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Santa Cruz River at Green Valley

Highest listed crest 16.34 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft7 crests since 1983

The Santa Cruz River at Green Valley crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 7 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1983 to 2003. The highest, 16.34 ft on October 2, 1983, was major flooding, 2.34 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
16.34 ft
October 2, 1983; 45,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
1
12th of 47 gauges in Arizona
Most recent flood crest
January 19, 1993
14.75 ft, minor flooding
Location
Pima County
Near Sahuarita (4.3 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 Green Valley
Action stage12.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.01Jan 19, 1993Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.01Oct 2, 1983Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

7 crests from 1983 to 2003. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Santa Cruz River at Green Valley, 1983 to 2003 05101520ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Feb 4, 1983: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 1983: 16.34 ft, major flooding; 45,000 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1984: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1993: 14.75 ft, minor flooding; 32,400 cubic feet per secondOct 23, 2000: 8.19 ft, below flood stage; 5,290 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 2002: 5.06 ft, below flood stage; 600 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2003: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,580 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.34 ft, Oct 2, 1983 1985199019952000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Santa Cruz River at Green Valley 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 1980s1990s2000s
  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. 11 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 10.10 ft on Aug 5, 1954; 11.34 ft on Aug 19, 1955; 10.13 ft on Sep 10, 1964; 9.34 ft on Dec 23, 1965; 8.81 ft on Jul 27, 1967; 12.40 ft on Dec 20, 1967; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Santa Cruz River at Green Valley
1Oct 2, 198316.34+2.34Major45,000
2Jan 19, 199314.75+0.75Minor32,400
3Dec 28, 19849.66−4.34Below flood stage11,600
4Feb 4, 19838.39−5.61Below flood stage4,800
5Oct 23, 20008.19−5.81Below flood stage5,290
6Jul 28, 20037.25−6.75Below flood stage3,580
7Sep 6, 20025.06−8.94Below flood stage600

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: 16.34 ft here, major flooding

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 Valley this gaugeAZ14.016.34 ft, Oct 2, 19831
Congress StreetAZ12.022.20 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
Congress Street12.022.20 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 SCCA3, 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.