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Kobuk River at Ambler

Highest listed crest 46.73 ftFlood stage 42.5 ft38 crests since 1966

The Kobuk River at Ambler crested above flood stage 7 times among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1966 to 2014. The highest, 46.73 ft on May 25, 1973, was moderate flooding, 4.23 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
46.73 ft
May 25, 1973
Flood stage
42.5 ft
Major flooding from 49.0 ft
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 16, 1991
42.78 ft, minor flooding
Identifiers
NWS ABLA2
USGS 15744000; out of service

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kobuk River at Ambler
Action stage41.03Aug 22, 1994The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)42.55May 16, 1991Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage45.02May 20, 1990Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage49.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1966 to 2014. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kobuk River at Ambler, 1966 to 2014 253035404550ft Flood stage 42.5 ftMajor 49.0 ft Jun 4, 1966: 35.00 ft, below flood stage; 63,900 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1967: 42.40 ft, action stageJun 11, 1967: 37.01 ft, below flood stage; 81,500 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1968: 44.10 ft, minor floodingJun 13, 1968: 38.20 ft, below flood stage; 94,000 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1969: 31.70 ft, below flood stage; 35,900 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1970: 37.00 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1971: 40.91 ft, below flood stageMay 24, 1972: 42.62 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 1973: 46.73 ft, moderate floodingAug 22, 1973: 38.96 ft, below flood stage; 93,600 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1974: 42.58 ft, minor floodingJul 30, 1974: 35.33 ft, below flood stage; 64,200 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1975: 37.57 ft, below flood stageJul 12, 1975: 35.54 ft, below flood stage; 66,700 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1976: 31.94 ft, below flood stage; 36,600 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1977: 42.52 ft, minor floodingJun 10, 1977: 32.30 ft, below flood stage; 39,100 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1983: 34.04 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 1987: 40.31 ft, below flood stageAug 17, 1988: 38.69 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1989: 41.31 ft, action stageMay 20, 1990: 45.75 ft, moderate floodingMay 16, 1991: 42.78 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1993: 38.65 ft, below flood stageAug 22, 1994: 42.30 ft, action stageMay 9, 1995: 36.61 ft, below flood stageMay 15, 1996: 40.22 ft, below flood stageMay 11, 1997: 34.40 ft, below flood stageAug 24, 1998: 35.78 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 1999: 38.58 ft, below flood stageJun 2, 2000: 39.37 ft, below flood stageJun 3, 2001: 39.51 ft, below flood stageJun 7, 2007: 27.47 ft, below flood stageMay 15, 2008: 37.06 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 2009: 37.13 ft, below flood stageJun 1, 2013: 38.76 ft, below flood stageJun 4, 2014: 34.46 ft, below flood stage Highest, 46.73 ft, May 25, 1973 19701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kobuk River at Ambler 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Kobuk River at Ambler
1May 25, 197346.73+4.23Moderate—
2May 20, 199045.75+3.25Moderate—
3Jun 1, 196844.10+1.60Minor—
4May 16, 199142.78+0.28Minor—
5May 24, 197242.62+0.12Minor—
6May 25, 197442.58+0.08Minor—
7May 23, 197742.52+0.02Minor—
8May 27, 196742.40−0.10Action—
9Aug 22, 199442.30−0.20Action—
10May 28, 198941.31−1.19Action—
11May 28, 197140.91−1.59Below flood stage—
12May 23, 198740.31−2.19Below flood stage—
13May 15, 199640.22−2.28Below flood stage—
14Jun 3, 200139.51−2.99Below flood stage—
15Jun 2, 200039.37−3.13Below flood stage—
16Aug 22, 197338.96−3.54Below flood stage93,600
17Jun 1, 201338.76−3.74Below flood stage—
18Aug 17, 198838.69−3.81Below flood stage—
19May 22, 199338.65−3.85Below flood stage—
20May 22, 199938.58−3.92Below flood stage—
21Jun 13, 196838.20−4.30Below flood stage94,000
22May 1, 197537.57−4.93Below flood stage—
23May 26, 200937.13−5.37Below flood stage—
24May 15, 200837.06−5.44Below flood stage—
25Jun 11, 196737.01−5.49Below flood stage81,500
26May 21, 197037.00−5.50Below flood stage—
27May 9, 199536.61−5.89Below flood stage—
28Aug 24, 199835.78−6.72Below flood stage—
29Jul 12, 197535.54−6.96Below flood stage66,700
30Jul 30, 197435.33−7.17Below flood stage64,200
31Jun 4, 196635.00−7.50Below flood stage63,900
32Jun 4, 201434.46−8.04Below flood stage—
33May 11, 199734.40−8.10Below flood stage—
34Aug 11, 198334.04−8.46Below flood stage—
35Jun 10, 197732.30−10.20Below flood stage39,100
36Jun 7, 197631.94−10.56Below flood stage36,600
37May 9, 196931.70−10.80Below flood stage35,900
38Jun 7, 200727.47−15.03Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Kobuk River

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

May 20, 1990: 45.75 ft here, moderate flooding

  • KianaAK · May 22, 1990 · 61.36 ft · Minor

May 16, 1991: 42.78 ft here, minor flooding

  • KianaAK · May 17, 1991 · 61.81 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Kobuk River

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

Flood gauges on the Kobuk River
Ambler this gaugeAK42.546.73 ft, May 25, 19730
KianaAK60.169.17 ft, May 24, 20230

Other gauges in Northwest Arctic Borough

Flood gauges in Northwest Arctic Borough
Kiana60.169.17 ft, May 24, 20230
Tutak Creek near Kivalina11.214.79 ft, Aug 16, 20120

Northwest Arctic Borough: every hazard · River floods across the country · Alaska

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ABLA2, 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.