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Gila River at Kelvin

Highest listed crest 33.00 ftFlood stage 27.0 ft16 crests since 1965

The Gila River at Kelvin crested above flood stage 3 times among the 16 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1965 to 2010. The highest, 33.00 ft on October 2, 1983, was moderate flooding, 6.00 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Gila River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
33.00 ft
October 2, 1983; 100,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
27.0 ft
Major flooding from 35.0 ft
Crests at major
0
3 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
January 19, 1993
31.55 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Pinal County
Arizona

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Gila River at Kelvin
Action stage25.01Dec 19, 1978The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)27.01Jan 9, 1993Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage31.02Jan 19, 1993Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage35.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

16 crests from 1965 to 2010. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Gila River at Kelvin, 1965 to 2010 010203040ft Flood stage 27.0 ftMajor 35.0 ft Dec 23, 1965: 23.80 ft, below flood stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1967: 18.70 ft, below flood stage; 27,700 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 1977: 20.40 ft, below flood stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1978: 25.30 ft, action stage; 27,000 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1983: 33.00 ft, moderate flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1993: 29.00 ft, minor flooding; 49,000 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1993: 31.55 ft, moderate flooding; 74,900 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1995: 21.13 ft, below flood stage; 19,700 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2000: 12.92 ft, below flood stage; 7,710 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2002: 6.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,660 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2003: 7.19 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2006: 22.29 ft, below flood stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2007: 9.51 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 2008: 13.79 ft, below flood stage; 6,080 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2009: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 734 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2010: 14.63 ft, below flood stage; 5,560 cubic feet per second Highest, 33.00 ft, Oct 2, 1983 19701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Gila River at Kelvin 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 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.
  3. 7 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 32.30 ft on Jan 20, 1916; 29.80 ft on Oct 15, 1916; 32.00 ft on Sep 28, 1926; 28.00 ft on Aug 8, 1930; 22.00 ft on Aug 29, 1935; 27.20 ft on Aug 14, 1940; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Gila River at Kelvin
1Oct 2, 198333.00+6.00Moderate100,000
2Jan 19, 199331.55+4.55Moderate74,900
3Jan 9, 199329.00+2.00Minor49,000
4Dec 19, 197825.30−1.70Action27,000
5Dec 23, 196523.80−3.20Below flood stage26,300
6Aug 1, 200622.29−4.71Below flood stage20,100
7Jan 6, 199521.13−5.87Below flood stage19,700
8Oct 10, 197720.40−6.60Below flood stage16,100
9Dec 20, 196718.70−8.30Below flood stage27,700
10Jan 23, 201014.63−12.37Below flood stage5,560
11Jan 28, 200813.79−13.21Below flood stage6,080
12Oct 25, 200012.92−14.08Below flood stage7,710
13Jul 29, 20079.51−17.49Below flood stage2,730
14Aug 27, 20037.19−19.81Below flood stage2,070
15Sep 11, 20026.57−20.43Below flood stage1,660
16May 10, 20095.61−21.39Below flood stage734

The worst floods along the Gila River

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

October 2, 1983: 33.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CalvaAZ · Oct 3, 1983 · 23.00 ft · Minor · its highest

January 19, 1993: 31.55 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Coolidge DamAZ · Jan 25, 1993 · 2,521.36 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • RedrockNM · Jan 19, 1993 · 20.20 ft · Minor
  • MaricopaAZ · Jan 22, 1993 · 6.80 ft · Minor · its highest

January 9, 1993: 29.00 ft here, minor flooding

  • VirdenNM · Jan 11, 1993 · 20.97 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Gila River

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

Flood gauges on the Gila River
GilaNM11.012.90 ft, Sep 15, 20130
Coolidge DamAZ2,515.02,521.36 ft, Jan 25, 19930
DuncanAZ20.021.36 ft, Feb 15, 20050
Kelvin this gaugeAZ27.033.00 ft, Oct 2, 19830
Painted Rock LakeAZ661.0667.05 ft, Feb 27, 19930
CalvaAZ20.023.00 ft, Oct 3, 19830
MaricopaAZ6.06.80 ft, Jan 22, 19930
RedrockNM20.031.00 ft, Sep 29, 19412
VirdenNM15.029.00 ft, Dec 19, 19781

Other gauges in Pinal County

Flood gauges in Pinal County
Mammoth11.519.33 ft, Aug 1, 20062
Maricopa6.06.80 ft, Jan 22, 19930

Pinal County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Arizona

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GLKA3, 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.