Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Potomac River at Shepherdstown

Highest listed crest 42.07 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft124 crests since 1889

The Potomac River at Shepherdstown crested at major flood stage 14 times among the 124 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1889 to 2025. The highest, 42.07 ft on March 19, 1936, was major flooding, 27.07 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Potomac River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
42.07 ft
March 19, 1936; 335,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
14
5th of 116 gauges in West Virginia
Most recent flood crest
May 15, 2025
23.27 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Jefferson County
Near Martinsburg (9.6 mi), Hagerstown (14.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Potomac River at Shepherdstown
Action stage8.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.0101May 8, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.09May 15, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.014Sep 8, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

124 crests from 1889 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, 1889 to 2025 1020304050ft Flood stage 15.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Jun 1, 1889: 39.20 ft, major flooding; 290,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1924: 29.80 ft, major flooding; 1,680,007 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1929: 15.49 ft, minor flooding; 55,600 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1929: 25.53 ft, major flooding; 126,000 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 1929: 19.83 ft, minor flooding; 82,400 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1932: 24.75 ft, moderate flooding; 119,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1933: 19.10 ft, minor flooding; 77,800 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1934: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 64,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1936: 19.21 ft, minor flooding; 78,400 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1936: 16.52 ft, minor flooding; 61,700 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1936: 42.07 ft, major flooding; 335,000 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1937: 16.16 ft, minor flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1937: 33.20 ft, major flooding; 207,000 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1937: 26.78 ft, major flooding; 138,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1939: 20.36 ft, minor flooding; 86,500 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1939: 15.75 ft, minor flooding; 57,700 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1940: 17.75 ft, minor flooding; 69,400 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1940: 16.35 ft, minor flooding; 61,100 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1942: 18.97 ft, minor flooding; 77,100 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1942: 32.68 ft, major flooding; 201,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1942: 21.40 ft, minor flooding; 93,500 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1945: 19.31 ft, minor flooding; 79,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1948: 18.49 ft, minor flooding; 73,800 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1948: 16.90 ft, minor flooding; 64,100 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1949: 19.84 ft, minor flooding; 82,300 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1950: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 80,400 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1950: 18.00 ft, minor flooding; 70,600 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1951: 15.23 ft, minor flooding; 54,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1951: 19.60 ft, minor flooding; 81,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1952: 17.81 ft, minor flooding; 69,400 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1952: 19.09 ft, minor flooding; 77,800 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1952: 19.98 ft, minor flooding; 83,600 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1954: 19.47 ft, minor flooding; 80,200 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1954: 22.00 ft, moderate flooding; 98,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1955: 17.83 ft, minor flooding; 69,600 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1955: 25.26 ft, major flooding; 124,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1957: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 54,700 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 15.88 ft, minor flooding; 58,100 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1960: 17.33 ft, minor flooding; 66,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1960: 17.32 ft, minor flooding; 66,600 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1960: 20.35 ft, minor flooding; 86,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1961: 18.57 ft, minor flooding; 74,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1961: 18.17 ft, minor flooding; 71,700 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1962: 19.90 ft, minor flooding; 83,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1963: 21.10 ft, minor flooding; 91,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1964: 16.94 ft, minor flooding; 64,300 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1964: 18.30 ft, minor flooding; 72,600 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1965: 18.07 ft, minor flooding; 71,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 16.23 ft, minor flooding; 60,100 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 22.54 ft, moderate flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1968: 15.69 ft, minor flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1968: 15.27 ft, minor flooding; 54,700 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1970: 19.45 ft, minor flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1970: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 57,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1971: 17.86 ft, minor flooding; 69,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1972: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 57,100 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 31.58 ft, major flooding; 187,000 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1972: 17.02 ft, minor flooding; 64,800 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1972: 15.10 ft, minor flooding; 53,800 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1973: 17.06 ft, minor flooding; 65,000 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1973: 19.52 ft, minor flooding; 80,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1975: 22.19 ft, moderate flooding; 99,400 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1975: 20.49 ft, minor flooding; 87,100 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1975: 16.37 ft, minor flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1976: 18.33 ft, minor flooding; 72,700 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1976: 25.31 ft, major flooding; 124,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 16.57 ft, minor flooding; 62,100 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1978: 20.81 ft, minor flooding; 89,400 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1978: 18.12 ft, minor flooding; 71,800 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1978: 18.12 ft, minor flooding; 71,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1979: 16.55 ft, minor flooding; 62,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1979: 23.60 ft, moderate flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1979: 15.54 ft, minor flooding; 56,200 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1982: 15.12 ft, minor flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1982: 16.64 ft, minor flooding; 62,700 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1983: 19.17 ft, minor flooding; 78,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 26.07 ft, major flooding; 131,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1984: 19.25 ft, minor flooding; 79,100 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1984: 19.97 ft, minor flooding; 83,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1985: 15.08 ft, minor flooding; 53,600 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 1985: 31.44 ft, major flooding; 187,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1986: 15.30 ft, minor flooding; 54,900 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1986: 21.43 ft, minor flooding; 93,700 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1987: 16.53 ft, minor flooding; 62,100 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1987: 20.44 ft, minor flooding; 86,900 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1988: 17.63 ft, minor flooding; 68,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1988: 18.19 ft, minor flooding; 72,300 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1989: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 60,100 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1991: 16.12 ft, minor flooding; 59,600 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1991: 16.11 ft, minor flooding; 59,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 22.15 ft, moderate flooding; 99,100 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1993: 17.86 ft, minor flooding; 70,200 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1993: 15.64 ft, minor flooding; 56,800 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1993: 18.96 ft, minor flooding; 77,200 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1993: 20.97 ft, minor flooding; 90,500 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1993: 19.42 ft, minor floodingFeb 11, 1994: 16.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1994: 16.20 ft, minor floodingMar 9, 1994: 16.80 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1994: 18.00 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 1996: 32.50 ft, major floodingJan 28, 1996: 15.00 ft, minor floodingSep 8, 1996: 29.00 ft, major floodingDec 3, 1996: 15.00 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 1998: 17.17 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 1998: 15.04 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1998: 15.30 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 1998: 19.83 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 1998: 15.65 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2003: 16.57 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 2003: 16.73 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2003: 15.50 ft, minor floodingSep 20, 2003: 19.88 ft, minor floodingDec 12, 2003: 18.48 ft, minor floodingApr 18, 2018: 15.30 ft, minor flooding; 57,771 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2018: 17.78 ft, minor flooding; 73,134 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2018: 23.02 ft, moderate flooding; 107,924 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2018: 21.79 ft, minor flooding; 99,779 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2018: 21.36 ft, minor flooding; 96,805 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2018: 22.12 ft, moderate flooding; 104,731 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 15.25 ft, minor flooding; 57,806 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2021: 17.54 ft, minor flooding; 72,300 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2022: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 89,216 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2025: 23.27 ft, moderate flooding; 118,317 cubic feet per second Highest, 42.07 ft, Mar 19, 1936 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Potomac River at Shepherdstown 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 4 1930s: 11 1940s: 9 1950s: 13 1960s: 14 1970s: 21 21 1980s: 15 1990s: 21 2000s: 5 2010s: 6 2020s: 4 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 124 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Potomac River at Shepherdstown
1Mar 19, 193642.07+27.07Major335,000
2Jun 1, 188939.20+24.20Major290,000
3Apr 27, 193733.20+18.20Major207,000
4Oct 16, 194232.68+17.68Major201,000
5Jan 21, 199632.50+17.50Major—
6Jun 23, 197231.58+16.58Major187,000
7Nov 7, 198531.44+16.44Major187,000
8May 13, 192429.80+14.80Major1,680,007
9Sep 8, 199629.00+14.00Major—
10Oct 29, 193726.78+11.78Major138,000
11Feb 15, 198426.07+11.07Major131,000
12Apr 17, 192925.53+10.53Major126,000
13Oct 10, 197625.31+10.31Major124,000
14Aug 20, 195525.26+10.26Major124,000
15May 14, 193224.75+9.75Moderate119,000
16Feb 27, 197923.60+8.60Moderate110,000
17May 15, 202523.27+8.27Moderate118,317
18Jun 4, 201823.02+8.02Moderate107,924
19Mar 8, 196722.54+7.54Moderate102,000
20Mar 21, 197522.19+7.19Moderate99,400
21Mar 5, 199322.15+7.15Moderate99,100
22Dec 17, 201822.12+7.12Moderate104,731
23Oct 17, 195422.00+7.00Moderate98,000
24Sep 11, 201821.79+6.79Minor99,779
25Mar 16, 198621.43+6.43Minor93,700
26Dec 31, 194221.40+6.40Minor93,500
27Sep 29, 201821.36+6.36Minor96,805
28Mar 21, 196321.10+6.10Minor91,400
29Apr 18, 199320.97+5.97Minor90,500
30Mar 16, 197820.81+5.81Minor89,400
31Sep 27, 197520.49+5.49Minor87,100
32Apr 18, 198720.44+5.44Minor86,900
33Feb 5, 193920.36+5.36Minor86,500
34May 10, 196020.35+5.35Minor86,200
35May 8, 202220.00+5.00Minor89,216
36Nov 23, 195219.98+4.98Minor83,600
37Apr 6, 198419.97+4.97Minor83,800
38Mar 23, 196219.90+4.90Minor83,000
39Sep 20, 200319.88+4.88Minor—
40Jun 19, 194919.84+4.84Minor82,300
41Oct 23, 192919.83+4.83Minor82,400
42Mar 22, 199819.83+4.83Minor—
43Jun 15, 195119.60+4.60Minor81,000
44Dec 28, 197319.52+4.52Minor80,600
45Dec 5, 195019.50+4.50Minor80,400
46Mar 3, 195419.47+4.47Minor80,200
47Apr 3, 197019.45+4.45Minor80,000
48Nov 29, 199319.42+4.42Minor—
49Sep 19, 194519.31+4.31Minor79,000
50Mar 30, 198419.25+4.25Minor79,100

The worst floods along the Potomac River

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

March 19, 1936: 42.07 ft here, major flooding

June 1, 1889: 39.20 ft here, major flooding

April 27, 1937: 33.20 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Potomac River

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

Flood gauges on the Potomac River
AlexandriaDC3.38.66 ft, Sep 19, 20032
Edwards FerryMD15.022.45 ft, Jun 5, 20180
Georgetown / Wisconsin AveDC6.017.72 ft, Oct 17, 19429
HancockMD25.047.60 ft, Mar 18, 19368
Harpers FerryMD18.036.50 ft, Mar 19, 193614
Lewisetta (IN MLLW)VA3.05.76 ft, Sep 1, 200611
Paw PawMD25.054.00 ft, Mar 18, 19368
Point of RocksMD16.041.03 ft, Mar 19, 193614
Shepherdstown this gaugeWV15.042.07 ft, Mar 19, 193614
Washington DC (Little Falls)MD10.022.03 ft, Jun 24, 19724

Other gauges in Jefferson County

Flood gauges in Jefferson County
Millville10.032.40 ft, Oct 16, 194219

Jefferson County: every hazard · River floods across the country · West Virginia

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHEW2, 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.