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Gila River near Calva

Highest listed crest 23.00 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft33 crests since 1965

The Gila River near Calva crested above flood stage 2 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1965 to 2006. The highest, 23.00 ft on October 3, 1983, was minor flooding, 3.00 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
23.00 ft
October 3, 1983; 150,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 15, 2005
21.96 ft, minor flooding
Location
Graham 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 near Calva
Action stage15.06Oct 24, 2000The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.02Feb 15, 2005Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1965 to 2006. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Gila River near Calva, 1965 to 2006 0102030ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Dec 24, 1965: 15.50 ft, action stage; 39,000 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1967: 16.00 ft, action stage; 40,000 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1975: 9.90 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1976: 6.05 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1977: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 6,090 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1978: 10.88 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1980: 10.30 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 1981: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1982: 7.58 ft, below flood stage; 2,020 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1983: 11.58 ft, below flood stage; 10,260 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1983: 23.00 ft, minor flooding; 150,000 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1984: 14.53 ft, below flood stage; 53,700 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1985: 8.67 ft, below flood stage; 6,720 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1986: 7.69 ft, below flood stage; 2,150 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1988: 9.27 ft, below flood stage; 7,820 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1988: 6.69 ft, below flood stage; 903 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1990: 7.23 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1991: 14.15 ft, below flood stage; 46,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1992: 10.12 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1993: 19.35 ft, action stage; 105,000 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1993: 19.68 ft, action stage; 109,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1994: 5.12 ft, below flood stage; 553 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1995: 18.06 ft, action stage; 64,500 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1996: 7.01 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1997: 12.13 ft, below flood stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1998: 7.31 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1999: 9.65 ft, below flood stage; 8,140 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 2000: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 2000: 16.94 ft, action stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2002: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,740 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2002: 4.34 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2005: 21.96 ft, minor floodingJul 29, 2006: 12.89 ft, below flood stage; 8,410 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.00 ft, Oct 3, 1983 1970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Gila River near Calva 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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. 43 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 7.40 ft on Jul 29, 1930; 7.12 ft on Aug 11, 1931; 9.70 ft on Feb 12, 1932; 6.23 ft on Sep 9, 1933; 9.35 ft on Aug 28, 1934; 6.24 ft on Jul 31, 1935; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Gila River near Calva
1Oct 3, 198323.00+3.00Minor150,000
2Feb 15, 200521.96+1.96Minor—
3Jan 20, 199319.68−0.32Action109,000
4Jan 12, 199319.35−0.65Action105,000
5Jan 6, 199518.06−1.94Action64,500
6Oct 24, 200016.94−3.06Action14,800
7Aug 13, 196716.00−4.00Action40,000
8Dec 24, 196515.50−4.50Action39,000
9Dec 29, 198414.53−5.47Below flood stage53,700
10Mar 3, 199114.15−5.85Below flood stage46,400
11Jul 29, 200612.89−7.11Below flood stage8,410
12Sep 24, 199712.13−7.87Below flood stage15,500
13Feb 6, 198311.58−8.42Below flood stage10,260
14Mar 4, 197810.88−9.12Below flood stage19,000
15Feb 16, 198010.30−9.70Below flood stage20,600
16Feb 15, 199210.12−9.88Below flood stage15,700
17Sep 10, 19759.90−10.10Below flood stage15,800
18Aug 7, 19999.65−10.35Below flood stage8,140
19Sep 24, 19889.27−10.73Below flood stage7,820
20Oct 18, 19858.67−11.33Below flood stage6,720
21Aug 2, 19817.80−12.20Below flood stage2,200
22Nov 4, 19867.69−12.31Below flood stage2,150
23Sep 12, 19827.58−12.42Below flood stage2,020
24Aug 15, 19777.45−12.55Below flood stage6,090
25Mar 29, 19987.31−12.69Below flood stage3,250
26Aug 23, 19907.23−12.77Below flood stage1,110
27Sep 14, 20027.18−12.82Below flood stage2,740
28Sep 16, 19967.01−12.99Below flood stage3,250
29Oct 16, 19886.69−13.31Below flood stage903
30Feb 12, 19766.05−13.95Below flood stage2,600
31Feb 10, 19945.12−14.88Below flood stage553
32Aug 30, 20004.61−15.39Below flood stage1,170
33Oct 9, 20024.34−15.66Below flood stage1,120

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 3, 1983: 23.00 ft here, minor flooding

  • KelvinAZ · Oct 2, 1983 · 33.00 ft · Moderate · its highest

February 15, 2005: 21.96 ft here, minor flooding

  • DuncanAZ · Feb 15, 2005 · 21.36 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • VirdenNM · Feb 12, 2005 · 21.14 ft · Moderate
  • GilaNM · Feb 12, 2005 · 12.28 ft · Minor

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
KelvinAZ27.033.00 ft, Oct 2, 19830
Painted Rock LakeAZ661.0667.05 ft, Feb 27, 19930
Calva this gaugeAZ20.023.00 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 Graham County

Flood gauges in Graham County
Morenci13.017.30 ft, Oct 2, 19830
Peridot11.013.07 ft, Nov 25, 19781

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GLCA3, 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.