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Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks

Highest listed crest 27.51 ftFlood stage 24.5 ft45 crests since 1980

The Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks crested above flood stage 20 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1980 to 2025. The highest, 27.51 ft on April 24, 2020, was minor flooding, 3.01 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Chena River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
27.51 ft
April 24, 2020
Flood stage
24.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
20 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 2, 2023
24.50 ft, minor flooding

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks
Action stage22.513Aug 27, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)24.520Jun 2, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1980 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks, 1980 to 2025 182022242628ft Flood stage 24.5 ft Jul 2, 1980: 21.13 ft, below flood stage; 4,500 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1981: 22.71 ft, action stage; 5,930 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1982: 24.19 ft, action stage; 7,240 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1983: 20.21 ft, below flood stage; 3,950 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1984: 24.31 ft, action stage; 7,350 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1985: 24.62 ft, minor flooding; 7,640 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1986: 24.64 ft, minor flooding; 7,660 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1986: 22.46 ft, below flood stage; 5,660 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1988: 24.28 ft, action stage; 7,320 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1989: 24.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,950 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1990: 24.60 ft, minor flooding; 7,530 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1991: 25.17 ft, minor flooding; 8,050 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1992: 25.20 ft, minor flooding; 8,080 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1993: 23.15 ft, action stage; 6,250 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1994: 25.32 ft, minor flooding; 8,190 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1995: 25.48 ft, minor flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1996: 20.14 ft, below flood stage; 3,820 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1998: 20.17 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 1999: 19.57 ft, below flood stageAug 16, 2000: 25.21 ft, minor floodingJul 31, 2001: 20.42 ft, below flood stageAug 21, 2002: 25.38 ft, minor floodingJul 29, 2003: 25.88 ft, minor flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2004: 23.64 ft, action stageMay 1, 2005: 21.94 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2006: 22.17 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 2007: 22.87 ft, action stageAug 1, 2008: 25.24 ft, minor flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2009: 25.25 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2010: 20.77 ft, below flood stageJul 6, 2011: 24.45 ft, action stageMay 27, 2012: 23.64 ft, action stageJun 7, 2013: 24.62 ft, minor floodingJul 4, 2014: 25.32 ft, minor floodingAug 30, 2015: 25.51 ft, minor floodingJul 24, 2016: 25.17 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 2017: 22.12 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2018: 24.40 ft, action stageAug 19, 2019: 25.27 ft, minor floodingApr 24, 2020: 27.51 ft, minor floodingApr 27, 2021: 21.56 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2022: 24.11 ft, action stageJun 2, 2023: 24.50 ft, minor floodingAug 5, 2024: 22.81 ft, action stageAug 27, 2025: 22.62 ft, action stage; 5,370 cubic feet per second Highest, 27.51 ft, Apr 24, 2020 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks 1980s: 3 1990s: 5 5 2000s: 5 2010s: 5 2020s: 2 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Chena River below Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks
1Apr 24, 202027.51+3.01Minor—
2Jul 29, 200325.88+1.38Minor17,700
3Aug 30, 201525.51+1.01Minor—
4Jun 28, 199525.48+0.98Minor8,340
5Aug 21, 200225.38+0.88Minor—
6Jun 28, 199425.32+0.82Minor8,190
7Jul 4, 201425.32+0.82Minor—
8Aug 19, 201925.27+0.77Minor—
9May 4, 200925.25+0.75Minor—
10Aug 1, 200825.24+0.74Minor10,700
11Aug 16, 200025.21+0.71Minor—
12May 26, 199225.20+0.70Minor8,080
13May 8, 199125.17+0.67Minor8,050
14Jul 24, 201625.17+0.67Minor—
15Jun 27, 198924.95+0.45Minor7,950
16Jul 25, 198624.64+0.14Minor7,660
17May 28, 198524.62+0.12Minor7,640
18Jun 7, 201324.62+0.12Minor—
19Sep 8, 199024.60+0.10Minor7,530
20Jun 2, 202324.500.00Minor—
21Jul 6, 201124.45−0.05Action—
22May 23, 201824.40−0.10Action—
23Jul 23, 198424.31−0.19Action7,350
24Jun 18, 198824.28−0.22Action7,320
25Jun 21, 198224.19−0.31Action7,240
26May 23, 202224.11−0.39Action—
27May 8, 200423.64−0.86Action—
28May 27, 201223.64−0.86Action—
29May 18, 199323.15−1.35Action6,250
30Jun 9, 200722.87−1.63Action—
31Aug 5, 202422.81−1.69Action—
32Jul 13, 198122.71−1.79Action5,930
33Aug 27, 202522.62−1.88Action5,370
34Oct 12, 198622.46−2.04Below flood stage5,660
35May 23, 200622.17−2.33Below flood stage—
36May 12, 201722.12−2.38Below flood stage—
37May 1, 200521.94−2.56Below flood stage—
38Apr 27, 202121.56−2.94Below flood stage—
39Jul 2, 198021.13−3.37Below flood stage4,500
40Jun 15, 201020.77−3.73Below flood stage—
41Jul 31, 200120.42−4.08Below flood stage—
42Aug 26, 198320.21−4.29Below flood stage3,950
43Aug 19, 199820.17−4.33Below flood stage—
44Jul 2, 199620.14−4.36Below flood stage3,820
45May 17, 199919.57−4.93Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Chena River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Chena River that crested above flood stage within a week.

April 24, 2020: 27.51 ft here, minor flooding

July 29, 2003: 25.88 ft here, minor flooding

August 30, 2015: 25.51 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Chena River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Chena River
Two RiversAK20.023.65 ft, Jun 26, 19940
Hunts Creek near Two RiversAK17.220.17 ft, Apr 23, 20200
Moose Creek Dam near Fairbanks this gaugeAK24.527.51 ft, Apr 24, 20200

Other gauges in Fairbanks North Star Borough

Flood gauges in Fairbanks North Star Borough
Steese Hwy Bridge near Chatanika13.513.86 ft, Jul 28, 20030
Hunts Creek near Two Rivers17.220.17 ft, Apr 23, 20200
Two Rivers20.023.65 ft, Jun 26, 19940
Fairbanks25.031.90 ft, Aug 13, 19670
Salchaket15.021.78 ft, Aug 14, 19670
Fairbanks24.527.80 ft, Aug 16, 19671

Fairbanks North Star Borough: every hazard · River floods across the country · Alaska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MCDA2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.