Shawsheen River at Andover, MA

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.

Flood stages

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

• 38 ftFlood impacts are expected to be comparable to, or worse than, the May 2006 Floods. Impacts in North Andover will increase along Glenwood, Fernwood and Elmwood Streets, and both Mass Ave and Route 114 experience significant flooding at the Lawrence-North Andover Town line. Floodwaters impact large sections of Andover in the greater vicinity of North Main Street. Numerous residences, businesses and roadways are impacted.
• 36 ftIn Andover, a stretch of North Main Street is impassable. Floodwaters inundate numerous residences and businesses in the greater vicinity of North Main. Impacted areas include but are not limited to Washington Park Condominiums, the Balmoral, Shawsheen Plaza, Powdermill Square, Ballardvale Falls, Gradall Lane and River Street. Flooding impacts Mass Ave underpass and businesses on Route 114 at the Lawrence/North Andover town line. In North Andover lower Glenwood, Elmwood and Fernwood Streets are impacted.
• 35 ftIn North Andover floodwaters inundate lowest lying homes along Glenwood, Elmwood and Fernwood Streets. Floodwaters impact lowest lying businesses and parking lots along Route 114 and Mass Ave on the Lawrence-North Andover town line. In Andover, flood impacts spread to multiple locations along and off of North Main Street, including homes and businesses. Flood impact areas include but are not limited to Washington Park Condominiums, Shawsheen Plaza, Powdermill Square, Ballardvale Falls, and River Street.
• 34 ftIn North Andover, floodwaters approach or inundate lowest lying homes along Glenwood, Elmwood and Fernwood Streets. Floodwaters impact lowest lying businesses and parking lots on Route 114 closest to the Shawsheen River on the Lawrence North Andover Town line. In Andover, floodwaters inundate some low lying structures along North Main Street. Within Andover, floodwaters approach lowest lying structures at Washington Park Condominiums, Shawsheen Plaza, Powdermill Square, Ballardvale Falls, and River Street.
• 32 ftFloodwaters impact lowest lying businesses and parking lots along Route 114 closest to the Shawsheen River on the Lawrence and North Andover town line. Floodwaters may reach the lowest lying homes along Glenwood Street in North Andover. In Andover, the very lowest lying homes and external structures along North Main Street are impacted. Floodwaters may affect River Street near Laconia Drive.
• 31 ftFloodwaters inundate the lowest lying parking lots along Route 114 adjacent to the Shawsheen River. This includes drainage fronting the North Andover Mall along Route 114. Floodwaters encroach on Route 114 hotel building in Lawrence, adjacent to the river. Floodwaters encroach on lowest lying properties along Glenwood Street in North Andover.
• 30 ftFloodwaters inundate very lowest lying business parking lots off Route 114 in Lawrence and North Andover that are adjacent to the Shawsheen River.
• 29 ftFloodwaters encroach on very lowest lying business parking lots off of Route 114 in Lawrence and North Andover that are adjacent to the Shawsheen River.

Highest crests on record

1. 37.45 ft — May 15, 2006
2. 37.45 ft — May 15, 2006
3. 36.16 ft — March 16, 2010
4. 34.15 ft — April 18, 2007
5. 33.98 ft — April 1, 2010

Recent crests: 28.83 ft (April 6, 2024) · 28.5 ft (March 30, 2024) · 28.2 ft (March 25, 2024) · 30.84 ft (January 12, 2024) · 30.8 ft (December 20, 2023)

Highest flow on record

3,050 cubic feet per second — March 16, 2010. From the USGS's yearly peaks since 2007.

Up and down the river, and nearby

• Merrimack River at Lawrence, MA
• Spicket River near Methuen, NH
• Merrimack River at Lowell, MA
• Shawsheen River at Wilmington, MA
• Concord River at Lowell, MA
• Spicket River at North Salem, NH
• Beaver Brook at North Pelham, NH
• Ipswich River at Ipswich, MA