Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana

Highest listed crest 18.45 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft39 crests since 1982

The Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana crested above flood stage 9 times among the 39 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1982 to 2021. The highest, 18.45 ft on May 11, 1986, was moderate flooding, 8.45 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.45 ft
May 11, 1986
Flood stage
10.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 30, 2013
12.13 ft, moderate flooding
Identifiers
NWS GULA2
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana
Action stage9.011Jun 1, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.04May 4, 2009Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.55May 30, 2013Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

39 crests from 1982 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana, 1982 to 2021 5101520ft Flood stage 10.0 ft May 12, 1982: 11.65 ft, moderate floodingMay 27, 1982: 8.65 ft, below flood stageAug 27, 1983: 9.75 ft, action stageJun 18, 1984: 9.75 ft, action stageJun 18, 1985: 10.35 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 1986: 18.45 ft, moderate floodingJul 16, 1987: 7.85 ft, below flood stageJun 2, 1988: 10.00 ft, minor floodingMay 4, 1989: 10.40 ft, minor floodingSep 13, 1990: 9.93 ft, action stageMay 9, 1991: 9.55 ft, action stageMay 12, 1992: 9.30 ft, action stageJun 3, 1992: 9.05 ft, action stageMay 13, 1993: 9.09 ft, action stageApr 29, 1994: 8.44 ft, below flood stageMay 4, 1995: 8.63 ft, below flood stageMay 12, 1996: 8.50 ft, below flood stageJun 2, 1997: 8.95 ft, below flood stageAug 11, 1998: 7.31 ft, below flood stageMay 18, 1999: 8.13 ft, below flood stageDec 29, 2000: 10.71 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 2001: 8.19 ft, below flood stageAug 23, 2002: 8.73 ft, below flood stageMay 2, 2003: 8.14 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 2004: 8.90 ft, below flood stageApr 30, 2005: 8.90 ft, below flood stageAug 24, 2006: 9.30 ft, action stageMay 4, 2007: 10.85 ft, moderate floodingJul 9, 2008: 8.00 ft, below flood stage; 4,003 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2009: 10.28 ft, minor flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 2010: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 3,664 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2011: 9.74 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2012: 9.38 ft, action stageMay 30, 2013: 12.13 ft, moderate floodingJul 3, 2014: 8.85 ft, below flood stageMay 10, 2015: 8.79 ft, below flood stageJul 26, 2016: 7.81 ft, below flood stageMay 18, 2017: 7.35 ft, below flood stageJun 1, 2021: 9.33 ft, action stage Highest, 18.45 ft, May 11, 1986 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 0 2000s: 3 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 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, Gulkana River at the Richardson Highway near Gulkana
1May 11, 198618.45+8.45Moderate—
2May 30, 201312.13+2.13Moderate—
3May 12, 198211.65+1.65Moderate—
4May 4, 200710.85+0.85Moderate—
5Dec 29, 200010.71+0.71Moderate—
6May 4, 198910.40+0.40Minor—
7Jun 18, 198510.35+0.35Minor—
8May 4, 200910.28+0.28Minor13,900
9Jun 2, 198810.000.00Minor—
10Sep 13, 19909.93−0.07Action—
11Aug 27, 19839.75−0.25Action—
12Jun 18, 19849.75−0.25Action—
13May 6, 20119.74−0.26Action11,200
14May 9, 19919.55−0.45Action—
15Jun 15, 20129.38−0.62Action—
16Jun 1, 20219.33−0.67Action—
17May 12, 19929.30−0.70Action—
18Aug 24, 20069.30−0.70Action—
19May 13, 19939.09−0.91Action—
20Jun 3, 19929.05−0.95Action—
21Jun 2, 19978.95−1.05Below flood stage—
22May 9, 20048.90−1.10Below flood stage—
23Apr 30, 20058.90−1.10Below flood stage—
24Jul 3, 20148.85−1.15Below flood stage—
25May 10, 20158.79−1.21Below flood stage—
26Aug 23, 20028.73−1.27Below flood stage—
27May 27, 19828.65−1.35Below flood stage—
28May 4, 19958.63−1.37Below flood stage—
29May 12, 19968.50−1.50Below flood stage—
30Apr 29, 19948.44−1.56Below flood stage—
31May 25, 20018.19−1.81Below flood stage—
32May 2, 20038.14−1.86Below flood stage—
33May 18, 19998.13−1.87Below flood stage—
34Jul 9, 20088.00−2.00Below flood stage4,003
35Jul 25, 20107.86−2.14Below flood stage3,664
36Jul 16, 19877.85−2.15Below flood stage—
37Jul 26, 20167.81−2.19Below flood stage—
38May 18, 20177.35−2.65Below flood stage—
39Aug 11, 19987.31−2.69Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Gulkana River

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

May 30, 2013: 12.13 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SourdoughAK · May 30, 2013 · 14.62 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Gulkana River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Gulkana River
SourdoughAK11.016.03 ft, May 7, 19760
the Richardson Highway near Gulkana this gaugeAK10.018.45 ft, May 11, 19860

Other gauges in Copper River Census Area

Flood gauges in Copper River Census Area
Sourdough11.016.03 ft, May 7, 19760
Glenn Hwy10.512.30 ft, Jun 9, 20120
Glennallen31.041.77 ft, May 31, 20082
the Richardson Hwy near Tonsina12.514.57 ft, Oct 11, 20060
McCarthy1,350.01,353.71 ft, Jul 29, 19940

Copper River Census Area: every hazard · River floods across the country · Alaska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GULA2, 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.