Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Root River at Franklin

Highest listed crest 11.71 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft65 crests since 1960

The Root River at Franklin crested above flood stage 49 times among the 65 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1960 to 2026. The highest, 11.71 ft on August 10, 2025, was moderate flooding, 3.71 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.71 ft
August 10, 2025; 6,075 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 12.0 ft
Crests at major
0
49 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 16, 2026
9.23 ft, minor flooding
Location
Milwaukee County
Near Franklin (1.1 mi), Greendale (4.6 mi), Oak Creek (4.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Root River at Franklin
Action stage7.012May 7, 2012The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.046Apr 16, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.03Aug 10, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage12.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

65 crests from 1960 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Root River at Franklin, 1960 to 2026 681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 12.0 ft Mar 30, 1960: 9.57 ft, minor flooding; 5,130 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1965: 8.43 ft, minor flooding; 1,600 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1969: 8.36 ft, minor flooding; 2,650 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1972: 8.80 ft, minor flooding; 2,270 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1973: 9.31 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1975: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 1,420 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 8.58 ft, minor flooding; 2,160 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1982: 7.89 ft, action stage; 556 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1983: 8.54 ft, minor flooding; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1986: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 708 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 8.15 ft, minor flooding; 530 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1990: 8.20 ft, minor flooding; 880 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1991: 7.39 ft, action stage; 611 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 1992: 7.57 ft, action stage; 683 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1993: 8.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,180 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1995: 7.04 ft, action stage; 493 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1996: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1997: 8.94 ft, minor flooding; 1,750 cubic feet per secondNov 11, 1998: 7.38 ft, action stage; 607 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1999: 9.16 ft, minor flooding; 2,050 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2000: 9.43 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2001: 8.01 ft, minor flooding; 917 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 8.60 ft, minor flooding; 1,190 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2006: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 1,160 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 7.44 ft, action stageApr 3, 2007: 8.23 ft, minor flooding; 1,070 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2007: 7.46 ft, action stage; 577 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2008: 7.82 ft, action stageApr 11, 2008: 8.40 ft, minor floodingJun 8, 2008: 11.00 ft, moderate flooding; 5,350 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2008: 8.52 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 2008: 8.62 ft, minor floodingFeb 11, 2009: 7.14 ft, action stageApr 27, 2009: 8.45 ft, minor floodingJun 20, 2009: 9.32 ft, minor flooding; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2010: 6.67 ft, below flood stageApr 7, 2010: 6.70 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 2010: 8.70 ft, minor floodingJul 16, 2010: 7.96 ft, action stageJul 23, 2010: 10.51 ft, moderate flooding; 3,440 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2011: 6.86 ft, below flood stage; 408 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 7.56 ft, action stageJun 22, 2011: 8.03 ft, minor flooding; 823 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2012: 7.56 ft, action stageApr 18, 2013: 8.91 ft, minor flooding; 1,670 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2014: 8.75 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 2014: 8.67 ft, minor flooding; 678 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2014: 6.86 ft, below flood stage; 408 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2015: 8.40 ft, minor flooding; 1,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2018: 8.70 ft, minor flooding; 975 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2018: 8.06 ft, minor flooding; 865 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2018: 8.44 ft, minor flooding; 1,092 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2019: 8.09 ft, minor flooding; 882 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2019: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 868 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2019: 9.07 ft, minor flooding; 1,670 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 2019: 8.61 ft, minor flooding; 1,310 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 8.48 ft, minor flooding; 1,200 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 9.48 ft, minor flooding; 2,260 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2020: 8.29 ft, minor flooding; 1,199 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 2022: 9.30 ft, minor flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 8.44 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2024: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 928 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2025: 11.71 ft, moderate flooding; 6,075 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2026: 8.00 ft, minor flooding; 805 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2026: 9.23 ft, minor flooding; 1,659 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.71 ft, Aug 10, 2025 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Root River at Franklin 1960s: 3 1970s: 4 1980s: 3 1990s: 5 2000s: 11 2010s: 14 14 2020s: 9 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 65 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Root River at Franklin
1Aug 10, 202511.71+3.71Moderate6,075
2Jun 8, 200811.00+3.00Moderate5,350
3Jul 23, 201010.51+2.51Moderate3,440
4Mar 30, 19609.57+1.57Minor5,130
5May 18, 20209.48+1.48Minor2,260
6Jul 3, 20009.43+1.43Minor2,420
7Jun 20, 20099.32+1.32Minor2,260
8Apr 21, 19739.31+1.31Minor3,700
9Sep 12, 20229.30+1.30Minor1,720
10Apr 16, 20269.23+1.23Minor1,659
11Jun 13, 19999.16+1.16Minor2,050
12Sep 13, 20199.07+1.07Minor1,670
13Jun 22, 19978.94+0.94Minor1,750
14Apr 18, 20138.91+0.91Minor1,670
15Apr 20, 19938.90+0.90Minor1,180
16Sep 18, 19728.80+0.80Minor2,270
17Mar 16, 20148.75+0.75Minor—
18Jun 24, 20108.70+0.70Minor—
19Feb 22, 20188.70+0.70Minor975
20May 13, 20148.67+0.67Minor678
21Dec 28, 20088.62+0.62Minor—
22Oct 3, 20198.61+0.61Minor1,310
23May 23, 20048.60+0.60Minor1,190
24Mar 5, 19768.58+0.58Minor2,160
25Apr 3, 19838.54+0.54Minor1,080
26Jun 13, 20088.52+0.52Minor—
27Apr 30, 20208.48+0.48Minor1,200
28Apr 27, 20098.45+0.45Minor—
29Oct 2, 20188.44+0.44Minor1,092
30Feb 28, 20238.44+0.44Minor1,040
31Mar 5, 19658.43+0.43Minor1,600
32Apr 11, 20088.40+0.40Minor—
33Apr 10, 20158.40+0.40Minor1,240
34Jun 30, 19698.36+0.36Minor2,650
35Mar 13, 20068.34+0.34Minor1,160
36Jun 18, 19968.30+0.30Minor1,020
37Aug 3, 20208.29+0.29Minor1,199
38Apr 3, 20248.24+0.24Minor928
39Apr 3, 20078.23+0.23Minor1,070
40May 11, 19908.20+0.20Minor880
41Jan 20, 19888.15+0.15Minor530
42Mar 11, 19868.10+0.10Minor708
43May 23, 20198.10+0.10Minor868
44Mar 15, 20198.09+0.09Minor882
45May 13, 20188.06+0.06Minor865
46Jun 22, 20118.03+0.03Minor823
47Jun 13, 20018.01+0.01Minor917
48Apr 28, 19758.000.00Minor1,420
49Apr 4, 20268.000.00Minor805
50Jul 16, 20107.96−0.04Action—

The worst floods along the Root River

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

June 8, 2008: 11.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • RacineWI · Jun 9, 2008 · 11.29 ft · Major · its highest

May 18, 2020: 9.48 ft here, minor flooding

  • RacineWI · May 19, 2020 · 7.80 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Root River

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

Flood gauges on the Root River
Franklin this gaugeWI8.011.71 ft, Aug 10, 20250
RacineWI7.011.29 ft, Jun 9, 20083

Other gauges in Milwaukee County

Flood gauges in Milwaukee County
Milwaukee16.017.19 ft, Aug 10, 20250
Wauwatosa11.018.63 ft, Jun 21, 19972
Milwaukee-Estabrook Park7.011.20 ft, Aug 10, 20254
South Milwaukee8.011.56 ft, Jun 7, 20082

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FRKW3, 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.