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Rock River at Watertown

Highest listed crest 7.81 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft49 crests since 1938

The Rock River at Watertown crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 49 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2026. The highest, 7.81 ft on June 13, 2008, was major flooding, 2.31 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Rock River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.81 ft
June 13, 2008; 7,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 6.5 ft
Crests at major
2
46th of 143 gauges in Wisconsin
Most recent flood crest
April 20, 2026
5.50 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Watertown (0.2 mi), Oconomowoc (13.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rock River at Watertown
Action stage4.027Mar 14, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.510Apr 20, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.07Apr 15, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage6.52Jun 13, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

49 crests from 1938 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rock River at Watertown, 1938 to 2026 345678ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 6.5 ft Feb 13, 1938: 4.84 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1943: 5.36 ft, action stage; 3,760 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1946: 5.27 ft, action stage; 3,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1948: 5.05 ft, action stage; 3,290 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1951: 5.10 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1952: 5.69 ft, minor flooding; 4,180 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1959: 6.32 ft, moderate flooding; 5,030 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1960: 5.09 ft, action stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1962: 4.87 ft, action stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1979: 6.19 ft, moderate flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1982: 4.95 ft, action stage; 3,150 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1985: 4.96 ft, action stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1986: 5.54 ft, minor flooding; 4,030 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1986: 5.49 ft, action stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1990: 4.49 ft, action stage; 2,391 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1991: 4.23 ft, action stage; 2,089 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1992: 4.18 ft, action stage; 2,034 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1993: 6.03 ft, moderate flooding; 4,620 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1994: 5.95 ft, minor flooding; 4,496 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1996: 5.51 ft, minor flooding; 3,790 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1997: 6.96 ft, major floodingApr 16, 1998: 4.88 ft, action stage; 2,885 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 4.72 ft, action stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2000: 5.37 ft, action stage; 3,570 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2004: 5.89 ft, minor flooding; 4,396 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2004: 6.09 ft, moderate flooding; 4,730 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 3.98 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 2007: 5.19 ft, action stage; 3,169 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2008: 5.25 ft, action stageApr 11, 2008: 5.89 ft, minor floodingJun 13, 2008: 7.81 ft, major flooding; 7,600 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2009: 5.45 ft, action stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2009: 5.31 ft, action stageMar 12, 2010: 3.72 ft, below flood stageJun 23, 2010: 5.32 ft, action stageJul 15, 2010: 4.30 ft, action stageJul 22, 2010: 5.60 ft, minor flooding; 4,120 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2011: 5.12 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 6.27 ft, moderate flooding; 4,960 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 2014: 5.24 ft, action stage; 3,430 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2015: 4.44 ft, action stage; 2,630 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2017: 3.72 ft, below flood stageMar 12, 2017: 4.42 ft, action stageAug 17, 2018: 5.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,224 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2018: 6.17 ft, moderate flooding; 4,560 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 5.42 ft, action stage; 3,730 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2019: 5.62 ft, minor flooding; 3,880 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2026: 6.00 ft, moderate flooding; 4,706 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2026: 5.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,983 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.81 ft, Jun 13, 2008 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rock River at Watertown 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 2 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

Highest listed crests, Rock River at Watertown
1Jun 13, 20087.81+2.31Major7,600
2Jan 17, 19976.96+1.46Major—
3Apr 4, 19596.32+0.82Moderate5,030
4Apr 18, 20136.27+0.77Moderate4,960
5Mar 31, 19796.19+0.69Moderate5,080
6Sep 9, 20186.17+0.67Moderate4,560
7Jun 12, 20046.09+0.59Moderate4,730
8Apr 20, 19936.03+0.53Moderate4,620
9Apr 15, 20266.00+0.50Moderate4,706
10Feb 20, 19945.95+0.45Minor4,496
11May 31, 20045.89+0.39Minor4,396
12Apr 11, 20085.89+0.39Minor—
13Aug 17, 20185.77+0.27Minor4,224
14Mar 24, 19525.69+0.19Minor4,180
15Oct 11, 20195.62+0.12Minor3,880
16Jul 22, 20105.60+0.10Minor4,120
17Mar 24, 19865.54+0.04Minor4,030
18Jun 18, 19965.51+0.01Minor3,790
19Apr 20, 20265.500.00Minor3,983
20Oct 5, 19865.49−0.01Action3,960
21Mar 15, 20095.45−0.05Action3,910
22Mar 14, 20195.42−0.08Action3,730
23May 19, 20005.37−0.13Action3,570
24Mar 16, 19435.36−0.14Action3,760
25Jun 23, 20105.32−0.18Action—
26Mar 25, 20095.31−0.19Action—
27Mar 14, 19465.27−0.23Action3,600
28Apr 1, 20085.25−0.25Action—
29Jul 2, 20145.24−0.26Action3,430
30Apr 3, 20075.19−0.31Action3,169
31Apr 20, 20115.12−0.38Action3,340
32Apr 29, 19515.10−0.40Action3,340
33May 7, 19605.09−0.41Action3,330
34Mar 21, 19485.05−0.45Action3,290
35Mar 10, 19854.96−0.54Action3,960
36Apr 3, 19824.95−0.55Action3,150
37Apr 16, 19984.88−0.62Action2,885
38Apr 5, 19624.87−0.63Action2,800
39Feb 13, 19384.84−0.66Action3,340
40Apr 23, 19994.72−0.78Action2,680
41Mar 24, 19904.49−1.01Action2,391
42Apr 10, 20154.44−1.06Action2,630
43Mar 12, 20174.42−1.08Action—
44Jul 15, 20104.30−1.20Action—
45Apr 14, 19914.23−1.27Action2,089
46Mar 16, 19924.18−1.32Action2,034
47Mar 15, 20073.98−1.52Below flood stage—
48Mar 12, 20103.72−1.78Below flood stage—
49Jan 30, 20173.72−1.78Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Rock River

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

June 13, 2008: 7.81 ft here, major flooding

  • Fort AtkinsonWI · Jun 15, 2008 · 20.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • JeffersonWI · Jun 19, 2008 · 15.64 ft · Major · its highest
  • MolineIL · Jun 17, 2008 · 14.91 ft · Major
  • RocktonIL · Jun 17, 2008 · 14.72 ft · Major
  • Latham ParkIL · Jun 18, 2008 · 14.30 ft · Major
  • Lebanon-3 E-Hwy MM bridgeWI · Jun 15, 2008 · 14.01 ft · Major · its highest
  • ByronIL · Jun 15, 2008 · 14.81 ft · Moderate

April 4, 1959: 6.32 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RocktonIL · Apr 4, 1959 · 14.08 ft · Major
  • DixonIL · Apr 5, 1959 · 18.40 ft · Moderate
  • ByronIL · Apr 5, 1959 · 14.70 ft · Moderate
  • JoslinIL · Apr 7, 1959 · 14.36 ft · Moderate
  • Latham ParkIL · Apr 5, 1959 · 12.10 ft · Moderate
  • AftonWI · Apr 10, 1959 · 11.77 ft · Moderate
  • Rockford (Fordam Dam)IL · Apr 4, 1959 · 5.17 ft · Moderate

April 18, 2013: 6.27 ft here, moderate flooding

  • JoslinIL · Apr 21, 2013 · 19.11 ft · Major
  • Fort AtkinsonWI · Apr 22, 2013 · 18.12 ft · Major
  • ByronIL · Apr 20, 2013 · 17.08 ft · Major
  • MolineIL · Apr 22, 2013 · 16.53 ft · Major · its highest
  • Lake KoshkonongWI · Apr 22, 2013 · 12.35 ft · Major
  • NewvilleWI · Apr 23, 2013 · 8.51 ft · Major · its highest
  • DixonIL · Apr 20, 2013 · 18.16 ft · Moderate
  • RocktonIL · Apr 21, 2013 · 13.46 ft · Moderate
  • Latham ParkIL · Apr 22, 2013 · 12.82 ft · Moderate
  • Lebanon-3 E-Hwy MM bridgeWI · Apr 21, 2013 · 12.54 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Rock River

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

Flood gauges on the Rock River
AftonWI9.013.51 ft, Jun 21, 20083
ByronIL13.017.80 ft, Apr 20, 19735
ComoIL12.515.64 ft, Jul 23, 20170
DixonIL16.020.50 ft, Apr 20, 19731
Fort AtkinsonWI16.020.90 ft, Jun 15, 20082
JeffersonWI10.015.64 ft, Jun 19, 20081
Lake KoshkonongWI10.015.13 ft, Jun 21, 20086
Latham ParkIL9.014.70 ft, Mar 26, 19753
Lebanon-3 E-Hwy MM bridgeWI10.014.01 ft, Jun 15, 20081
MolineIL12.016.53 ft, Apr 22, 201334
NewvilleWI6.58.51 ft, Apr 23, 20131
Rockford (Auburn Street)IL6.010.00 ft, Apr 20, 18811
Rockford (Fordam Dam)IL4.06.50 ft, Apr 20, 18811
RocktonIL10.015.54 ft, Mar 25, 19754
Watertown this gaugeWI5.57.81 ft, Jun 13, 20082
JoslinIL12.019.24 ft, Jun 7, 200224

Other gauges in Jefferson County

Flood gauges in Jefferson County
Rome4.05.07 ft, Jan 19, 20220
Milford7.013.35 ft, Jun 16, 20083
Fort Atkinson16.020.90 ft, Jun 15, 20082
Jefferson10.015.64 ft, Jun 19, 20081
Lake Koshkonong10.015.13 ft, Jun 21, 20086

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WATW3, 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.