Rivers in Michigan

Paint River at Crystal Falls

Iron County, MichiganNWS CRYM4USGS 04061500Negaunee office

Below flood stage
2.12ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 8:12 PM CDT

Flood stage
7.00 ft
Record crest
9.82 ft1960

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood9.50 ft
Moderate flood8.00 ft
Minor flood7.00 ft
Action5.50 ft
  1. 8.00 ftParking lot of roadside park upstream of M-69 begins to flood
  2. 7.00 ft5600 - cfs - Waterfront park areas near the M-69 bridge and low lying areas along the river in Crystal Falls become inundated.
  3. 5.50 ft3500 - cfs - River exceeds bankfull stage
  4. 5.00 ftAt 5 feet the lowest portions of the Robert Olson Walking Trail begin to flood

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

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

Crest history

52 crests on NOAA’s list since 1950.

#DateStage
1April 25, 19609.82 ft
2April 17, 20029.53 ft
3July 2, 19539.45 ft
4April 15, 20238.73 ft
5April 19, 20268.71 ft
6May 8, 19758.08 ft
7April 22, 19857.95 ft
8May 7, 19507.94 ft
9April 26, 19967.89 ft
10April 22, 20047.76 ft
11May 10, 19657.69 ft
12May 9, 19797.43 ft
13April 30, 19727.39 ft
14May 15, 20037.37 ft
15April 28, 19547.35 ft
16June 1, 19707.12 ft
17April 26, 20227.10 ft
18April 20, 19527.10 ft
19April 2, 19867.07 ft
20May 8, 19997.03 ft
21April 18, 19717.01 ft
22September 19, 19786.90 ft
23April 26, 19826.78 ft
24May 19, 19976.71 ft
25April 30, 20206.69 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 19, 2026: 8.71 ft
  • April 23, 2025: 5.80 ft
  • May 3, 2024: 3.89 ft
  • April 15, 2023: 8.73 ft
  • April 26, 2022: 7.10 ft
  • March 26, 2021: 5.48 ft
  • April 30, 2020: 6.69 ft
  • April 27, 2009: 5.05 ft
  • April 20, 2008: 5.98 ft
  • March 28, 2007: 4.51 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.