Shawsheen River at Wilmington, MA
River level and flood forecast · Middlesex County
The river is 4.1 ft below flood stage (7 ft).
Forecast to fall to 2.3 ft by Thu, Oct 15, 8 AM.
Flow: 68 cubic feet per second (USGS).
Higher than normal for October 13.
Usual for October 13: 9 to 37 cubic feet per second (the middle half of 63 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.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Shawsheen River at Wilmington to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 10 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 8 ft |
| Flood stage | 7 ft |
| Action stage | 5 ft |
| Record crest (March 16, 2010) | 10.54 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 11 ftFlooding will affect areas along the river from Wilmington to Lawrence. Some roads will become impassable including Route 114 near the I-495 interchange. Follow the advice of local officials, and evacuate if asked to do so. Do not drive into areas where water covers the Road. Basement flooding in low lying areas is likely and valuables should be moved to higher ground.
- 9 ftFlooding will affect areas along the river from Wilmington to Lawrence. Some roads will become impassable including Route 114 near the I-495 interchange. Follow the advice of local officials, and evacuate if asked to do so. Do not drive into areas where water covers the Road. Basement flooding in low lying areas is likely and valuables should be moved to higher ground.
- 8 ftFlooding will affect low lying neighborhoods from Wilmington through Tewksbury to Lawrence. This includes a portion of Route 114 in lawrence. Areas subject to basement flooding should move valuables to higher ground.
- 7.5 ftFlood waters will inundate a portion of Route 114 in Lawrence, and also affect low lying areas from Wilmington through Lawrence.
- 7 ftFlooding will affect low lying areas along the river from Wilmington through Lawrence.
Highest crests on record
- 10.54 ft — March 16, 2010
- 10.49 ft — October 22, 1996
- 9.87 ft — March 23, 2001
- 9.85 ft — January 26, 1979
- 9.42 ft — March 31, 2010
Recent crests: 7.85 ft (January 11, 2024) · 7.51 ft (December 19, 2023) · 7.31 ft (September 3, 2021) · 7.17 ft (January 26, 2019) · 7.79 ft (April 18, 2018)
Highest flow on record
1,880 cubic feet per second — March 15, 2010. From the USGS's yearly peaks since 1964.
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WLMM3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.