Housatonic River at Great Barrington, MA
River level and flood forecast · Berkshire County
The river is 6.6 ft below flood stage (9 ft).
Forecast to fall to 2.0 ft by Thu, Oct 15, 8 AM.
Flow: 377 cubic feet per second (USGS).
Higher than normal for October 13.
Usual for October 13: 134 to 306 cubic feet per second (the middle half of 113 years).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:14 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Housatonic River at Great Barrington to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 12 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 10 ft |
| Flood stage | 9 ft |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
| Record crest (January 1, 1949) | 12.08 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12 ftMajor flood stage. Water floods Main Street in Great Barrington.
- 10 ftModerate flood stage. Water floods River Street and reaches Searles Middle School.
- 9 ftFlood stage. Water reaches the fair grounds.
- 7 ftLow lying fields between Great Barrington and Ashley Falls are flooded with one to two feet of water.
- 5 ftWater starts to flood fields between Great Barrington and Ashley Falls.
- 4 ftThe river level is normal for spring.
- 3 ftThe river level is normal for fall, winter and summer.
Highest crests on record
- 12.08 ft — January 1, 1949
- 11.72 ft — September 22, 1938
- 10.96 ft — May 31, 1984
- 10.6 ft — March 19, 1936
- 10.34 ft — October 9, 2005
Recent crests: 10.18 ft (September 9, 2011) · 9.62 ft (August 29, 2011) · 9.01 ft (March 8, 2011) · 10.34 ft (October 9, 2005) · 9.84 ft (July 13, 1996)
Highest flow on record
12,200 cubic feet per second — January 1, 1949. From the USGS's yearly peaks since 1914.
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamHousatonic River at E Br at Coltsville, MA
- DownstreamHousatonic River at Falls Village, CT
- Farmington River at W. Br. Nr. New Boston, MA
- Kinderhook Creek at Rossman, NY
- West Branch Westfield River at Huntington, MA
- Hoosic River near Williamstown, MA
- Esopus Creek at Mount Marion, NY
- Westfield River at Westfield, MA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (GTBM3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.