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Root River at Racine

Highest listed crest 11.29 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft39 crests since 1966

The Root River at Racine crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 39 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1966 to 2026. The highest, 11.29 ft on June 9, 2008, was major flooding, 4.29 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Root River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.29 ft
June 9, 2008; 8,050 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
3
30th of 143 gauges in Wisconsin
Most recent flood crest
April 18, 2026
7.33 ft, minor flooding
Location
Racine County
Near Racine (1.8 mi), Caledonia (4.2 mi), Mount Pleasant (4.3 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 Racine
Action stage6.013Mar 15, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.05Apr 18, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.53May 19, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.03Jun 9, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

39 crests from 1966 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Root River at Racine, 1966 to 2026 4681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 8.0 ft Feb 12, 1966: 8.13 ft, major flooding; 2,500 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1967: 6.53 ft, action stage; 2,250 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1969: 6.25 ft, action stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1972: 6.54 ft, action stage; 2,740 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 7.88 ft, moderate flooding; 3,790 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1974: 8.54 ft, major flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1976: 6.73 ft, action stage; 2,930 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1979: 7.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,460 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1982: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1983: 7.50 ft, moderate flooding; 3,480 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1986: 5.69 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1988: 5.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,090 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1990: 6.59 ft, action stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1993: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 3,010 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1994: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1996: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1999: 6.45 ft, action stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 2,940 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2006: 6.02 ft, action stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2007: 5.59 ft, below flood stageAug 23, 2007: 6.36 ft, action stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2008: 5.93 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 2008: 5.85 ft, below flood stageApr 11, 2008: 6.51 ft, action stageJun 9, 2008: 11.29 ft, major flooding; 8,050 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2008: 5.51 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2009: 5.02 ft, below flood stageApr 28, 2009: 6.09 ft, action stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 5.44 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2010: 5.19 ft, below flood stageJul 24, 2010: 6.91 ft, action stage; 3,540 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2011: 4.82 ft, below flood stageMar 23, 2011: 5.29 ft, below flood stageApr 19, 2013: 7.30 ft, minor flooding; 3,940 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2015: 5.59 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2018: 6.50 ft, action stage; 3,110 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2019: 6.25 ft, action stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2020: 7.80 ft, moderate flooding; 4,460 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2026: 7.33 ft, minor flooding; 3,959 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.29 ft, Jun 9, 2008 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Root River at Racine 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 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

Highest listed crests, Root River at Racine
1Jun 9, 200811.29+4.29Major8,050
2Mar 5, 19748.54+1.54Major4,500
3Feb 12, 19668.13+1.13Major2,500
4Apr 22, 19737.88+0.88Moderate3,790
5May 19, 20207.80+0.80Moderate4,460
6Apr 4, 19837.50+0.50Moderate3,480
7Apr 18, 20267.33+0.33Minor3,959
8Apr 19, 20137.30+0.30Minor3,940
9Mar 20, 19797.26+0.26Minor3,460
10Apr 21, 19937.02+0.02Minor3,010
11May 24, 20047.01+0.01Minor2,940
12Jul 24, 20106.91−0.09Action3,540
13Mar 6, 19766.73−0.27Action2,930
14May 12, 19906.59−0.41Action2,530
15Sep 20, 19726.54−0.46Action2,740
16Jun 13, 19676.53−0.47Action2,250
17Apr 11, 20086.51−0.49Action—
18May 14, 20186.50−0.50Action3,110
19Apr 24, 19996.45−0.55Action2,690
20Aug 23, 20076.36−0.64Action2,350
21Jul 1, 19696.25−0.75Action2,150
22Mar 15, 20196.25−0.75Action2,850
23Apr 28, 20096.09−0.91Action2,140
24Mar 14, 20066.02−0.98Action2,050
25Feb 1, 19885.96−1.04Below flood stage2,090
26Mar 16, 20085.93−1.07Below flood stage—
27Feb 21, 19945.86−1.14Below flood stage1,940
28Apr 2, 20085.85−1.15Below flood stage—
29Mar 11, 19865.69−1.31Below flood stage2,140
30Jun 19, 19965.67−1.33Below flood stage1,900
31Mar 18, 19825.66−1.34Below flood stage1,940
32Mar 13, 20075.59−1.41Below flood stage—
33Apr 11, 20155.59−1.41Below flood stage2,160
34Dec 30, 20085.51−1.49Below flood stage1,630
35Mar 14, 20105.44−1.56Below flood stage—
36Mar 23, 20115.29−1.71Below flood stage—
37Jun 25, 20105.19−1.81Below flood stage—
38Feb 13, 20095.02−1.98Below flood stage—
39Feb 21, 20114.82−2.18Below flood stage—

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 9, 2008: 11.29 ft here, major flooding

  • FranklinWI · Jun 8, 2008 · 11.00 ft · Moderate

April 22, 1973: 7.88 ft here, moderate flooding

  • FranklinWI · Apr 21, 1973 · 9.31 ft · Minor

May 19, 2020: 7.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • FranklinWI · May 18, 2020 · 9.48 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Root River

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

Flood gauges on the Root River
FranklinWI8.011.71 ft, Aug 10, 20250
Racine this gaugeWI7.011.29 ft, Jun 9, 20083

Other gauges in Racine County

Flood gauges in Racine County
Burlington11.016.15 ft, Jul 13, 20171
Rochester6.06.29 ft, Apr 21, 20260
Raymond9.012.13 ft, Jun 9, 20081

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RACW3, 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.