Rivers in Michigan

Thornapple River at Caledonia

Kent County, MichiganNWS CLDM4USGS 04118000Grand Rapids office

Below flood stage
4.33ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 9:45 PM EDT

Flood stage
10.00 ft
Record crest
14.40 ft1947

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood14.00 ft
Moderate flood12.00 ft
Minor flood10.00 ft
Action8.00 ft
  1. 13.00 ftThornapple River Drive is flooded.
  2. 11.00 ftHigh water begins to impact home on island below Cascade Dam.
  3. 10.00 ftMinor flooding of low lying areas occurs.
  4. 8.00 ftRiver is bankfull. Expect overflow into low lying areas along the river.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding6%
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

71 crests on NOAA’s list since 1947.

#DateStage
1April 7, 194714.40 ft
2February 24, 201811.79 ft
3April 19, 201311.69 ft
4May 21, 202011.50 ft
5February 27, 198511.43 ft
6April 6, 202311.35 ft
7May 26, 200411.21 ft
8April 22, 197510.96 ft
9May 10, 195610.79 ft
10February 22, 199710.60 ft
11April 2, 196010.60 ft
12December 28, 200810.33 ft
13April 9, 20179.87 ft
14March 15, 19869.87 ft
15March 9, 19799.86 ft
16June 4, 19899.82 ft
17May 19, 20009.79 ft
18October 5, 19869.59 ft
19April 23, 19939.58 ft
20June 11, 20089.47 ft
21December 1, 19909.44 ft
22February 15, 20019.37 ft
23March 8, 19769.25 ft
24January 16, 20059.15 ft
25January 5, 19939.10 ft

Most recent crests

  • January 30, 2024: 8.14 ft
  • April 6, 2023: 11.35 ft
  • February 24, 2022: 8.01 ft
  • June 27, 2021: 8.73 ft
  • May 21, 2020: 11.50 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 8.20 ft
  • February 24, 2018: 11.79 ft
  • April 9, 2017: 9.87 ft
  • April 11, 2016: 7.17 ft
  • June 15, 2015: 7.05 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. 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.