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Santa Cruz River at Congress Street

Highest listed crest 22.20 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft15 crests since 1983

The Santa Cruz River at Congress Street crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 15 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1983 to 2011. The highest, 22.20 ft on October 2, 1983, was major flooding, 10.20 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Santa Cruz River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
22.20 ft
October 2, 1983; 52,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
1
12th of 47 gauges in Arizona
Most recent flood crest
October 2, 1983
22.20 ft, major flooding
Location
Pima County
Near Tucson (8.0 mi), Oro Valley (13.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Santa Cruz River at Congress Street
Action stage11.02Aug 23, 2005The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.01Oct 2, 1983Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

15 crests from 1983 to 2011. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Santa Cruz River at Congress Street, 1983 to 2011 510152025ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 15.0 ft Oct 2, 1983: 22.20 ft, major flooding; 52,700 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1988: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1990: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 9,430 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1993: 11.67 ft, action stage; 37,400 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1996: 7.26 ft, below flood stage; 9,370 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2000: 7.81 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 2002: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 5,640 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2003: 5.53 ft, below flood stage; 4,820 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 2005: 11.67 ft, action stage; 16,300 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2006: 8.52 ft, below flood stage; 7,200 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2007: 10.72 ft, below flood stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2008: 5.78 ft, below flood stage; 4,500 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 2009: 5.76 ft, below flood stage; 4,470 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2010: 9.83 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2011: 10.21 ft, below flood stage; 9,880 cubic feet per second Highest, 22.20 ft, Oct 2, 1983 198519901995200020052010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Santa Cruz River at Congress Street 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 21.80 ft on Oct 10, 1977; 9.50 ft on Dec 19, 1978.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Santa Cruz River at Congress Street
1Oct 2, 198322.20+10.20Major52,700
2Jan 19, 199311.67−0.33Action37,400
3Aug 23, 200511.67−0.33Action16,300
4Jul 31, 200710.72−1.28Below flood stage13,200
5Sep 15, 201110.21−1.79Below flood stage9,880
6Jul 31, 20109.83−2.17Below flood stage11,400
7Aug 23, 19888.90−3.10Below flood stage10,700
8Jul 31, 20068.52−3.48Below flood stage7,200
9Jul 24, 19908.32−3.68Below flood stage9,430
10Oct 23, 20007.81−4.19Below flood stage10,900
11Sep 3, 19967.26−4.74Below flood stage9,370
12Sep 6, 20025.84−6.16Below flood stage5,640
13Jul 20, 20085.78−6.22Below flood stage4,500
14Jul 4, 20095.76−6.24Below flood stage4,470
15Aug 22, 20035.53−6.47Below flood stage4,820

The worst floods along the Santa Cruz River

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

October 2, 1983: 22.20 ft here, major flooding

  • Green ValleyAZ · Oct 2, 1983 · 16.34 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Santa Cruz River

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

Flood gauges on the Santa Cruz River
Green ValleyAZ14.016.34 ft, Oct 2, 19831
Congress Street this gaugeAZ12.022.20 ft, Oct 2, 19831
Trico RoadAZ14.017.20 ft, Jul 31, 20061

Other gauges in Pima County

Flood gauges in Pima County
Dodge Boulevard11.514.84 ft, Jan 8, 19932
Sabino Dam3.09.04 ft, Jul 31, 20063
Redington12.514.93 ft, Jul 22, 20035
Green Valley14.016.34 ft, Oct 2, 19831
Trico Road14.017.20 ft, Jul 31, 20061

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TSCA3, 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.