Black River at Watertown, NY
River level and flood forecast · Jefferson County
The river is 7.5 ft below flood stage (10 ft).
Forecast to rise to 4.5 ft Thu 8 AM, below the 10 ft flood stage.
Flow: 1,020 cubic feet per second (USGS).
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
| Major flood stage | 14 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Action stage | 8 ft |
| Record crest (January 10, 1998) | 16.02 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 14 ftMajor flood, heavy commercial, industrial, and residential damages in Watertown, Carthage, and Dexter. Flooding on Huntington Street and River Street in Watertown.
- 12 ftModerate flood, widespread farmland flooding in the Flats. Numerous road closures in Castorland, Denmark, Lowville, and Carthage. Some residential properties flooded in the Flats.
- 10 ftFlood stage, farmland flooding begins in the Flats with some roads flooded. Minor damages to riverfront commercial properties in Dexter.
- 8 ftAction stage, minor agricultural flooding in the Flats area near Castorland and Croghan.
Highest crests on record
- 16.02 ft — January 10, 1998
- 14.2 ft — April 12, 1993
- 13.81 ft — April 17, 2014
- 13.15 ft — January 1, 1985
- 13.01 ft — December 31, 1984
Recent crests: 10.42 ft (April 3, 2026) · 10.52 ft (March 14, 2026) · 10.55 ft (December 20, 2023) · 10.12 ft (March 22, 2022) · 10.13 ft (March 29, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ARTN6); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.