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Bear Creek at McKee Road

Highest listed crest 26.18 ftFlood stage 23.0 ft6 crests since 2005

The Bear Creek at McKee Road crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 6 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2005 to 2023. The highest, 26.18 ft on January 10, 2023, was major flooding, 3.18 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.18 ft
January 10, 2023; 7,405 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
23.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.6 ft
Crests at major
1
33rd of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2023
26.18 ft, major flooding
Location
Merced County
Near Merced (1.4 mi), Atwater (8.9 mi)
Identifiers
NWS MEEC1
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bear Creek at McKee Road
Action stage17.04Mar 22, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)23.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.61Apr 4, 2006Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.61Jan 10, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

6 crests from 2005 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Bear Creek at McKee Road, 2005 to 2023 182022242628ft Flood stage 23.0 ftMajor 25.6 ft Jan 9, 2005: 19.16 ft, action stage; 3,803 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2006: 24.65 ft, moderate flooding; 7,711 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2011: 18.16 ft, action stage; 3,996 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 20.08 ft, action stage; 4,918 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2018: 21.72 ft, action stage; 4,844 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2023: 26.18 ft, major flooding; 7,405 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.18 ft, Jan 10, 2023 2005201020152020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Bear Creek at McKee Road 2000s: 1 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 2000s2010s2020s
  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. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 22.90 ft on Dec 25, 1955; 16.90 ft on Mar 16, 1958; 17.35 ft on Feb 11, 1973.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Bear Creek at McKee Road
1Jan 10, 202326.18+3.18Major7,405
2Apr 4, 200624.65+1.65Moderate7,711
3Mar 22, 201821.72−1.28Action4,844
4Mar 21, 201120.08−2.92Action4,918
5Jan 9, 200519.16−3.84Action3,803
6Jan 2, 201118.16−4.84Action3,996

Other gauges in Merced County

Flood gauges in Merced County
Stevinson71.071.44 ft, Mar 21, 20230

Merced County: every hazard · River floods across the country · California

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MEEC1, 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.