Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Sandusky River at Tiffin

Highest listed crest 20.40 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft37 crests since 1913

The Sandusky River at Tiffin crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2026. The highest, 20.40 ft on March 26, 1913, was major flooding, 11.40 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Sandusky River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.40 ft
March 26, 1913
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
5
16th of 129 gauges in Ohio
Most recent flood crest
April 2, 2026
10.61 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Seneca County
Near Tiffin (0.2 mi), Fostoria (12.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Sandusky River at Tiffin
Action stage6.08Mar 26, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.013Apr 4, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.511Apr 2, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.05Jan 23, 1959Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Sandusky River at Tiffin, 1913 to 2026 510152025ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Mar 13, 1913: 17.80 ft, major floodingMar 26, 1913: 20.40 ft, major floodingMar 28, 1914: 13.00 ft, major floodingMay 13, 1914: 13.40 ft, major floodingJan 14, 1930: 11.30 ft, moderate floodingJun 23, 1937: 11.90 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1959: 12.00 ft, major floodingFeb 7, 1963: 10.70 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1975: 10.10 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 1981: 11.10 ft, moderate floodingJan 1, 1991: 11.28 ft, moderate floodingNov 13, 1992: 9.45 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2005: 10.59 ft, moderate flooding; 14,929 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2007: 9.14 ft, minor flooding; 10,692 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 2007: 11.39 ft, moderate flooding; 17,409 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2010: 6.99 ft, action stage; 7,950 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2011: 11.92 ft, moderate flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2011: 9.43 ft, minor flooding; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2011: 9.28 ft, minor flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2011: 9.18 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2012: 8.28 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2013: 9.13 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2013: 11.01 ft, moderate flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2013: 11.12 ft, moderate flooding; 18,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2014: 9.56 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 2015: 9.10 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2016: 7.05 ft, action stage; 8,110 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2017: 10.19 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 2017: 9.40 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 2018: 8.58 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2019: 8.99 ft, action stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2020: 8.93 ft, action stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2021: 9.55 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 8.69 ft, action stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2023: 8.15 ft, action stage; 9,200 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2024: 9.80 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2026: 10.61 ft, moderate flooding; 15,816 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.40 ft, Mar 26, 1913 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sandusky River at Tiffin 1910s: 4 1920s: 0 1930s: 2 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 11 11 2020s: 3 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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 12.83 ft on Feb 8, 2008.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Sandusky River at Tiffin
1Mar 26, 191320.40+11.40Major—
2Mar 13, 191317.80+8.80Major—
3May 13, 191413.40+4.40Major—
4Mar 28, 191413.00+4.00Major—
5Jan 23, 195912.00+3.00Major—
6Mar 2, 201111.92+2.92Moderate20,700
7Jun 23, 193711.90+2.90Moderate—
8Aug 23, 200711.39+2.39Moderate17,409
9Jan 14, 193011.30+2.30Moderate—
10Jan 1, 199111.28+2.28Moderate—
11Dec 24, 201311.12+2.12Moderate18,700
12Jun 14, 198111.10+2.10Moderate—
13Jul 12, 201311.01+2.01Moderate18,400
14Feb 7, 196310.70+1.70Moderate—
15Apr 2, 202610.61+1.61Moderate15,816
16Jan 14, 200510.59+1.59Moderate14,929
17Jul 13, 201710.19+1.19Minor16,200
18Feb 26, 197510.10+1.10Minor—
19Apr 4, 20249.80+0.80Minor13,500
20Feb 24, 20149.56+0.56Minor—
21May 12, 20219.55+0.55Minor12,800
22Nov 13, 19929.45+0.45Minor—
23Mar 8, 20119.43+0.43Minor14,300
24Nov 21, 20179.40+0.40Minor14,200
25May 27, 20119.28+0.28Minor13,800
26Dec 1, 20119.18+0.18Minor13,600
27Mar 2, 20079.14+0.14Minor10,692
28Apr 12, 20139.13+0.13Minor13,400
29Jun 18, 20159.10+0.10Minor13,400
30Jun 19, 20198.99−0.01Action11,300
31Mar 29, 20208.93−0.07Action11,100
32Feb 18, 20228.69−0.31Action10,500
33Nov 4, 20188.58−0.42Action10,200
34Jan 29, 20128.28−0.72Action11,300
35Mar 26, 20238.15−0.85Action9,200
36Mar 16, 20167.05−1.95Action8,110
37Jun 7, 20106.99−2.01Action7,950

The worst floods along the Sandusky River

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

March 26, 1913: 20.40 ft here, major flooding

  • Upper SanduskyOH · Mar 25, 1913 · 15.60 ft · Major · its highest
  • BucyrusOH · Mar 23, 1913 · 14.50 ft · Major · its highest

January 23, 1959: 12.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Sandusky River

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

Flood gauges on the Sandusky River
BucyrusOH8.514.50 ft, Mar 23, 19134
Upper SanduskyOH13.015.60 ft, Mar 25, 19131
Tiffin this gaugeOH9.020.40 ft, Mar 26, 19135
S FremontOH10.016.14 ft, Feb 24, 19790

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TFFO1, 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.