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Crawfish River at Milford

Highest listed crest 13.35 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft62 crests since 1937

The Crawfish River at Milford crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 62 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2026. The highest, 13.35 ft on June 16, 2008, was major flooding, 6.35 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Crawfish River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.35 ft
June 16, 2008; 7,190 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
3
30th of 143 gauges in Wisconsin
Most recent flood crest
April 20, 2026
8.22 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Watertown (8.7 mi), Fort Atkinson (12.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Crawfish River at Milford
Action stage5.019Mar 7, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.035Apr 20, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.04Mar 20, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.03Jun 16, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

62 crests from 1937 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Crawfish River at Milford, 1937 to 2026 468101214ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 9, 1937: 7.24 ft, minor flooding; 3,110 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1938: 7.60 ft, minor flooding; 3,370 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1943: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 3,780 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1946: 8.88 ft, minor flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,850 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1950: 7.78 ft, minor flooding; 3,310 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1952: 8.76 ft, minor flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1959: 11.15 ft, major flooding; 6,140 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1960: 8.45 ft, minor flooding; 3,680 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1962: 8.88 ft, minor flooding; 3,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1971: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 8.21 ft, minor flooding; 3,440 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1974: 7.92 ft, minor flooding; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1975: 9.79 ft, moderate flooding; 4,830 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1979: 10.06 ft, major flooding; 4,510 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1980: 7.30 ft, minor flooding; 2,510 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1982: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 8.14 ft, minor flooding; 3,120 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1986: 9.10 ft, moderate flooding; 3,740 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1986: 8.78 ft, minor flooding; 3,530 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1990: 7.12 ft, minor flooding; 2,740 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1991: 5.76 ft, action stage; 1,951 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1992: 5.62 ft, action stage; 1,873 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1993: 9.36 ft, moderate flooding; 4,140 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1994: 6.85 ft, action stage; 2,575 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1995: 4.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,291 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1996: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 3,210 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1997: 5.80 ft, action stageApr 5, 1998: 6.57 ft, action stage; 2,411 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2000: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 3,510 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2004: 8.63 ft, minor flooding; 3,420 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2007: 6.65 ft, action stageAug 28, 2007: 7.74 ft, minor flooding; 3,110 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2008: 7.95 ft, minor floodingJun 16, 2008: 13.35 ft, major flooding; 7,190 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2009: 5.29 ft, action stageMar 15, 2009: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 3,190 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2009: 7.72 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2009: 6.32 ft, action stageMar 17, 2010: 6.31 ft, action stageJun 27, 2010: 5.48 ft, action stageJul 28, 2010: 8.28 ft, minor flooding; 3,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2011: 5.88 ft, action stageMar 26, 2011: 7.49 ft, minor flooding; 3,010 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 8.71 ft, minor flooding; 3,670 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2014: 6.42 ft, action stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2015: 5.73 ft, action stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2015: 5.23 ft, action stage; 1,847 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2016: 5.78 ft, action stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 2017: 6.58 ft, action stageSep 8, 2018: 8.67 ft, minor flooding; 3,620 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2018: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2019: 9.40 ft, moderate flooding; 4,340 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2019: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 3,390 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2021: 5.04 ft, action stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2022: 5.56 ft, action stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2023: 6.16 ft, action stage; 2,230 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2024: 8.05 ft, minor flooding; 3,236 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2024: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 3,378 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2024: 7.47 ft, minor flooding; 2,821 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2026: 8.22 ft, minor flooding; 3,045 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.35 ft, Jun 16, 2008 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Crawfish River at Milford 1930s: 2 1940s: 3 1950s: 3 1960s: 3 1970s: 5 1980s: 5 1990s: 3 2000s: 7 7 2010s: 7 2020s: 4 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 62 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Crawfish River at Milford
1Jun 16, 200813.35+6.35Major7,190
2Apr 6, 195911.15+4.15Major6,140
3Apr 2, 197910.06+3.06Major4,510
4Mar 26, 19759.79+2.79Moderate4,830
5Mar 20, 20199.40+2.40Moderate4,340
6Apr 23, 19939.36+2.36Moderate4,140
7Mar 24, 19869.10+2.10Moderate3,740
8Mar 17, 19468.88+1.88Minor4,260
9Apr 1, 19628.88+1.88Minor3,990
10Oct 4, 19868.78+1.78Minor3,530
11Mar 25, 19528.76+1.76Minor3,940
12Apr 20, 20138.71+1.71Minor3,670
13Sep 8, 20188.67+1.67Minor3,620
14Jun 2, 20048.63+1.63Minor3,420
15Apr 3, 19608.45+1.45Minor3,680
16Jun 7, 20008.38+1.38Minor3,510
17Oct 9, 20198.38+1.38Minor3,390
18Mar 22, 19488.30+1.30Minor3,850
19Jul 28, 20108.28+1.28Minor3,430
20Jun 22, 19968.27+1.27Minor3,210
21Jun 29, 20248.24+1.24Minor3,378
22Apr 20, 20268.22+1.22Minor3,045
23Mar 17, 19738.21+1.21Minor3,440
24Mar 22, 19438.20+1.20Minor3,780
25Mar 4, 19858.14+1.14Minor3,120
26Oct 15, 20188.10+1.10Minor3,200
27Jun 9, 20248.05+1.05Minor3,236
28Apr 15, 20087.95+0.95Minor—
29Mar 9, 19747.92+0.92Minor3,210
30Mar 15, 20097.90+0.90Minor3,190
31Jul 24, 19507.78+0.78Minor3,310
32Aug 28, 20077.74+0.74Minor3,110
33Mar 29, 20097.72+0.72Minor—
34Sep 22, 19387.60+0.60Minor3,370
35Mar 26, 20117.49+0.49Minor3,010
36Jul 17, 20247.47+0.47Minor2,821
37Sep 27, 19807.30+0.30Minor2,510
38Mar 9, 19377.24+0.24Minor3,110
39Mar 17, 19907.12+0.12Minor2,740
40Feb 14, 19667.02+0.02Minor2,560
41Mar 20, 19717.02+0.02Minor2,560
42Apr 8, 19827.02+0.02Minor2,380
43Mar 12, 19946.85−0.15Action2,575
44Apr 9, 20076.65−0.35Action—
45Jan 28, 20176.58−0.42Action—
46Apr 5, 19986.57−0.43Action2,411
47Jul 3, 20146.42−0.58Action2,380
48May 1, 20096.32−0.68Action—
49Mar 17, 20106.31−0.69Action—
50Mar 7, 20236.16−0.84Action2,230

The worst floods along the Crawfish River

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

June 16, 2008: 13.35 ft here, major flooding

  • ColumbusWI · Jun 10, 2008 · 20.10 ft · Major · its highest

March 20, 2019: 9.40 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ColumbusWI · Mar 15, 2019 · 17.95 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Crawfish River

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

Flood gauges on the Crawfish River
ColumbusWI17.520.10 ft, Jun 10, 20081
Milford this gaugeWI7.013.35 ft, Jun 16, 20083

Other gauges in Jefferson County

Flood gauges in Jefferson County
Rome4.05.07 ft, Jan 19, 20220
Fort Atkinson16.020.90 ft, Jun 15, 20082
Jefferson10.015.64 ft, Jun 19, 20081
Lake Koshkonong10.015.13 ft, Jun 21, 20086
Watertown5.57.81 ft, Jun 13, 20082

Jefferson County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Wisconsin

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MILW3, 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.