Otselic River at Cincinnatus, NY
River level and flood forecast · Cortland County
The river is 7.7 ft below flood stage (9 ft).
Forecast to rise to 2.8 ft Wed 8 AM, below the 9 ft flood stage.
Flow: 50 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 2:48 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 11.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 10.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 9 ft |
| Action stage | 8 ft |
| Record crest (July 8, 1935) | 12.5 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12.5 ftEstimated level of the July 1935 flood which occurred before installation of the river gage. Widespread destruction occurred downstream from Willet to Upper Lisle.
- 11.9 ftPortions of the Cincinnatus Central School will flood. FEMA flood insurance risk maps indicate that this level, as measured at the stream gage, marks the 1% (100 year) floodplain. Your property is at risk of flooding during a major flood event. A 100 year flood is a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year.
- 11.5 ftWidespread flooding of homes and properties occurs along Cincinnatus Road, Telephone Road and Lower Cincinnatus Road on the east side of the river. The Cincinnatus fire department floods. Flooding also occurrs along Route 26 in the vicinity of Lower Cincinnatus.
- 10.5 ftFlood waters affect first floor properties along Cincinnatus Road. Deer Path Lane is cut off by flooding.
- 9.5 ftWidespread basement and yard flooding occurs in Cincinnatus, especially along Deer Path Lane and Lower Cincinnatus Road.
- 9 ftAgricultural lands between Cincinnatus and Willet flood.
Highest crests on record
- 12.5 ft — July 8, 1935
- 10.89 ft — January 19, 1996
- 10.68 ft — April 4, 1950
- 10.67 ft — December 30, 1942
- 10.55 ft — April 3, 2005
Recent crests: 9.89 ft (December 25, 2020) · 9.19 ft (November 1, 2019) · 9.63 ft (September 8, 2011) · 9.59 ft (June 28, 2006) · 10.55 ft (April 3, 2005)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CINN6); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.