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San Francisco River at Clifton

Highest listed crest 25.27 ftFlood stage 24.0 ft5 crests since 1993

The San Francisco River at Clifton crested above flood stage 1 time among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1993 to 2000. The highest, 25.27 ft on January 18, 1993, was minor flooding, 1.27 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
25.27 ft
January 18, 1993; 42,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
24.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
January 18, 1993
25.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Greenlee County
Arizona

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, San Francisco River at Clifton
Action stage22.01Oct 23, 2000The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)24.01Jan 18, 1993Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1993 to 2000. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the San Francisco River at Clifton, 1993 to 2000 182022242628ft Flood stage 24.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jan 11, 1993: 21.13 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1993: 25.27 ft, minor flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1993: 19.82 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1995: 21.51 ft, below flood stage; 22,200 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2000: 22.28 ft, action stage; 23,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 25.27 ft, Jan 18, 1993 19952000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, San Francisco River at Clifton 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 0 1990s2000s
  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. 17 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 29.70 ft on Feb 21, 1891; 29.00 ft on Jan 10, 1905; 29.70 ft on Nov 27, 1905; 30.50 ft on Dec 3, 1906; 28.90 ft on Jan 16, 1916; 29.00 ft on Oct 13, 1916; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, San Francisco River at Clifton
1Jan 18, 199325.27+1.27Minor42,900
2Oct 23, 200022.28−1.72Action23,400
3Jan 5, 199521.51−2.49Below flood stage22,200
4Jan 11, 199321.13−2.87Below flood stage20,600
5Feb 20, 199319.82−4.18Below flood stage15,800

Gauges on the San Francisco River

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

Flood gauges on the San Francisco River
GlenwoodNM15.020.80 ft, Oct 2, 19831
Clifton this gaugeAZ24.025.27 ft, Jan 18, 19930

Other gauges in Greenlee County

Flood gauges in Greenlee County
Morenci10.015.50 ft, Jan 18, 19932
Duncan20.021.36 ft, Feb 15, 20050

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SFCA3, 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.