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Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee

Highest listed crest 6.63 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft19 crests since 1937

The Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee crested above flood stage 9 times among the 19 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2017. The highest, 6.63 ft on January 2, 1997, was moderate flooding, 1.13 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Donner Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
6.63 ft
January 2, 1997; 863 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 10, 2017
6.10 ft, minor flooding
Location
Nevada County
Near Truckee (2.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee
Action stage5.09May 2, 2009The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.58Feb 10, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.31Jan 2, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream

Every listed crest

19 crests from 1937 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee, 1937 to 2017 4.555.566.57ft Flood stage 5.5 ft Dec 11, 1937: 5.71 ft, minor flooding; 600 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1950: 6.06 ft, minor flooding; 700 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1959: 5.00 ft, action stage; 408 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1964: 6.04 ft, minor flooding; 695 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1967: 5.07 ft, action stage; 428 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 5.30 ft, action stage; 489 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1974: 5.42 ft, action stage; 522 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1978: 4.96 ft, below flood stage; 397 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1980: 5.16 ft, action stage; 451 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1981: 5.16 ft, action stage; 452 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1986: 6.08 ft, minor flooding; 707 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1996: 5.50 ft, minor flooding; 544 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1997: 6.63 ft, moderate flooding; 863 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1999: 5.32 ft, action stage; 494 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2005: 5.59 ft, minor flooding; 568 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 5.26 ft, action stage; 478 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2009: 5.33 ft, action stage; 497 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2012: 5.66 ft, minor flooding; 588 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2017: 6.10 ft, minor flooding; 380 cubic feet per second Highest, 6.63 ft, Jan 2, 1997 1940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Donner Creek at Donner Lk Nr Truckee
1Jan 2, 19976.63+1.13Moderate863
2Feb 10, 20176.10+0.60Minor380
3Feb 19, 19866.08+0.58Minor707
4Nov 21, 19506.06+0.56Minor700
5Dec 25, 19646.04+0.54Minor695
6Dec 11, 19375.71+0.21Minor600
7Apr 26, 20125.66+0.16Minor588
8May 19, 20055.59+0.09Minor568
9May 18, 19965.500.00Minor544
10Jul 9, 19745.42−0.08Action522
11May 2, 20095.33−0.17Action497
12May 26, 19995.32−0.18Action494
13Jan 24, 19705.30−0.20Action489
14Dec 31, 20055.26−0.24Action478
15Jan 14, 19805.16−0.34Action451
16Dec 20, 19815.16−0.34Action452
17May 24, 19675.07−0.43Action428
18Apr 14, 19595.00−0.50Action408
19May 15, 19784.96−0.54Below flood stage397

The worst floods along the Donner Creek

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

January 2, 1997: 6.63 ft here, moderate flooding

  • TruckeeCA · Jan 2, 1997 · 12.76 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Donner Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Donner Creek
Donner Lk Nr Truckee this gaugeCA5.56.63 ft, Jan 2, 19970
TruckeeCA8.012.76 ft, Jan 2, 19972

Other gauges in Nevada County

Flood gauges in Nevada County
Boca Reservoir5,605.05,605.55 ft, Dec 23, 19550
Truckee8.012.76 ft, Jan 2, 19972
Farad11.014.37 ft, Nov 21, 19504

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DCKC1, 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.