Rivers in Wisconsin

Rock River at Jefferson

Jefferson County, WisconsinNWS JFFW3USGS 05426031Dousman office

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood13.00 ft
Moderate flood11.00 ft
Minor flood10.00 ft
Action8.00 ft
  1. 15.00 ftFloodwaters cut the City of Jefferson in half. The Main Street and Wisconsin Drive bridges are closed to traffic due to flooding around the bridges. Main St and Hwy 26 intersection closed. S Center Ave near river flooded. Riverview Dr flooded.
  2. 12.00 ftRiverview Drive is closed due to floodwaters on the road. The Tensfeldt Park boat launch is closed. Intersection of S Main St and E Dane St is closed, and S Center Ave. Floodwaters affect highway K between Jefferson and Fort Atkinson. River's Edge Park flooded.
  3. 11.50 ftFloodwaters affect Highway K between Jefferson and Fort Atkinson. Floodwaters affect some low lying residences and businesses in Jefferson. Water on road at Hwy 26 (Main St) and Hwy N (E Dane St) and S Center Ave. Riverview Drive near the wastewater plant is flooded and closed.
  4. 11.00 ftFloodwaters affect low lying areas of residential and business property in Jefferson. Water approaches the intersection of Highway 26 (Main St) and County Road N (E Dane St). S Center Ave near the river flooded and Riverview Drive near the wastewater plant flooded. Park is flooded. The retention pond at S Main St and E Dane St is full.
  5. 10.00 ftWater affects low lying areas of residential property in the City of Jefferson. Rock River Park and boat launch is affected near Hwy B in Johnson Creek. Goat Island is flooded.
  6. 9.00 ftThere is minor lowland flooding.
  7. 8.00 ftMinor lowland flooding occurs.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding7%
Moderate flooding5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

33 crests on NOAA’s list since 1979.

#DateStage
1June 19, 200815.64 ft
2April 2, 197912.84 ft
3April 20, 201312.31 ft
4April 22, 199312.29 ft
5September 8, 201811.72 ft
6April 20, 202611.69 ft
7June 2, 200411.51 ft
8March 16, 201911.50 ft
9April 14, 200811.35 ft
10July 27, 201011.01 ft
11October 12, 201911.00 ft
12March 27, 200910.87 ft
13June 5, 200010.81 ft
14October 13, 201810.64 ft
15March 17, 200910.56 ft
16June 11, 202410.47 ft
17April 2, 200810.38 ft
18April 5, 200710.27 ft
19July 9, 202410.14 ft
20June 30, 202410.05 ft
21March 27, 20119.70 ft
22April 27, 19999.27 ft
23May 1, 20099.24 ft
24July 3, 20149.17 ft
25June 27, 20108.81 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 20, 2026: 11.69 ft
  • July 9, 2024: 10.14 ft
  • June 30, 2024: 10.05 ft
  • June 11, 2024: 10.47 ft
  • October 12, 2019: 11.00 ft
  • March 16, 2019: 11.50 ft
  • October 13, 2018: 10.64 ft
  • September 8, 2018: 11.72 ft
  • January 28, 2017: 8.53 ft
  • December 18, 2015: 7.78 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.