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Kuskokwim River at Bethel

Highest listed crest 14.42 ftFlood stage 8.5 ft61 crests since 1941

The Kuskokwim River at Bethel crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 61 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1941 to 2023. The highest, 14.42 ft on May 19, 1976, was major flooding, 5.92 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.42 ft
May 19, 1976
Flood stage
8.5 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
2
9th of 110 gauges in Alaska
Most recent flood crest
May 21, 2023
9.62 ft, minor flooding
Location
Bethel Census Area
Alaska
Identifiers
NWS BETA2
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, Kuskokwim River at Bethel
Action stage7.07May 20, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.524May 21, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.06May 14, 1989Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.02May 19, 1976Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

61 crests from 1941 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kuskokwim River at Bethel, 1941 to 2023 05101520ft Flood stage 8.5 ftMajor 14.0 ft May 7, 1941: 14.01 ft, major floodingSep 5, 1951: 8.74 ft, minor flooding; 373,800 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1952: 8.99 ft, minor flooding; 384,200 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1953: 7.85 ft, action stage; 330,400 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1954: 5.67 ft, below flood stage; 246,700 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1955: 5.04 ft, below flood stage; 227,500 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 1956: 3.03 ft, below flood stage; 174,300 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1957: 8.99 ft, minor flooding; 384,200 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1959: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 251,200 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1960: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 223,100 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1961: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 246,700 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1962: 7.45 ft, action stage; 310,300 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1963: 13.22 ft, moderate floodingSep 1, 1963: 10.05 ft, minor flooding; 446,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1964: 13.07 ft, moderate floodingJun 9, 1964: 11.89 ft, minor flooding; 579,200 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1965: 6.63 ft, below flood stage; 279,200 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1966: 2.94 ft, below flood stage; 171,400 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1967: 11.22 ft, minor floodingMay 25, 1972: 13.20 ft, moderate floodingMay 18, 1973: 11.20 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1974: 9.30 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1975: 13.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 1976: 14.42 ft, major floodingMay 23, 1977: 11.70 ft, minor floodingMay 8, 1978: 3.40 ft, below flood stageMay 4, 1979: 6.42 ft, below flood stageMay 10, 1980: 9.50 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1981: 8.80 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1982: 8.30 ft, action stageMay 14, 1983: 8.20 ft, action stageMay 12, 1984: 3.86 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 1985: 12.02 ft, moderate floodingSep 14, 1986: 5.74 ft, below flood stageMay 29, 1987: 9.95 ft, minor floodingMay 15, 1988: 10.04 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1989: 13.50 ft, moderate floodingMay 8, 1990: 8.90 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 1991: 10.48 ft, minor floodingMay 26, 1992: 3.48 ft, below flood stageMay 3, 1993: 7.57 ft, action stageMay 8, 1994: 7.34 ft, action stageMay 7, 1995: 11.30 ft, minor floodingAug 3, 1996: 3.70 ft, below flood stageSep 19, 1997: 3.40 ft, below flood stageMay 2, 1998: 4.28 ft, below flood stageMay 21, 1999: 10.95 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2000: 6.87 ft, below flood stageSep 3, 2001: 6.91 ft, below flood stageMay 14, 2002: 8.54 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2003: 3.64 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 2005: 11.00 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 2006: 9.71 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2009: 10.92 ft, minor floodingJul 12, 2014: 5.15 ft, below flood stageMay 23, 2015: 5.43 ft, below flood stageSep 20, 2016: 6.58 ft, below flood stageMay 11, 2021: 8.50 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 2022: 7.12 ft, action stageSep 17, 2022: 9.48 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 2023: 9.62 ft, minor flooding Highest, 14.42 ft, May 19, 1976 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kuskokwim River at Bethel 1940s: 1 1950s: 3 1960s: 5 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 6 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 0 2020s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 61 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Kuskokwim River at Bethel
1May 19, 197614.42+5.92Major—
2May 7, 194114.01+5.51Major—
3May 14, 198913.50+5.00Moderate—
4May 22, 197513.30+4.80Moderate—
5May 13, 196313.22+4.72Moderate—
6May 25, 197213.20+4.70Moderate—
7Jun 5, 196413.07+4.57Moderate—
8May 26, 198512.02+3.52Moderate—
9Jun 9, 196411.89+3.39Minor579,200
10May 23, 197711.70+3.20Minor—
11May 7, 199511.30+2.80Minor—
12May 13, 196711.22+2.72Minor—
13May 18, 197311.20+2.70Minor—
14May 9, 200511.00+2.50Minor—
15May 21, 199910.95+2.45Minor—
16May 11, 200910.92+2.42Minor—
17May 11, 199110.48+1.98Minor—
18Sep 1, 196310.05+1.55Minor446,200
19May 15, 198810.04+1.54Minor—
20May 29, 19879.95+1.45Minor—
21May 24, 20069.71+1.21Minor—
22May 21, 20239.62+1.12Minor—
23May 10, 19809.50+1.00Minor—
24Sep 17, 20229.48+0.98Minor—
25May 10, 19749.30+0.80Minor—
26Jun 5, 19528.99+0.49Minor384,200
27May 11, 19578.99+0.49Minor384,200
28May 8, 19908.90+0.40Minor—
29May 12, 19818.80+0.30Minor—
30Sep 5, 19518.74+0.24Minor373,800
31May 14, 20028.54+0.04Minor—
32May 11, 20218.500.00Minor—
33May 19, 19828.30−0.20Action—
34May 14, 19838.20−0.30Action—
35Sep 4, 19537.85−0.65Action330,400
36May 3, 19937.57−0.93Action—
37May 27, 19627.45−1.05Action310,300
38May 8, 19947.34−1.16Action—
39May 20, 20227.12−1.38Action—
40Sep 3, 20016.91−1.59Below flood stage—
41May 11, 20006.87−1.63Below flood stage—
42Oct 3, 19656.63−1.87Below flood stage279,200
43Sep 20, 20166.58−1.92Below flood stage—
44May 4, 19796.42−2.08Below flood stage—
45Aug 31, 19595.80−2.70Below flood stage251,200
46Sep 14, 19865.74−2.76Below flood stage—
47Sep 19, 19615.68−2.82Below flood stage246,700
48Sep 25, 19545.67−2.83Below flood stage246,700
49May 23, 20155.43−3.07Below flood stage—
50Jul 12, 20145.15−3.35Below flood stage—

Other gauges in Bethel Census Area

Flood gauges in Bethel Census Area
Kipnuk Tide Gauge at Kipnuk (MHHW datum)0.48.10 ft, Oct 12, 20254
Crooked Creek19.032.01 ft, May 9, 20110
Kwigillingok Tide Gauge at Kwigillingok (MHHW datum)0.67.50 ft, Oct 12, 20251

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BETA2, 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.