Cuyahoga River at Hiram Rapids

Highest listed crest 8.23 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft10 crests since 1927

The Cuyahoga River at Hiram Rapids crested above flood stage 6 times among the 10 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1927 to 1985. The highest, 8.23 ft on January 20, 1929, was moderate flooding, 1.23 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Cuyahoga River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 8.23 ft; January 20, 1929; 2,260 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 7.0 ft; Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major: 0; 6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: February 21, 1981; 7.26 ft, minor flooding
Location: Portage County; Near Aurora (9.0 mi), Streetsboro (11.6 mi), Ravenna (13.0 mi)
Identifiers: NWS HRPO1; USGS 04202000

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cuyahoga River at Hiram Rapids

Action stage	5.0	4	Feb 25, 1985	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	7.0	4	Feb 21, 1981	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	8.0	2	Jan 23, 1959	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	12.0	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

10 crests from 1927 to 1985. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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, Cuyahoga River at Hiram Rapids

1	Jan 20, 1929	8.23	+1.23	Moderate	2,260
2	Jan 23, 1959	8.11	+1.11	Moderate	3,670
3	Feb 18, 1976	7.67	+0.67	Minor	3,320
4	Feb 21, 1981	7.26	+0.26	Minor	3,080
5	Jan 14, 1930	7.00	0.00	Minor	1,710
6	Mar 23, 1948	7.00	0.00	Minor	2,760
7	Feb 25, 1985	6.94	−0.06	Action	2,870
8	Mar 7, 1934	6.87	−0.13	Action	1,620
9	Mar 19, 1963	6.83	−0.17	Action	2,670
10	Dec 15, 1927	6.80	−0.20	Action	1,630

The worst floods along the Cuyahoga River

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

January 20, 1929: 8.23 ft here, moderate flooding

IndependenceOH · Jan 19, 1929 · 18.90 ft · Moderate

January 23, 1959: 8.11 ft here, moderate flooding

IndependenceOH · Jan 22, 1959 · 22.41 ft · Major
Old PortageOH · Jan 21, 1959 · 11.54 ft · Minor

February 18, 1976: 7.67 ft here, minor flooding

IndependenceOH · Feb 17, 1976 · 20.70 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Cuyahoga River

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

Flood gauges on the Cuyahoga River

Hiram Rapids this gauge	OH	7.0	8.23 ft, Jan 20, 1929	0
Old Portage	OH	10.5	14.28 ft, Jul 10, 2013	0
Jaite	OH	12.0	14.38 ft, May 13, 2014	0
Independence	OH	17.0	23.29 ft, Jun 23, 2006	8

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HRPO1, 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.