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Missisquoi River at Swanton

Highest listed crest 13.14 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft25 crests since 1990

The Missisquoi River at Swanton crested above flood stage 7 times among the 25 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1990 to 2023. The highest, 13.14 ft on January 14, 2018, was moderate flooding, 5.14 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.14 ft
January 14, 2018; 58,928 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
November 2, 2019
9.49 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Franklin County
Vermont

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Missisquoi River at Swanton
Action stage6.010Jul 11, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.04May 20, 2006Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.03Nov 2, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

25 crests from 1990 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Missisquoi River at Swanton, 1990 to 2023 468101214ft Flood stage 8.0 ft Mar 18, 1990: 7.40 ft, action stage; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1991: 6.98 ft, action stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1992: 6.48 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1993: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1994: 7.16 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1995: 5.34 ft, below flood stage; 14,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 9.50 ft, moderate flooding; 37,700 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1997: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1998: 8.64 ft, minor flooding; 32,200 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1999: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2000: 6.69 ft, action stage; 21,200 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2000: 5.81 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2001: 5.59 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2002: 8.46 ft, minor flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2003: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2003: 6.57 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 2005: 6.07 ft, action stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2006: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 29,700 cubic feet per secondOct 21, 2006: 5.62 ft, below flood stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2008: 5.17 ft, below flood stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2011: 7.51 ft, action stage; 26,072 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2014: 7.99 ft, action stage; 28,244 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2018: 13.14 ft, moderate flooding; 58,928 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2019: 9.49 ft, moderate flooding; 36,944 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2023: 6.97 ft, action stage; 22,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.14 ft, Jan 14, 2018 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Missisquoi River at Swanton 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Missisquoi River at Swanton
1Jan 14, 201813.14+5.14Moderate58,928
2Jan 20, 19969.50+1.50Moderate37,700
3Nov 2, 20199.49+1.49Moderate36,944
4Jan 9, 19988.64+0.64Minor32,200
5Jun 12, 20028.46+0.46Minor31,000
6May 20, 20068.24+0.24Minor29,700
7Jul 15, 19978.05+0.05Minor28,800
8Apr 16, 20147.99−0.01Action28,244
9Apr 29, 20117.51−0.49Action26,072
10Mar 18, 19907.40−0.60Action25,000
11Apr 16, 19947.16−0.84Action23,700
12Mar 5, 19916.98−1.02Action20,500
13Jul 11, 20236.97−1.03Action22,700
14Feb 29, 20006.69−1.31Action21,200
15Nov 20, 20036.57−1.43Action20,600
16Apr 23, 19926.48−1.52Action18,200
17Oct 18, 20056.07−1.93Action18,100
18May 11, 20005.81−2.19Below flood stage16,800
19Mar 30, 20035.67−2.33Below flood stage16,100
20Oct 21, 20065.62−2.38Below flood stage15,900
21Apr 24, 20015.59−2.41Below flood stage15,700
22Apr 11, 19935.46−2.54Below flood stage15,100
23Jan 16, 19955.34−2.66Below flood stage14,600
24Apr 12, 20085.17−2.83Below flood stage13,800
25Sep 18, 19994.75−3.25Below flood stage11,900

The worst floods along the Missisquoi River

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

January 20, 1996: 9.50 ft here, moderate flooding

November 2, 2019: 9.49 ft here, moderate flooding

January 9, 1998: 8.64 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Missisquoi River

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

Flood gauges on the Missisquoi River
North TroyVT9.014.72 ft, Nov 1, 201912
East BerkshireVT13.023.10 ft, Nov 4, 192715
Swanton this gaugeVT8.013.14 ft, Jan 14, 20180

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
Lake Champlain at Philipsburg100.4100.45 ft, Apr 21, 20140
East Berkshire13.023.10 ft, Nov 4, 192715

Franklin County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Vermont

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SWAV1, 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.