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West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville

Highest listed crest 10.08 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft22 crests since 1972

The West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville crested above flood stage 22 times among the 22 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2024. The highest, 10.08 ft on June 29, 1973, was moderate flooding, 3.08 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the West Branch Brandywine Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.08 ft
June 29, 1973; 8,100 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
0
22 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
7.06 ft, minor flooding
Location
Chester County
Near Coatesville (0.5 mi), West 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, West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville
Action stage6.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.019Jan 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.03Sep 1, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

22 crests from 1972 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville, 1972 to 2024 7891011ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 11.0 ft Jun 22, 1972: 9.92 ft, moderate flooding; 7,770 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1973: 10.08 ft, moderate flooding; 8,100 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1984: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1984: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,250 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1987: 7.98 ft, minor flooding; 3,720 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1988: 7.24 ft, minor flooding; 2,570 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1993: 7.42 ft, minor flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 8.98 ft, minor floodingOct 19, 1996: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 4,850 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1999: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,830 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2000: 7.65 ft, minor flooding; 3,260 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 5,100 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2011: 7.31 ft, minor floodingSep 8, 2011: 7.34 ft, minor floodingSep 24, 2011: 7.82 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2014: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 4,819 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2018: 8.49 ft, minor flooding; 4,895 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2020: 7.31 ft, minor flooding; 2,958 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2021: 8.23 ft, minor flooding; 4,437 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 2021: 9.62 ft, moderate flooding; 7,119 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 7.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,731 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 7.06 ft, minor flooding; 2,646 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.08 ft, Jun 29, 1973 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville 1970s: 2 1980s: 4 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 5 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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: 12.30 ft on Aug 9, 1942.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, West Branch Brandywine Creek at Coatesville
1Jun 29, 197310.08+3.08Moderate8,100
2Jun 22, 19729.92+2.92Moderate7,770
3Sep 1, 20219.62+2.62Moderate7,119
4Jan 19, 19968.98+1.98Minor—
5Oct 8, 20058.69+1.69Minor5,100
6Oct 19, 19968.64+1.64Minor4,850
7Aug 13, 20188.49+1.49Minor4,895
8May 1, 20148.45+1.45Minor4,819
9Jul 7, 19848.30+1.30Minor4,250
10Jun 8, 20218.23+1.23Minor4,437
11Jul 1, 19848.10+1.10Minor3,910
12Sep 16, 19998.00+1.00Minor3,830
13Sep 9, 19877.98+0.98Minor3,720
14Sep 24, 20117.82+0.82Minor—
15Mar 22, 20007.65+0.65Minor3,260
16Dec 5, 19937.42+0.42Minor2,900
17Sep 8, 20117.34+0.34Minor—
18Aug 28, 20117.31+0.31Minor—
19Aug 4, 20207.31+0.31Minor2,958
20Jul 22, 19887.24+0.24Minor2,570
21Dec 18, 20237.12+0.12Minor2,731
22Jan 10, 20247.06+0.06Minor2,646

The worst floods along the West Branch Brandywine Creek

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the West Branch Brandywine Creek that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 29, 1973: 10.08 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ModenaPA · Jun 29, 1973 · 12.47 ft · Major

June 22, 1972: 9.92 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HoneybrookPA · Jun 22, 1972 · 11.41 ft · Major
  • ModenaPA · Jun 22, 1972 · 11.48 ft · Moderate

September 1, 2021: 9.62 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ModenaPA · Sep 2, 2021 · 13.38 ft · Major · its highest
  • HoneybrookPA · Sep 2, 2021 · 9.61 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the West Branch Brandywine Creek

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

Flood gauges on the West Branch Brandywine Creek
HoneybrookPA7.011.62 ft, Jan 19, 19964
Coatesville this gaugePA7.010.08 ft, Jun 29, 19730
ModenaPA9.013.38 ft, Sep 2, 20212

Other gauges in Chester County

Flood gauges in Chester County
Downingtown7.019.11 ft, Sep 2, 202122
Pottstown12.529.97 ft, Jun 23, 19721
PA Turnpike Bridge near Valley Forge10.016.44 ft, Sep 1, 20211
Honeybrook7.011.62 ft, Jan 19, 19964
Modena9.013.38 ft, Sep 2, 20212
Strickersville9.516.71 ft, Sep 16, 19997

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COTP1, 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.