diff --git a/cmd/prometheus/config.go b/cmd/prometheus/config.go
index 4bc249880..809775ed7 100644
--- a/cmd/prometheus/config.go
+++ b/cmd/prometheus/config.go
@@ -272,6 +272,9 @@ func parse(args []string) error {
 	if promql.StalenessDelta < 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("negative staleness delta: %s", promql.StalenessDelta)
 	}
+	// The staleness delta is also a reasonable head chunk timeout. Thus, we
+	// don't expose it as a separate flag but set it here.
+	cfg.storage.HeadChunkTimeout = promql.StalenessDelta
 
 	if err := parsePrometheusURL(); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/storage/local/series.go b/storage/local/series.go
index 71ea7f284..261add291 100644
--- a/storage/local/series.go
+++ b/storage/local/series.go
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/storage/metric"
 )
 
-const (
-	headChunkTimeout = time.Hour // Close head chunk if not touched for that long.
-)
-
 // fingerprintSeriesPair pairs a fingerprint with a memorySeries pointer.
 type fingerprintSeriesPair struct {
 	fp     model.Fingerprint
@@ -259,15 +255,15 @@ func (s *memorySeries) add(v model.SamplePair) (int, error) {
 }
 
 // maybeCloseHeadChunk closes the head chunk if it has not been touched for the
-// duration of headChunkTimeout. It returns whether the head chunk was closed.
-// If the head chunk is already closed, the method is a no-op and returns false.
+// provided duration. It returns whether the head chunk was closed.  If the head
+// chunk is already closed, the method is a no-op and returns false.
 //
 // The caller must have locked the fingerprint of the series.
-func (s *memorySeries) maybeCloseHeadChunk() (bool, error) {
+func (s *memorySeries) maybeCloseHeadChunk(timeout time.Duration) (bool, error) {
 	if s.headChunkClosed {
 		return false, nil
 	}
-	if time.Now().Sub(s.lastTime.Time()) > headChunkTimeout {
+	if time.Now().Sub(s.lastTime.Time()) > timeout {
 		s.headChunkClosed = true
 		// Since we cannot modify the head chunk from now on, we
 		// don't need to bother with cloning anymore.
diff --git a/storage/local/storage.go b/storage/local/storage.go
index fa9001702..f457fdf8a 100644
--- a/storage/local/storage.go
+++ b/storage/local/storage.go
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ type MemorySeriesStorage struct {
 	logThrottlingStopped       chan struct{}
 	maxMemoryChunks            int
 	dropAfter                  time.Duration
+	headChunkTimeout           time.Duration
 	checkpointInterval         time.Duration
 	checkpointDirtySeriesLimit int
 
@@ -199,6 +200,7 @@ type MemorySeriesStorageOptions struct {
 	MaxChunksToPersist         int           // Max number of chunks waiting to be persisted.
 	PersistenceStoragePath     string        // Location of persistence files.
 	PersistenceRetentionPeriod time.Duration // Chunks at least that old are dropped.
+	HeadChunkTimeout           time.Duration // Head chunks idle for at least that long may be closed.
 	CheckpointInterval         time.Duration // How often to checkpoint the series map and head chunks.
 	CheckpointDirtySeriesLimit int           // How many dirty series will trigger an early checkpoint.
 	Dirty                      bool          // Force the storage to consider itself dirty on startup.
@@ -222,9 +224,10 @@ func NewMemorySeriesStorage(o *MemorySeriesStorageOptions) *MemorySeriesStorage
 		throttled:                  make(chan struct{}, 1),
 		maxMemoryChunks:            o.MemoryChunks,
 		dropAfter:                  o.PersistenceRetentionPeriod,
+		headChunkTimeout:           o.HeadChunkTimeout,
 		checkpointInterval:         o.CheckpointInterval,
 		checkpointDirtySeriesLimit: o.CheckpointDirtySeriesLimit,
-		archiveHighWatermark:       model.Now().Add(-headChunkTimeout),
+		archiveHighWatermark:       model.Now().Add(-o.HeadChunkTimeout),
 
 		maxChunksToPersist: o.MaxChunksToPersist,
 
@@ -1394,7 +1397,7 @@ func (s *MemorySeriesStorage) maintainMemorySeries(
 
 	defer s.seriesOps.WithLabelValues(memoryMaintenance).Inc()
 
-	closed, err := series.maybeCloseHeadChunk()
+	closed, err := series.maybeCloseHeadChunk(s.headChunkTimeout)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.quarantineSeries(fp, series.metric, err)
 		s.persistErrors.Inc()
@@ -1421,7 +1424,7 @@ func (s *MemorySeriesStorage) maintainMemorySeries(
 
 	// Archive if all chunks are evicted. Also make sure the last sample has
 	// an age of at least headChunkTimeout (which is very likely anyway).
-	if iOldestNotEvicted == -1 && model.Now().Sub(series.lastTime) > headChunkTimeout {
+	if iOldestNotEvicted == -1 && model.Now().Sub(series.lastTime) > s.headChunkTimeout {
 		s.fpToSeries.del(fp)
 		s.numSeries.Dec()
 		s.persistence.archiveMetric(fp, series.metric, series.firstTime(), series.lastTime)
diff --git a/storage/local/storage_test.go b/storage/local/storage_test.go
index 591e3df37..f456991de 100644
--- a/storage/local/storage_test.go
+++ b/storage/local/storage_test.go
@@ -828,6 +828,7 @@ func TestLoop(t *testing.T) {
 		MaxChunksToPersist:         1000000,
 		PersistenceRetentionPeriod: 24 * 7 * time.Hour,
 		PersistenceStoragePath:     directory.Path(),
+		HeadChunkTimeout:           5 * time.Minute,
 		CheckpointInterval:         250 * time.Millisecond,
 		SyncStrategy:               Adaptive,
 		MinShrinkRatio:             0.1,
@@ -1608,6 +1609,7 @@ func benchmarkFuzz(b *testing.B, encoding chunk.Encoding) {
 		MaxChunksToPersist:         1000000,
 		PersistenceRetentionPeriod: time.Hour,
 		PersistenceStoragePath:     directory.Path(),
+		HeadChunkTimeout:           5 * time.Minute,
 		CheckpointInterval:         time.Second,
 		SyncStrategy:               Adaptive,
 		MinShrinkRatio:             0.1,
diff --git a/storage/local/test_helpers.go b/storage/local/test_helpers.go
index bdc26c555..dc5a4502d 100644
--- a/storage/local/test_helpers.go
+++ b/storage/local/test_helpers.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ func NewTestStorage(t testutil.T, encoding chunk.Encoding) (*MemorySeriesStorage
 		MaxChunksToPersist:         1000000,
 		PersistenceRetentionPeriod: 24 * time.Hour * 365 * 100, // Enough to never trigger purging.
 		PersistenceStoragePath:     directory.Path(),
+		HeadChunkTimeout:           5 * time.Minute,
 		CheckpointInterval:         time.Hour,
 		SyncStrategy:               Adaptive,
 	}