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San Pedro River near Palominas

Highest listed crest 18.88 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft53 crests since 1940

The San Pedro River near Palominas crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2006. The highest, 18.88 ft on October 23, 2000, was major flooding, 2.88 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the San Pedro River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.88 ft
October 23, 2000; 15,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
2
7th of 47 gauges in Arizona
Most recent flood crest
July 31, 2006
18.25 ft, major flooding
Location
Cochise 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 Pedro River near Palominas
Action stage15.01Aug 7, 2000The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.02Oct 9, 1977Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.02Jul 31, 2006Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1940 to 2006. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the San Pedro River near Palominas, 1940 to 2006 5101520ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Aug 14, 1940: 16.45 ft, minor flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1950: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 6,270 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1951: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 5,710 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1952: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 7,400 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1953: 11.68 ft, below flood stage; 1,190 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1954: 8.67 ft, below flood stage; 6,510 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1955: 8.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,250 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1956: 8.66 ft, below flood stage; 4,640 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1957: 5.74 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1958: 12.61 ft, below flood stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1959: 11.19 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1960: 5.51 ft, below flood stage; 3,410 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1961: 5.85 ft, below flood stage; 3,820 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1962: 6.20 ft, below flood stage; 4,130 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1963: 10.70 ft, below flood stage; 6,340 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1964: 12.84 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1965: 9.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,530 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1966: 8.57 ft, below flood stage; 3,610 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1967: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 5,560 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1969: 9.41 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 1970: 10.49 ft, below flood stage; 5,870 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1971: 10.86 ft, below flood stage; 6,380 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1972: 7.52 ft, below flood stage; 1,830 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1972: 8.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 1974: 11.37 ft, below flood stage; 7,360 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1975: 11.03 ft, below flood stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondJul 27, 1976: 10.18 ft, below flood stage; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1977: 9.04 ft, below flood stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1977: 16.04 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1979: 13.88 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1980: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1981: 9.04 ft, below flood stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1982: 9.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1983: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 8,180 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1983: 12.69 ft, below flood stage; 8,180 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1984: 14.14 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1986: 9.55 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 1987: 6.13 ft, below flood stage; 978 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1988: 11.93 ft, below flood stage; 7,020 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1989: 7.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1990: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1992: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1993: 14.52 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1994: 7.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1994: 14.21 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1996: 12.22 ft, below flood stage; 6,310 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1997: 10.02 ft, below flood stage; 3,620 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 1997: 12.06 ft, below flood stage; 6,080 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1999: 9.62 ft, below flood stage; 3,220 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2000: 15.10 ft, action stage; 9,590 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2000: 18.88 ft, major flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2002: 9.87 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2006: 18.25 ft, major flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.88 ft, Oct 23, 2000 1940195019601970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, San Pedro River near Palominas 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  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. 10 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 23.90 ft on Sep 28, 1926; 9.75 ft on Aug 7, 1930; 9.60 ft on Aug 8, 1931; 8.00 ft on Aug 9, 1932; 8.10 ft on Sep 19, 1933; 6.74 ft on Aug 14, 1935; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, San Pedro River near Palominas
1Oct 23, 200018.88+2.88Major15,900
2Jul 31, 200618.25+2.25Major14,200
3Aug 14, 194016.45+0.45Minor22,000
4Oct 9, 197716.04+0.04Minor14,500
5Aug 7, 200015.10−0.90Action9,590
6Jan 19, 199314.52−1.48Below flood stage11,200
7Nov 12, 199414.21−1.79Below flood stage10,700
8Dec 28, 198414.14−1.86Below flood stage10,600
9Jan 18, 197913.88−2.12Below flood stage12,000
10Aug 14, 196412.84−3.16Below flood stage11,000
11Oct 2, 198312.69−3.31Below flood stage8,180
12Aug 5, 195812.61−3.39Below flood stage16,500
13Aug 3, 199612.22−3.78Below flood stage6,310
14Oct 8, 199712.06−3.94Below flood stage6,080
15Sep 11, 198811.93−4.07Below flood stage7,020
16Jul 7, 195311.68−4.32Below flood stage1,190
17Jul 30, 197411.37−4.63Below flood stage7,360
18Jul 27, 195911.19−4.81Below flood stage13,000
19Sep 14, 197511.03−4.97Below flood stage6,840
20Aug 11, 197110.86−5.14Below flood stage6,380
21Jul 27, 196310.70−5.30Below flood stage6,340
22Jul 26, 196710.50−5.50Below flood stage5,560
23Aug 9, 197010.49−5.51Below flood stage5,870
24Jul 27, 197610.18−5.82Below flood stage5,000
25Sep 22, 199710.02−5.98Below flood stage3,620
26Jul 29, 20029.87−6.13Below flood stage3,910
27Sep 10, 19829.83−6.17Below flood stage4,260
28Jul 28, 19659.70−6.30Below flood stage4,530
29Sep 19, 19999.62−6.38Below flood stage3,220
30Aug 18, 19869.55−6.45Below flood stage4,000
31Jul 28, 19699.41−6.59Below flood stage4,000
32Aug 16, 19529.15−6.85Below flood stage7,400
33Jul 31, 19779.04−6.96Below flood stage3,310
34Jul 10, 19819.04−6.96Below flood stage3,360
35Oct 18, 19728.75−7.25Below flood stage2,900
36Aug 14, 19548.67−7.33Below flood stage6,510
37Jul 17, 19568.66−7.34Below flood stage4,640
38Jul 28, 19668.57−7.43Below flood stage3,610
39Jul 5, 19508.50−7.50Below flood stage6,270
40Jul 31, 19558.40−7.60Below flood stage6,250
41Jul 2, 19518.10−7.90Below flood stage5,710
42Aug 24, 19927.95−8.05Below flood stage2,320
43Jul 16, 19907.88−8.12Below flood stage2,260
44Aug 26, 19727.52−8.48Below flood stage1,830
45Feb 4, 19837.50−8.50Below flood stage8,180
46Aug 21, 19947.46−8.54Below flood stage2,050
47Aug 4, 19897.00−9.00Below flood stage1,550
48Aug 4, 19806.76−9.24Below flood stage2,000
49Jul 26, 19626.20−9.80Below flood stage4,130
50Aug 10, 19876.13−9.87Below flood stage978

The worst floods along the San Pedro River

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

October 23, 2000: 18.88 ft here, major flooding

  • RedingtonAZ · Oct 24, 2000 · 14.18 ft · Major

July 31, 2006: 18.25 ft here, major flooding

  • RedingtonAZ · Jul 29, 2006 · 14.33 ft · Major

Gauges on the San Pedro River

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

Flood gauges on the San Pedro River
Palominas this gaugeAZ16.018.88 ft, Oct 23, 20002
RedingtonAZ12.514.93 ft, Jul 22, 20035

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPPA3, 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.