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Fish Creek near Ketchikan

Highest listed crest 5.19 ftFlood stage 4.5 ft50 crests since 1971

The Fish Creek near Ketchikan crested above flood stage 6 times among the 50 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1971 to 2025. The highest, 5.19 ft on October 8, 1974, was moderate flooding, 0.69 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
5.19 ft
October 8, 1974; 4,540 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
4.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 24, 1999
4.77 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, Fish Creek near Ketchikan
Action stage4.013Dec 6, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.55May 24, 1999Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage5.01Oct 8, 1974Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

50 crests from 1971 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Fish Creek near Ketchikan, 1971 to 2025 23456ft Flood stage 4.5 ft Oct 6, 1971: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 1972: 3.64 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1974: 5.19 ft, moderate flooding; 4,540 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 1976: 4.89 ft, minor flooding; 4,130 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1977: 4.01 ft, action stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondNov 1, 1978: 4.44 ft, action stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1979: 4.91 ft, minor flooding; 4,520 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1980: 4.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondNov 5, 1981: 3.85 ft, below flood stage; 2,680 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1982: 4.58 ft, minor flooding; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1984: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1986: 3.42 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1987: 4.05 ft, action stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1988: 4.42 ft, action stage; 3,720 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1989: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1990: 3.93 ft, below flood stage; 2,940 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 1992: 4.15 ft, action stage; 3,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1993: 4.43 ft, action stage; 3,710 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1994: 2.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1995: 3.36 ft, below flood stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1997: 3.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1999: 4.77 ft, minor flooding; 4,270 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2000: 4.18 ft, action stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2001: 4.16 ft, action stage; 3,280 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2002: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2003: 4.11 ft, action stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 2003: 4.39 ft, action stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2005: 3.36 ft, below flood stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondNov 22, 2005: 3.51 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2007: 3.13 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2007: 3.62 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2008: 3.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2010: 4.03 ft, action stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2011: 4.42 ft, action stage; 3,690 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2012: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,370 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2013: 3.16 ft, below flood stage; 1,870 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2014: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2015: 3.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2015: 3.54 ft, below flood stage; 2,430 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2017: 3.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,530 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 2017: 2.74 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2019: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,590 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 2020: 3.77 ft, below flood stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2020: 4.31 ft, action stage; 3,550 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2022: 3.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 2022: 3.04 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 2023: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 2023: 3.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2024: 3.54 ft, below flood stage; 2,430 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2025: 3.63 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per second Highest, 5.19 ft, Oct 8, 1974 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Fish Creek near Ketchikan 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 21 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 5.33 ft on Nov 1, 1917; 4.06 ft on Oct 14, 1945; 4.20 ft on Sep 11, 1947; 4.04 ft on Sep 3, 1948; 4.93 ft on Sep 22, 1949; 3.62 ft on Jun 14, 1951; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Fish Creek near Ketchikan
1Oct 8, 19745.19+0.69Moderate4,540
2Dec 27, 19794.91+0.41Minor4,520
3Nov 3, 19764.89+0.39Minor4,130
4May 24, 19994.77+0.27Minor4,270
5Oct 10, 19824.58+0.08Minor3,890
6Oct 6, 19804.500.00Minor3,800
7Nov 1, 19784.44−0.06Action3,640
8Feb 6, 19934.43−0.07Action3,710
9Nov 30, 19884.42−0.08Action3,720
10Sep 9, 20114.42−0.08Action3,690
11Oct 26, 20034.39−0.11Action3,640
12Dec 6, 20204.31−0.19Action3,550
13Aug 22, 20004.18−0.32Action3,310
14Sep 23, 20014.16−0.34Action3,280
15Sep 29, 19924.15−0.35Action3,270
16Jan 7, 20034.11−0.39Action3,200
17Nov 29, 19874.05−0.45Action3,040
18Sep 3, 20104.03−0.47Action3,080
19Oct 12, 19774.01−0.49Action2,920
20Dec 7, 19903.93−0.57Below flood stage2,940
21Nov 5, 19813.85−0.65Below flood stage2,680
22Sep 28, 20143.81−0.69Below flood stage2,760
23Dec 13, 19973.78−0.72Below flood stage2,720
24Aug 16, 20203.77−0.73Below flood stage2,750
25Jan 5, 19843.75−0.75Below flood stage2,600
26Nov 18, 20233.75−0.75Below flood stage2,720
27Oct 31, 19723.64−0.86Below flood stage2,450
28May 29, 20253.63−0.87Below flood stage2,550
29Oct 14, 20073.62−0.88Below flood stage2,500
30Aug 22, 20173.61−0.89Below flood stage2,530
31Jan 22, 20153.60−0.90Below flood stage2,470
32Oct 6, 19713.59−0.91Below flood stage2,450
33Aug 28, 20023.59−0.91Below flood stage2,450
34Oct 9, 20153.54−0.96Below flood stage2,430
35Dec 6, 20243.54−0.96Below flood stage2,430
36Sep 13, 20123.53−0.97Below flood stage2,370
37Nov 22, 20053.51−0.99Below flood stage2,350
38Feb 9, 20223.49−1.01Below flood stage2,350
39Oct 8, 20083.46−1.04Below flood stage2,280
40Feb 28, 19863.42−1.08Below flood stage2,070
41Dec 25, 19893.37−1.13Below flood stage2,160
42Oct 13, 19953.36−1.14Below flood stage2,150
43Feb 1, 20053.36−1.14Below flood stage2,150
44May 14, 20133.16−1.34Below flood stage1,870
45Mar 6, 20073.13−1.37Below flood stage1,850
46Oct 29, 20223.04−1.46Below flood stage1,700
47Aug 24, 20192.96−1.54Below flood stage1,590
48Oct 19, 20232.96−1.54Below flood stage1,580
49Oct 16, 19942.85−1.65Below flood stage1,500
50Oct 24, 20172.74−1.76Below flood stage1,330

Other gauges in Ketchikan Gateway Borough

Flood gauges in Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Ketchikan Powerhouse near Ketchikan63.564.29 ft, Dec 5, 20200
Lower Ketchikan Lake above Ketchikan Lake Dam near Ketchikan349.0350.20 ft, Jan 21, 20150
Lake Connell Dam near Ketchikan252.0253.00 ft, Oct 17, 20230

Ketchikan Gateway Borough: every hazard · River floods across the country · Alaska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FCKA2, 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.