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Maumee River near Defiance

Highest listed crest 20.50 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft62 crests since 1910

The Maumee River near Defiance crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 62 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1910 to 2021. The highest, 20.50 ft on March 15, 1982, was major flooding, 10.50 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Maumee River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.50 ft
March 15, 1982
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
1
46th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
May 11, 2021
11.70 ft, minor flooding
Location
Defiance County
Near Defiance (1.1 mi)
Identifiers
NWS DEFO1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Maumee River near Defiance
Action stage8.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.046May 11, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.015Jun 29, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Mar 15, 1982Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

62 crests from 1910 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Maumee River near Defiance, 1910 to 2021 10121416182022ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Jan 21, 1910: 14.00 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 1943: 16.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 13, 1944: 14.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 20, 1948: 13.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 16, 1950: 17.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 13, 1959: 15.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 27, 1961: 10.90 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1962: 10.30 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1963: 14.60 ft, minor floodingDec 10, 1966: 14.50 ft, minor floodingDec 23, 1967: 12.30 ft, minor floodingJan 31, 1968: 13.26 ft, minor floodingFeb 1, 1969: 14.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1976: 13.70 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 1977: 10.70 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1978: 16.90 ft, moderate floodingJun 16, 1981: 15.40 ft, moderate floodingMar 15, 1982: 20.50 ft, major floodingFeb 25, 1985: 18.50 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 1989: 11.20 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1991: 17.20 ft, moderate floodingNov 14, 1992: 11.30 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 1992: 16.20 ft, moderate floodingJan 25, 1999: 15.03 ft, moderate floodingFeb 11, 2001: 10.67 ft, minor floodingFeb 2, 2002: 11.59 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 2002: 10.77 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2003: 12.62 ft, minor floodingJul 9, 2003: 11.10 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2004: 12.76 ft, minor floodingJan 6, 2005: 10.86 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 16.86 ft, moderate floodingFeb 10, 2005: 10.78 ft, minor floodingDec 29, 2005: 14.43 ft, minor floodingDec 3, 2006: 11.07 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 2007: 10.62 ft, minor floodingJan 16, 2007: 12.66 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 2007: 11.38 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 2007: 10.42 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 2007: 10.42 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 2008: 11.46 ft, minor floodingFeb 8, 2008: 17.97 ft, moderate floodingDec 29, 2008: 10.63 ft, minor floodingFeb 13, 2009: 14.84 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 2009: 17.65 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 2009: 10.22 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 2010: 11.64 ft, minor floodingFeb 20, 2011: 11.17 ft, minor floodingMar 2, 2011: 13.66 ft, minor floodingApr 29, 2011: 13.40 ft, minor floodingMay 27, 2011: 17.36 ft, moderate floodingDec 1, 2011: 17.44 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 2013: 12.35 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 2013: 11.29 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 2013: 11.26 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 2015: 14.46 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 2015: 18.85 ft, moderate floodingDec 30, 2015: 12.28 ft, minor floodingJul 12, 2017: 10.17 ft, minor floodingFeb 22, 2018: 13.85 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2019: 12.39 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2021: 11.70 ft, minor flooding Highest, 20.50 ft, Mar 15, 1982 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Maumee River near Defiance 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 7 1970s: 3 1980s: 4 1990s: 4 2000s: 22 22 2010s: 15 2020s: 1 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.
  3. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 13.70 ft on Jan 21, 1907; 14.80 ft on Mar 8, 1908; 26.00 ft on Mar 26, 1913.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 62 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Maumee River near Defiance
1Mar 15, 198220.50+10.50Major—
2Jun 29, 201518.85+8.85Moderate—
3Feb 25, 198518.50+8.50Moderate—
4Feb 8, 200817.97+7.97Moderate—
5Mar 12, 200917.65+7.65Moderate—
6Feb 16, 195017.50+7.50Moderate—
7Dec 1, 201117.44+7.44Moderate—
8May 27, 201117.36+7.36Moderate—
9Jan 1, 199117.20+7.20Moderate—
10Mar 23, 197816.90+6.90Moderate—
11Jan 14, 200516.86+6.86Moderate—
12May 20, 194316.80+6.80Moderate—
13Dec 31, 199216.20+6.20Moderate—
14Feb 13, 195915.80+5.80Moderate—
15Jun 16, 198115.40+5.40Moderate—
16Jan 25, 199915.03+5.03Moderate—
17Feb 13, 200914.84+4.84Minor—
18Apr 13, 194414.80+4.80Minor—
19Mar 11, 196314.60+4.60Minor—
20Dec 10, 196614.50+4.50Minor—
21Jun 18, 201514.46+4.46Minor—
22Dec 29, 200514.43+4.43Minor—
23Feb 1, 196914.10+4.10Minor—
24Jan 21, 191014.00+4.00Minor—
25Feb 22, 201813.85+3.85Minor—
26Feb 19, 197613.70+3.70Minor—
27Mar 2, 201113.66+3.66Minor—
28Feb 20, 194813.50+3.50Minor—
29Apr 29, 201113.40+3.40Minor—
30Jan 31, 196813.26+3.26Minor—
31Jun 15, 200412.76+2.76Minor—
32Jan 16, 200712.66+2.66Minor—
33May 11, 200312.62+2.62Minor—
34May 18, 201912.39+2.39Minor—
35Jan 15, 201312.35+2.35Minor—
36Dec 23, 196712.30+2.30Minor—
37Dec 30, 201512.28+2.28Minor—
38May 11, 202111.70+1.70Minor—
39May 23, 201011.64+1.64Minor—
40Feb 2, 200211.59+1.59Minor—
41Jan 10, 200811.46+1.46Minor—
42Mar 3, 200711.38+1.38Minor—
43Nov 14, 199211.30+1.30Minor—
44Apr 13, 201311.29+1.29Minor—
45Apr 20, 201311.26+1.26Minor—
46Jun 5, 198911.20+1.20Minor—
47Feb 20, 201111.17+1.17Minor—
48Jul 9, 200311.10+1.10Minor—
49Dec 3, 200611.07+1.07Minor—
50Apr 27, 196110.90+0.90Minor—

The worst floods along the Maumee River

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

March 15, 1982: 20.50 ft here, major flooding

June 29, 2015: 18.85 ft here, moderate flooding

February 25, 1985: 18.50 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Maumee River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Maumee River
Coliseum Blvd In Fort WayneIN17.023.72 ft, Mar 13, 20090
Fort WayneIN17.026.10 ft, Mar 26, 19131
Grand RapidsOH17.525.00 ft, Mar 7, 19048
NapoleonOH12.025.00 ft, Mar 27, 19137
New HavenIN17.025.49 ft, Mar 17, 19821
WatervilleOH11.019.90 ft, Mar 28, 19132
Defiance this gaugeOH10.020.50 ft, Mar 15, 19821
Defiance (Independence Dam)OH14.015.87 ft, Mar 15, 19821

Other gauges in Defiance County

Flood gauges in Defiance County
Defiance21.029.70 ft, Jan 16, 193713
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 DEFO1, 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.