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Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction

Highest listed crest 11.16 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft43 crests since 1948

The Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 43 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2024. The highest, 11.16 ft on March 31, 2010, was major flooding, 6.16 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Pawcatuck crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.16 ft
March 31, 2010; 3,490 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
2
5th of 16 gauges in Rhode Island
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2024
5.46 ft, minor flooding
Location
Washington County
Rhode Island

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction
Action stage4.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.037May 18, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.54Apr 1, 2014Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.02Mar 31, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

43 crests from 1948 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction, 1948 to 2024 4681012ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 8.0 ft Mar 22, 1948: 5.12 ft, minor flooding; 786 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1953: 5.83 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1954: 6.23 ft, minor flooding; 882 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1955: 5.48 ft, minor flooding; 779 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1958: 5.47 ft, minor flooding; 776 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1961: 5.54 ft, minor flooding; 882 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1962: 6.21 ft, minor floodingApr 17, 1964: 5.78 ft, minor flooding; 979 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1968: 7.80 ft, moderate flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1969: 5.59 ft, minor flooding; 792 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1970: 6.33 ft, minor flooding; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1972: 6.11 ft, minor flooding; 929 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1973: 5.11 ft, minor flooding; 708 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1976: 5.44 ft, minor flooding; 802 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 5.07 ft, minor flooding; 697 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1978: 6.40 ft, minor flooding; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1979: 6.28 ft, minor flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1980: 6.43 ft, minor flooding; 1,270 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1982: 8.75 ft, major flooding; 2,040 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1983: 6.71 ft, moderate flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1984: 6.74 ft, moderate flooding; 1,400 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1986: 5.76 ft, minor flooding; 890 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1993: 5.65 ft, minor flooding; 906 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1994: 5.71 ft, minor flooding; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1998: 5.40 ft, minor flooding; 944 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2000: 5.41 ft, minor flooding; 941 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2001: 5.99 ft, minor flooding; 1,120 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2004: 5.01 ft, minor flooding; 826 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2005: 5.28 ft, minor flooding; 903 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2005: 5.99 ft, minor flooding; 1,120 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2007: 5.59 ft, minor flooding; 994 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2009: 5.06 ft, minor flooding; 840 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2010: 6.25 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 2010: 6.42 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 2010: 11.16 ft, major flooding; 3,490 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2014: 6.52 ft, moderate flooding; 1,300 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2018: 5.10 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 2019: 5.29 ft, minor flooding; 730 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2024: 6.04 ft, minor flooding; 1,123 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2024: 5.85 ft, minor flooding; 1,065 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2024: 5.05 ft, minor flooding; 824 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2024: 5.27 ft, minor flooding; 891 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2024: 5.46 ft, minor flooding; 945 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.16 ft, Mar 31, 2010 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction 1940s: 1 1950s: 4 1960s: 5 1970s: 7 7 1980s: 5 1990s: 3 2000s: 7 2010s: 6 2020s: 5 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Pawcatuck above Wood River Junction
1Mar 31, 201011.16+6.16Major3,490
2Jun 7, 19828.75+3.75Major2,040
3Mar 19, 19687.80+2.80Moderate1,700
4Jun 3, 19846.74+1.74Moderate1,400
5Apr 12, 19836.71+1.71Moderate1,390
6Apr 1, 20146.52+1.52Moderate1,300
7Mar 24, 19806.43+1.43Minor1,270
8Mar 25, 20106.42+1.42Minor—
9Jan 28, 19786.40+1.40Minor1,260
10Apr 4, 19706.33+1.33Minor1,010
11Jan 26, 19796.28+1.28Minor1,210
12Mar 15, 20106.25+1.25Minor—
13Sep 13, 19546.23+1.23Minor882
14Jan 9, 19626.21+1.21Minor—
15Jun 20, 19726.11+1.11Minor929
16Jan 14, 20246.04+1.04Minor1,123
17Apr 1, 20015.99+0.99Minor1,120
18Oct 16, 20055.99+0.99Minor1,120
19Mar 11, 20245.85+0.85Minor1,065
20Mar 17, 19535.83+0.83Minor1,040
21Apr 17, 19645.78+0.78Minor979
22Dec 5, 19865.76+0.76Minor890
23Mar 12, 19945.71+0.71Minor1,020
24Apr 3, 19935.65+0.65Minor906
25Mar 27, 19695.59+0.59Minor792
26Apr 17, 20075.59+0.59Minor994
27Apr 19, 19615.54+0.54Minor882
28Oct 18, 19555.48+0.48Minor779
29Apr 8, 19585.47+0.47Minor776
30May 18, 20245.46+0.46Minor945
31Jan 29, 19765.44+0.44Minor802
32Apr 24, 20005.41+0.41Minor941
33Mar 11, 19985.40+0.40Minor944
34Jan 26, 20195.29+0.29Minor730
35Apr 4, 20055.28+0.28Minor903
36Mar 30, 20245.27+0.27Minor891
37Mar 22, 19485.12+0.12Minor786
38Feb 5, 19735.11+0.11Minor708
39Mar 4, 20185.10+0.10Minor—
40Apr 6, 19775.07+0.07Minor697
41Jun 26, 20095.06+0.06Minor840
42Mar 25, 20245.05+0.05Minor824
43Apr 16, 20045.01+0.01Minor826

The worst floods along the Pawcatuck

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

March 31, 2010: 11.16 ft here, major flooding

  • WesterlyRI · Mar 24, 2010 · 9.35 ft · Moderate

June 7, 1982: 8.75 ft here, major flooding

  • WesterlyRI · Jun 6, 1982 · 12.86 ft · Major

March 19, 1968: 7.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • WesterlyRI · Mar 18, 1968 · 10.49 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Pawcatuck

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

Flood gauges on the Pawcatuck
Wood River Junction this gaugeRI5.011.16 ft, Mar 31, 20102
WesterlyRI7.015.00 ft, Sep 21, 19382

Other gauges in Washington County

Flood gauges in Washington County
Atlantic Coast at Watch Hill Cove (IN MLLW)5.07.35 ft, Oct 14, 20210
Narragansett Bay at Quonset Point (IN MLLW)6.015.58 ft, Dec 18, 20232
Westerly7.015.00 ft, Sep 21, 19382
Hope Valley5.013.72 ft, Mar 30, 20103

Washington County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Rhode Island

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WODR1, 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.