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Allegheny River at Franklin

Highest listed crest 26.00 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft17 crests since 1865

The Allegheny River at Franklin crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1865 to 2022. The highest, 26.00 ft on February 27, 1917, was major flooding, 9.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.00 ft
February 27, 1917
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major
3
68th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
March 10, 1964
18.60 ft, minor flooding
Location
Venango County
Pennsylvania

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Allegheny River at Franklin
Action stage13.010Feb 18, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.03Mar 10, 1964Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage19.01Jan 21, 1959Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage21.03Feb 26, 1926Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1865 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Allegheny River at Franklin, 1865 to 2022 14161820222426ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 21.0 ft Mar 17, 1865: 25.00 ft, major flooding; 196,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1917: 26.00 ft, major floodingFeb 26, 1926: 26.00 ft, major floodingDec 30, 1942: 18.30 ft, minor flooding; 111,000 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1954: 15.60 ft, action stage; 83,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1959: 20.60 ft, moderate flooding; 138,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 17.98 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 1961: 16.90 ft, action stageMar 10, 1964: 18.60 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 1972: 15.84 ft, action stage; 85,400 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 16.60 ft, action stage; 93,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1996: 14.20 ft, action stage; 69,000 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 2003: 15.64 ft, action stage; 83,400 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2004: 15.66 ft, action stage; 79,872 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 14.20 ft, action stage; 66,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 15.62 ft, action stage; 79,515 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 15.46 ft, action stage Highest, 26.00 ft, Feb 27, 1917 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Allegheny River at Franklin 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 24.60 ft on Mar 26, 1913; 19.02 ft on Mar 28, 1936.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Allegheny River at Franklin
1Feb 27, 191726.00+9.00Major—
2Feb 26, 192626.00+9.00Major—
3Mar 17, 186525.00+8.00Major196,000
4Jan 21, 195920.60+3.60Moderate138,000
5Mar 10, 196418.60+1.60Minor—
6Dec 30, 194218.30+1.30Minor111,000
7Mar 31, 196017.98+0.98Minor—
8Apr 26, 196116.90−0.10Action—
9Jan 19, 199616.60−0.40Action93,000
10Jun 25, 197215.84−1.16Action85,400
11Sep 9, 200415.66−1.34Action79,872
12Jul 22, 200315.64−1.36Action83,400
13Mar 15, 200715.62−1.38Action79,515
14Oct 16, 195415.60−1.40Action83,000
15Feb 18, 202215.46−1.54Action—
16Dec 31, 199614.20−2.80Action69,000
17Sep 18, 200414.20−2.80Action66,400

The worst floods along the Allegheny River

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

March 17, 1865: 25.00 ft here, major flooding

  • WarrenPA · Mar 17, 1865 · 19.40 ft · Major · its highest

January 21, 1959: 20.60 ft here, moderate flooding

March 10, 1964: 18.60 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Allegheny River

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

Flood gauges on the Allegheny River
EldredPA23.029.10 ft, Jun 23, 19722
OleanNY12.026.20 ft, Jun 23, 19722
SalamancaNY12.024.01 ft, Jun 23, 19721
WarrenPA14.019.40 ft, Mar 17, 18656
West HickoryPA14.017.83 ft, Jan 25, 19643
Franklin this gaugePA17.026.00 ft, Feb 27, 19173
ParkerPA20.029.60 ft, Jan 22, 19592
Rimer Lock and DamPA19.021.80 ft, Jan 22, 19590
Mosgrove Lock and DamPA19.027.70 ft, Mar 10, 19642
Kittanning Lock and DamPA21.030.70 ft, Mar 26, 19136
Clinton Lock and DamPA21.026.40 ft, Mar 18, 19361
Freeport Lock and DamPA23.033.30 ft, Mar 18, 19361
Natrona Lock and DamPA21.032.10 ft, Mar 18, 19365
C.W. Bill Young Lock and DamPA17.031.10 ft, Mar 18, 19362
Sharpsburg Lock and DamPA21.026.90 ft, Jun 24, 19721

Other gauges in Venango County

Flood gauges in Venango County
Rouseville11.011.97 ft, Jan 22, 19590

Venango County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Pennsylvania

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRKP1, 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.