Cayuga Lake at Ithaca, NY
River level and flood forecast · Tompkins County
The river is 1.2 ft below flood stage (383.5 ft).
Forecast to fall to 382.1 ft by Fri, Nov 6, 7 AM.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Tue, Nov 3, 11:16 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Cayuga Lake at Ithaca to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 385 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 384 ft |
| Flood stage | 383.5 ft |
| Near flood stage | 383 ft |
| Record crest (April 26, 1993) | 386.46 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 386.5 ftThis is the approximate level during the April 1993 record snowmelt flood.
- 386.3 ftThis is approximately the lake level during the June 1972 Hurricane Agnes major flood.
- 385 ftSignificant flooding occurs around the lake. This level is approximately the same as the April 1916 and March 1936 floods. Wind waves will cause unusual land erosion and damage docks.
- 384 ftWater will affect some properties along the lake shore in the towns of Ulysses, Trumansburg and Lansing. No homes are flooded at this level. Parks near the lake may flood. Wind waves may cause unusual land erosion and damage docks.
- 383.5 ftThe lake level is high enough to flood normally dry areas along the shoreline and may affect some paths, or roads nearest the shore.
Highest crests on record
- 386.46 ft — April 26, 1993
- 386.27 ft — June 25, 1972
- 385.12 ft — April 5, 1916
- 385.12 ft — March 22, 1936
- 384.75 ft — November 2, 2021
Recent crests: 383.82 ft (April 20, 2026) · 384.32 ft (April 10, 2026) · 384.04 ft (May 11, 2025) · 384.75 ft (November 2, 2021) · 384.26 ft (August 23, 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 (ICYN6); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.