Passaic River level at Little Falls
New Jersey · Flood watch
Measured at USGS 01389500 — Passaic River at Little Falls NJ · NWS forecast point LTFN4
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Normal for the date
At 337 CFS, this gauge is inside the middle half of the 128 years USGS has recorded for this date (1898–2026), at 160% of the 210 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Little Falls
National Weather Service categories for gauge LTFN4, WFO PHI. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 9.0 ft
- 9.0 ft Widespread flooding occurs throughout Lincoln Park and Wayne with many evacuations. In Paterson, portions of River Street, Presidential Boulevard, Bridge Street, Tyler Street, Totowa Avenue and Mclean Boulevard are flooded.
- 9.5 ft Route 46 in Wayne is subject to closures. Riverside Drive in Wayne floods. Flooding in Little Falls worsens as homes on William Street and Zeliff Avenue take on water. Arch Street and Temple Street bridges in Paterson are subject to closures. Also in Paterson, portions of Watson Street, Hillman Street, Bergen Street, east Holsman Street, North 1st Street, Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, and Goodwin Street are also subject to closures due to flooding.
- 10.0 ft Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne is closed. Homes and businesses in Hawthorne, directly along the river, begin to flood. Water begins to flow over the Temple Street bridge in Paterson.
- 10.5 ft Businesses along Route 46 in Wayne begin to flood. Route 23 floods. The Willowbrook Mall experiences flooding. Haledon Avenue bridge in Paterson is subject to closures. Also in Paterson, portions of Straight Street, Union Avenue, West Broadway, Ryle Avenue, East Main Street, North Main Street, and Haledon Avenue are also subject to closures due to flooding.
- 11.0 ft The West Broadway Bridge in Paterson is subject to closures.
- 11.5 ft Tyler Street, Shady Street, Arch Street, Lowe Street, Wood Street, and Bleeker Street in Paterson are closed due to flooding.
- 12.0 ft Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne, between Lafayette Avenue and Lincoln Avenue, is closed. Passaic Avenue, Schoon Avenue and Vincent Street are also closed. Homes and businesses flood.
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Moderate flood 8.0 ft
- 8.0 ft Flooding occurs in the "Old" Wayne area of Wayne. The recycling center and Wagaraw Road ball field complex in Hawthorne begins to experience flooding.
- 8.5 ft Widespread flooding occurs in Fairfield.
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Minor flood 7.0 ft
- 7.0 ft Minor flooding begins in Lincoln Park, Wayne and Little Falls.
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Action 6.5 ft · 5,402 CFS
- 6.5 ft Low lying areas in the vicinity of Two Bridges in Wayne are flooded. The lower end of Bergen Street in Paterson, closest to the river, begins to flood.
- Right now 1.14 ft
NWS forecast: 2.10 ft by .
Flow history at Little Falls
Daily values from USGS 01389500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for LTFN4 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Little Falls
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 17.50 ft | 31,700 CFS | Oct 10, 1903 |
| 14.19 ft | 20,800 CFS | Aug 30, 2011 |
| 12.91 ft | 18,400 CFS | Apr 7, 1984 |
| 11.88 ft | 15,800 CFS | Apr 18, 2007 |
| 11.87 ft | — | Mar 16, 2010 |
| 11.81 ft | 15,620 CFS | Mar 13, 2011 |
| 11.05 ft | 14,000 CFS | Sep 9, 2011 |
| 10.73 ft | 13,500 CFS | May 31, 1968 |
| 10.29 ft | 12,413 CFS | Dec 20, 2023 |
| 10.11 ft | 12,100 CFS | Apr 4, 2005 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Passaic River at Little Falls
The reference gauge for this reach in New Jersey — what local emergency managers and the National Weather Service watch when the river comes up. Chronic repeat flooding through Wayne and Pine Brook.
Passaic River at Little Falls — common questions
3 questions
What is flood stage at Little Falls?
The National Weather Service sets minor flood stage at this gauge at 7.0 ft, moderate at 8.0 ft, and major at 9.0 ft. Action stage — the level at which agencies begin preparing — is 6.5 ft. The ladder on this page shows each threshold against the current reading, with the NWS's own impact statements at each level.
Is Passaic River at Little Falls high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 210 CFS, from 128 years of record (1898–2026). Today sits inside the middle half of those years, at 160% of the median. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 01389500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for LTFN4 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.