Rivers in New York

Genesee River at Wellsville

Allegany County, New YorkNWS WLLN6USGS 04221000Buffalo office

Below flood stage
4.59ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 6:45 AM EDT

Flood stage
11.00 ft
Forecast crest
4.60 ftWed, Sep 23, 8:00 AM EDT
Record crest
20.70 ft1972

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood17.00 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood11.00 ft
Action9.00 ft
  1. 20.00 ftExtreme flood, levee is topped at 19.9 feet. Widespread flooding along the river throughout Allegany County. Heavy residential damages including Wellsville. Evacuations necessary.
  2. 17.00 ftMajor flood, major flooding all along the Genesee River throughout Allegany County. Commercial and residential damages. Road closures. Levee continues to protect most of Wellsville to 19.9 feet.
  3. 14.00 ftModerate flood, general flooding along the river in lowlying areas throughout Allegany County. Some residential and commercial damages. The levee protects most of Wellsville.
  4. 11.00 ftFlood stage, banks overflow and begin to flood lowlying areas outside the levees in places such as Scio. Minor damages.
  5. 9.00 ftAction stage, high flows. No flooding.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding17%
Moderate flooding6%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 21, 2026.

Crest history

22 crests on NOAA’s list since 1918.

#DateStage
1June 23, 197220.70 ft
2November 25, 195016.20 ft
3January 19, 199616.13 ft
4January 22, 195914.90 ft
5March 5, 196414.80 ft
6May 28, 194614.40 ft
7December 6, 197213.80 ft
8October 28, 198113.60 ft
9June 20, 198913.26 ft
10February 26, 196113.10 ft
11May 22, 191912.90 ft
12March 14, 191812.70 ft
13March 22, 194812.70 ft
14March 8, 195612.65 ft
15March 17, 197312.20 ft
16July 18, 194211.90 ft
17February 18, 202211.69 ft
18March 15, 200711.64 ft
19January 25, 201011.55 ft
20September 13, 198711.28 ft
21August 14, 198411.26 ft
22January 13, 201711.11 ft

Most recent crests

  • February 18, 2022: 11.69 ft
  • January 13, 2017: 11.11 ft
  • January 25, 2010: 11.55 ft
  • March 15, 2007: 11.64 ft
  • January 19, 1996: 16.13 ft
  • June 20, 1989: 13.26 ft
  • September 13, 1987: 11.28 ft
  • August 14, 1984: 11.26 ft
  • October 28, 1981: 13.60 ft
  • March 17, 1973: 12.20 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Northeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Impact statements listed below may not be representative during times of ice jam flooding. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months.

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.