2019: 9.95 ft, action stage; 7,540 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2020: 12.99 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 2020: 12.51 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2021: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2021: 9.76 ft, action stage; 7,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2022: 10.77 ft, action stageAug 24, 2023: 12.31 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2024: 9.34 ft, action stage; 7,020 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2026: 14.19 ft, moderate flooding; 14,589 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.95 ft, Mar 22, 1948 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chagrin River at Willoughby 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 7 7 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 5 2010s: 7 2020s: 5 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 74 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Chagrin River at Willoughby
1Mar 22, 194817.95+5.95Major28,000
2May 26, 198917.14+5.14Major23,900
3May 19, 196916.83+4.83Major23,300
4Jan 21, 195916.73+4.73Major22,000
5Feb 28, 201116.57+4.57Major—
6Mar 5, 196415.33+3.33Moderate17,200
7Oct 15, 195415.22+3.22Moderate18,600
8Jul 28, 200614.77+2.77Moderate19,100
9May 20, 195714.74+2.74Moderate14,800
10Aug 13, 199414.41+2.41Moderate15,200
11Feb 27, 199714.22+2.22Moderate14,900
12Apr 1, 202614.19+2.19Moderate14,589
13Feb 6, 200814.04+2.04Moderate17,400
14Jun 1, 195913.80+1.80Minor—
15Oct 30, 201213.77+1.77Minor13,700
16Jun 2, 194713.70+1.70Minor14,400
17Jan 11, 201413.39+1.39Minor13,000
18Feb 21, 201413.34+1.34Minor12,900
19Feb 26, 196213.24+1.24Minor12,200
20Feb 10, 195913.15+1.15Minor—
21Jan 5, 200713.04+1.04Minor12,577
22Feb 7, 202113.00+1.00Minor12,200
23Mar 29, 202012.99+0.99Minor12,200
24Jul 11, 197612.71+0.71Minor11,400
25Apr 16, 201812.66+0.66Minor11,600
26Mar 25, 195412.53+0.53Minor11,300
27Oct 21, 202012.51+0.51Minor11,400
28Dec 30, 199012.47+0.47Minor11,600
29Aug 24, 202312.31+0.31Minor11,100
30Feb 24, 197712.27+0.27Minor—
31Dec 14, 197712.24+0.24Minor10,600
32Jun 27, 201512.17+0.17Minor10,900
33Jan 12, 200512.11+0.11Minor—
34Mar 12, 201412.10+0.10Minor10,800
35Jan 26, 195212.06+0.06Minor10,400
36Mar 15, 200712.04+0.04Minor13,300
37Dec 25, 197911.92−0.08Action10,100
38May 16, 194211.90−0.10Action10,000
39Dec 22, 201311.88−0.12Action10,400
40Apr 25, 196111.84−0.16Action9,560
41Jun 23, 197211.68−0.32Action9,720
42Dec 1, 200611.66−0.34Action10,246
43Feb 14, 195011.60−0.40Action9,400
44Feb 23, 200311.57−0.43Action—
45Dec 3, 195011.52−0.48Action9,200
46May 16, 199011.32−0.68Action9,750
47Feb 19, 198111.30−0.70Action9,350
48Aug 31, 197511.17−0.83Action8,960
49Jan 19, 199611.15−0.85Action9,500
50Dec 31, 199211.13−0.87Action9,480

Other gauges in Lake County

Flood gauges in Lake County
Painesville12.519.35 ft, Jul 28, 20061

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WBYO1, 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.