Kern River at Kernville

Highest listed crest 17.77 ftFlood stage 13.5 ft1 crests since 2023

The Kern River at Kernville crested above flood stage 1 time among the 1 crests the National Weather Service lists from 2023 to 2023. The highest, 17.77 ft on March 10, 2023, was moderate flooding, 4.27 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 17.77 ft; March 10, 2023
Flood stage: 13.5 ft; Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major: 0; 1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: March 10, 2023; 17.77 ft, moderate flooding
Location: Kern County; California
Identifiers: NWS KRVC1; 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, Kern River at Kernville

Action stage	12.5	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	13.5	0	—	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	17.0	1	Mar 10, 2023	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	20.0	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

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.
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, Kern River at Kernville

1	Mar 10, 2023	17.77	+4.27	Moderate	—

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KRVC1, 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.