North Branch Raritan River near Raritan, NJ
River level and flood forecast · Somerset County
The river is 6.8 ft below flood stage (10 ft).
Forecast to hold near 3.2 ft through Thu, Oct 15, 2 PM.
Flow: 342 cubic feet per second (USGS).
River camera
Watch the time-lapse
Camera by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most take a picture every hour, some every few minutes; many stop at night.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 3:03 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts North Branch Raritan River near Raritan to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 15 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Action stage | 8 ft |
| Record crest (September 2, 2021) | 19.52 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 20 ftUS Route 202 is closed. Flooding extends west of Vanderveer Avenue to Burnt Mill Road.
- 19 ftThe bridge on Old York Road between Branchburg and Bridgewater is closed due to flooding.
- 18 ftHelfreds Landing in Bridgewater floods.
- 15 ftUS Route 202 in Branchburg begins to flood, starting with the northbound lanes. Chambers Brook experiences back water causing flooding to occur along Chambers Brook Road.
- 14 ftThe first evacuations begin in Branchburg near Route 28 and Vaanderveer Avenue.
- 12 ftVaanderveer Avenue in Branchburg begins to flood.
- 10 ftFlooding begins along Old York Road and in Branchburg.
- 8 ftNorth Branch Park floods.
Highest crests on record
- 19.52 ft — September 2, 2021
- 18.98 ft — September 16, 1999
- 17.97 ft — August 28, 2011
- 15.47 ft — August 28, 1971
- 15.44 ft — October 19, 1996
Recent crests: 14.1 ft (January 10, 2024) · 11.78 ft (December 28, 2023) · 13.54 ft (December 18, 2023) · 10.64 ft (July 10, 2023) · 10.13 ft (April 8, 2022)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamNorth Branch Raritan River at North Branch Village, NJ
- DownstreamNorth Branch Raritan River at South Branch, NJ
- South Branch Raritan River at South Branch, NJ
- Peters Brook at Somerville, NJ
- Lamington (Black) River at Burnt Mills, NJ
- Raritan River at Manville, NJ
- Royce Brook at Hamilton Road, NJ
- Middle Brook at Burnt Mills, NJ
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RRTN4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.