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Black River (WI) at Galesville

Highest listed crest 16.79 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft74 crests since 1935

The Black River (WI) at Galesville crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 74 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1935 to 2026. The highest, 16.79 ft on September 25, 2010, was major flooding, 4.79 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Black River (WI) crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.79 ft
September 25, 2010; 66,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
4
21st of 143 gauges in Wisconsin
Most recent flood crest
April 16, 2026
14.25 ft, moderate flooding
Location
La Crosse County
Near Holmen (6.3 mi), Onalaska (12.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Black River (WI) at Galesville
Action stage10.03Sep 8, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.030Apr 7, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.037Apr 16, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.04Sep 25, 2010Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

74 crests from 1935 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Black River (WI) at Galesville, 1935 to 2026 1012141618ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Mar 23, 1935: 12.34 ft, minor flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1936: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 36,500 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1938: 14.31 ft, moderate flooding; 58,000 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1939: 12.60 ft, minor flooding; 30,500 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1942: 13.10 ft, moderate flooding; 36,400 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1943: 13.25 ft, moderate flooding; 34,600 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1945: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1946: 12.11 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1951: 13.15 ft, moderate flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1952: 14.00 ft, moderate flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1953: 12.56 ft, minor flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1954: 12.35 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1956: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1960: 12.63 ft, minor flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1961: 13.38 ft, moderate flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1963: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1965: 13.60 ft, moderate flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1966: 12.08 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1967: 14.63 ft, moderate flooding; 65,500 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1968: 12.54 ft, minor flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1969: 12.62 ft, minor flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1971: 12.43 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1972: 12.25 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1973: 14.51 ft, moderate flooding; 36,300 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1975: 13.73 ft, moderate flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1976: 13.22 ft, moderate flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1978: 13.75 ft, moderate flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1979: 14.54 ft, moderate flooding; 31,800 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1980: 14.36 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1980: 15.46 ft, major flooding; 44,400 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1981: 12.32 ft, minor flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1982: 13.93 ft, moderate flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1982: 12.92 ft, minor flooding; 18,900 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1983: 14.84 ft, moderate flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1986: 13.55 ft, moderate flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1986: 15.14 ft, major flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1986: 12.39 ft, minor flooding; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1989: 13.59 ft, moderate flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1989: 13.35 ft, moderate flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1990: 13.02 ft, moderate flooding; 19,300 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1990: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1991: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1992: 14.09 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1993: 16.64 ft, major flooding; 64,000 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1994: 11.57 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1995: 12.11 ft, minor flooding; 15,700 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1996: 11.34 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1997: 13.24 ft, moderate flooding; 21,000 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1998: 14.76 ft, moderate flooding; 30,600 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2000: 12.06 ft, minor flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2001: 13.97 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2002: 12.49 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2003: 12.76 ft, minor flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2004: 13.86 ft, moderate flooding; 23,600 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2005: 12.59 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2008: 12.65 ft, minor flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2010: 16.79 ft, major flooding; 66,900 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 13.59 ft, moderate flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2013: 13.36 ft, moderate flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2014: 12.27 ft, minor flooding; 13,929 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2016: 14.96 ft, moderate flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2017: 12.68 ft, minor flooding; 15,927 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2017: 13.39 ft, moderate flooding; 20,487 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2018: 11.60 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2019: 13.42 ft, moderate flooding; 20,725 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2019: 14.95 ft, moderate flooding; 36,493 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2021: 14.81 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 2023: 13.45 ft, moderate floodingApr 22, 2023: 14.52 ft, moderate floodingOct 27, 2023: 14.98 ft, moderate flooding; 48,530 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2024: 13.37 ft, moderate floodingMar 25, 2026: 12.44 ft, minor flooding; 14,868 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2026: 12.51 ft, minor flooding; 15,164 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2026: 14.25 ft, moderate flooding; 34,009 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.79 ft, Sep 25, 2010 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Black River (WI) at Galesville 1930s: 4 1940s: 4 1950s: 5 1960s: 8 1970s: 7 1980s: 11 11 1990s: 8 2000s: 7 2010s: 9 2020s: 8 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 74 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Black River (WI) at Galesville
1Sep 25, 201016.79+4.79Major66,900
2Jun 21, 199316.64+4.64Major64,000
3Sep 23, 198015.46+3.46Major44,400
4Sep 24, 198615.14+3.14Major43,600
5Oct 27, 202314.98+2.98Moderate48,530
6Sep 24, 201614.96+2.96Moderate33,800
7Apr 20, 201914.95+2.95Moderate36,493
8Mar 8, 198314.84+2.84Moderate37,900
9Aug 29, 202114.81+2.81Moderate—
10Jun 29, 199814.76+2.76Moderate30,600
11Apr 1, 196714.63+2.63Moderate65,500
12Mar 25, 197914.54+2.54Moderate31,800
13Apr 22, 202314.52+2.52Moderate—
14Mar 13, 197314.51+2.51Moderate36,300
15Jun 8, 198014.36+2.36Moderate27,000
16Sep 11, 193814.31+2.31Moderate58,000
17Apr 16, 202614.25+2.25Moderate34,009
18Sep 18, 199214.09+2.09Moderate25,100
19Apr 3, 195214.00+2.00Moderate51,000
20Apr 14, 200113.97+1.97Moderate24,300
21Apr 5, 198213.93+1.93Moderate24,700
22Jun 13, 200413.86+1.86Moderate23,600
23Sep 15, 197813.75+1.75Moderate22,500
24Apr 30, 197513.73+1.73Moderate26,900
25Apr 13, 196513.60+1.60Moderate33,000
26Mar 30, 198913.59+1.59Moderate23,000
27Apr 12, 201113.59+1.59Moderate21,400
28Mar 28, 198613.55+1.55Moderate24,200
29Apr 3, 202313.45+1.45Moderate—
30Mar 18, 201913.42+1.42Moderate20,725
31May 20, 201713.39+1.39Moderate20,487
32Mar 29, 196113.38+1.38Moderate30,800
33Jun 25, 202413.37+1.37Moderate—
34Apr 12, 201313.36+1.36Moderate20,900
35Jun 1, 198913.35+1.35Moderate20,700
36May 31, 194313.25+1.25Moderate34,600
37Mar 30, 199713.24+1.24Moderate21,000
38Apr 1, 197613.22+1.22Moderate22,300
39Apr 9, 195113.15+1.15Moderate29,100
40Sep 21, 194213.10+1.10Moderate36,400
41Mar 16, 199013.02+1.02Moderate19,300
42Nov 14, 198212.92+0.92Minor18,900
43Mar 25, 193612.90+0.90Minor36,500
44Apr 6, 195612.90+0.90Minor29,300
45Jun 16, 199012.85+0.85Minor18,600
46Mar 26, 199112.77+0.77Minor18,300
47Apr 20, 200312.76+0.76Minor18,300
48Apr 23, 201712.68+0.68Minor15,927
49Apr 21, 200812.65+0.65Minor15,800
50May 9, 196012.63+0.63Minor26,200

The worst floods along the Black River (WI)

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

September 25, 2010: 16.79 ft here, major flooding

June 21, 1993: 16.64 ft here, major flooding

September 23, 1980: 15.46 ft here, major flooding

  • HatfieldWI · Sep 21, 1980 · 802.60 ft · Major
  • NeillsvilleWI · Sep 21, 1980 · 18.95 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Black River (WI)

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Black River (WI)
Black River FallsWI47.061.47 ft, Sep 24, 20107
Galesville this gaugeWI12.016.79 ft, Sep 25, 20104
Hatfield DamWI884.0885.41 ft, Sep 22, 20160
Hwy 95WI908.0915.23 ft, Sep 22, 20161
NeillsvilleWI18.023.80 ft, Sep 10, 19383
HatfieldWI797.0811.50 ft, Oct 6, 19116

Other gauges in La Crosse County

Flood gauges in La Crosse County
La Crosse7.511.94 ft, Jul 22, 20170
La Crosse - Pool 812.017.89 ft, Apr 22, 19654

La Crosse County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Wisconsin

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GALW3, 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.