TornadoLiveMap

Charles River at Waltham — water level right now

Middlesex County, Massachusetts · NWS gauge WLTM3
Loading the latest reading…
–
current stage (ft)
 
5
minor flood stage
 
7.56
record crest
set 2010-03-16
–
flood status
official NWS category
Official NOAA forecast → USGS data → Full US flood map →

Flood stages at this gauge

Where the water stands right now against the four official thresholds:

action · 4
minor · 5
moderate · 7
major · 9
Flood stageLevel (ft)What it means
Major flood stage9extensive inundation and significant evacuations — a serious event
Moderate flood stage7some buildings and roads inundated; evacuations possible
Minor flood stage5low-lying roads and fields near the river start to flood
Action stage4water is approaching flood level — time to pay attention

Highest floods on record here

#Crest (ft)Datevs. minor flood stage
17.562010-03-16+2.56 above
26.541976-02-03+1.54 above
36.481979-01-25+1.48 above
46.462010-03-31+1.46 above
56.051996-10-21+1.05 above
65.511987-04-07+0.51 above
75.511998-06-14+0.51 above
85.441982-06-07+0.44 above
95.422001-03-23+0.42 above
105.351955-08-19+0.35 above
115.311961-02-27+0.31 above
125.192010-03-22+0.19 above

Historic crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service — the 12 highest on file.

Where this gauge is

The marker is this gauge; nearby gauges load live and are clickable.

Nearby river gauges

Muddy River at Brookline 7 mi away · loading… Charles River at Dover 8 mi away · loading… Boston Harbor at Boston (IN MLLW) 9 mi away · loading… Sudbury River at Saxonville 9 mi away · loading… Assabet River at Maynard 12 mi away · loading… Neponset River at Norwood 13 mi away · loading…

Gauge details

NWS gauge IDWLTM3
USGS site01104500
CountyMiddlesex
StateMassachusetts
NWS forecast officeNorton
River forecast centerNortheast River Forecast Center
Coordinates42.372, -71.234
Time zoneEST5EDT
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet and twelve inches can float a car. Never drive around barricades or into water of unknown depth — most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

Questions about Charles River at Waltham

Is Charles River at Waltham flooding right now?

The live reading at the top of this page answers that: the gauge is compared against its official NWS flood stages every 15 minutes. Minor flooding at this gauge begins at 5 ft. Blue means normal, yellow is action stage, orange minor, red moderate and dark red major flooding.

What is flood stage for Charles River at Waltham?

major flood stage 9 ft, moderate flood stage 7 ft, minor flood stage 5 ft, action stage 4 ft. These are official National Weather Service thresholds set specifically for this gauge, not generic values.

What is the record flood at Charles River at Waltham?

The highest crest on file at this gauge is 7.56 ft, reached on 2010-03-16 — that is 2.56 ft above minor flood stage. The full list of the highest crests is in the table on this page.

Where does this data come from?

From the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, the official U.S. river gauge network — a U.S. government work in the public domain. Live stage is refreshed every 15 minutes; flood thresholds and historic crests are refreshed monthly. For life-safety decisions follow NWS Norton and local emergency management.