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Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford

Highest listed crest 21.04 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft51 crests since 1915

The Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford crested at major flood stage 17 times among the 51 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1915 to 2024. The highest, 21.04 ft on September 2, 2021, was major flooding, 12.04 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.04 ft
September 2, 2021; 48,969 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
17
4th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
12.84 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Delaware County
Near West Chester (6.3 mi), Wilmington (9.8 mi), Chester (11.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford
Action stage8.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.021Dec 28, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.013Jan 10, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.017Sep 2, 2021Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

51 crests from 1915 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, 1915 to 2024 510152025ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Aug 4, 1915: 14.70 ft, major flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1920: 15.00 ft, major flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1942: 14.80 ft, major flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 14.64 ft, major flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 16.56 ft, major flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 14.11 ft, major flooding; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1979: 14.35 ft, major flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1979: 12.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 5, 1993: 11.63 ft, moderate floodingJan 28, 1994: 12.00 ft, moderate flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1994: 10.51 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 1995: 10.33 ft, minor floodingJan 20, 1996: 14.23 ft, major flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1996: 9.79 ft, minor floodingOct 19, 1996: 13.31 ft, major flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1998: 9.24 ft, minor flooding; 5,150 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1999: 17.15 ft, major flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2000: 12.71 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 9.97 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 2003: 12.82 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2003: 13.74 ft, major flooding; 16,700 cubic feet per secondOct 28, 2003: 10.11 ft, minor floodingDec 11, 2003: 10.42 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 2004: 11.08 ft, moderate flooding; 9,710 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2004: 13.62 ft, major flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 9.80 ft, minor flooding; 6,684 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2005: 12.30 ft, moderate flooding; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 13.33 ft, major flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2007: 10.46 ft, minor flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2010: 10.00 ft, minor floodingOct 1, 2010: 12.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 11, 2011: 11.88 ft, moderate flooding; 11,640 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 9.58 ft, minor floodingAug 28, 2011: 15.23 ft, major floodingSep 7, 2011: 10.14 ft, minor floodingOct 11, 2013: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 5,881 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 16.05 ft, major flooding; 22,149 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2018: 9.00 ft, minor flooding; 5,321 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2018: 10.02 ft, minor flooding; 6,612 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2018: 11.41 ft, moderate flooding; 8,377 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2018: 9.21 ft, minor flooding; 5,568 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 2018: 9.93 ft, minor flooding; 6,491 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2019: 9.27 ft, minor flooding; 5,659 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2020: 9.60 ft, minor flooding; 6,068 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2020: 14.32 ft, major flooding; 14,186 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2020: 10.93 ft, minor flooding; 7,768 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2021: 11.81 ft, moderate flooding; 8,894 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 21.04 ft, major flooding; 48,969 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 12.18 ft, moderate flooding; 9,384 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2023: 10.25 ft, minor flooding; 6,912 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 12.84 ft, moderate flooding; 10,483 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.04 ft, Sep 2, 2021 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford 1910s: 1 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 4 1980s: 0 1990s: 9 2000s: 12 2010s: 14 14 2020s: 8 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 51 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford
1Sep 2, 202121.04+12.04Major48,969
2Sep 17, 199917.15+8.15Major26,900
3Jun 22, 197216.56+7.56Major23,800
4May 1, 201416.05+7.05Major22,149
5Aug 28, 201115.23+6.23Major—
6Mar 5, 192015.00+6.00Major17,200
7Aug 9, 194214.80+5.80Major16,800
8Aug 4, 191514.70+5.70Major16,500
9Aug 19, 195514.64+5.64Major16,400
10Jan 25, 197914.35+5.35Major16,400
11Aug 5, 202014.32+5.32Major14,186
12Jan 20, 199614.23+5.23Major15,100
13Jan 26, 197814.11+5.11Major15,700
14Sep 15, 200313.74+4.74Major16,700
15Sep 29, 200413.62+4.62Major16,300
16Jun 28, 200613.33+4.33Major15,500
17Oct 19, 199613.31+4.31Major12,500
18Oct 1, 201012.90+3.90Moderate—
19Jan 10, 202412.84+3.84Moderate10,483
20Jun 21, 200312.82+3.82Moderate14,000
21Mar 22, 200012.71+3.71Moderate13,700
22Sep 22, 197912.30+3.30Moderate—
23Oct 9, 200512.30+3.30Moderate12,700
24Dec 18, 202312.18+3.18Moderate9,384
25Jan 28, 199412.00+3.00Moderate10,100
26Mar 11, 201111.88+2.88Moderate11,640
27Jun 9, 202111.81+2.81Moderate8,894
28Dec 5, 199311.63+2.63Moderate—
29Aug 14, 201811.41+2.41Moderate8,377
30Feb 7, 200411.08+2.08Moderate9,710
31Dec 25, 202010.93+1.93Minor7,768
32Mar 10, 199410.51+1.51Minor—
33Apr 15, 200710.46+1.46Minor8,340
34Dec 11, 200310.42+1.42Minor—
35Mar 9, 199510.33+1.33Minor—
36Dec 28, 202310.25+1.25Minor6,912
37Sep 7, 201110.14+1.14Minor—
38Oct 28, 200310.11+1.11Minor—
39Jul 23, 201810.02+1.02Minor6,612
40Apr 14, 201010.00+1.00Minor—
41Feb 23, 20039.97+0.97Minor—
42Nov 25, 20189.93+0.93Minor6,491
43Apr 3, 20059.80+0.80Minor6,684
44Jan 28, 19969.79+0.79Minor—
45Jan 26, 20209.60+0.60Minor6,068
46Apr 17, 20119.58+0.58Minor—
47Oct 11, 20139.47+0.47Minor5,881
48Jun 20, 20199.27+0.27Minor5,659
49Apr 2, 19989.24+0.24Minor5,150
50Sep 28, 20189.21+0.21Minor5,568

Other gauges in Delaware County

Flood gauges in Delaware County
Chester8.024.60 ft, Sep 13, 19719
Mt. Moriah Cemetery11.018.05 ft, Aug 4, 20201
Marcus Hook (IN MLLW)7.710.14 ft, Oct 30, 20124

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CDFP1, 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.