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Mad River near Arcata

Highest listed crest 32.70 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft37 crests since 1953

The Mad River near Arcata crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2025. The highest, 32.70 ft on December 22, 1964, was major flooding, 10.70 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.70 ft
December 22, 1964; 81,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
2
24th of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
December 21, 2025
24.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Humboldt County
Near Arcata (3.4 mi), Eureka (9.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mad River near Arcata
Action stage15.010Feb 3, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.012Dec 30, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.08Dec 21, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.02Dec 22, 1964Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

37 crests from 1953 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mad River near Arcata, 1953 to 2025 101520253035ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jan 17, 1953: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1955: 28.43 ft, major flooding; 80,000 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 1957: 24.60 ft, moderate flooding; 44,900 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1958: 22.20 ft, minor flooding; 31,500 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1959: 22.60 ft, minor flooding; 33,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1960: 24.90 ft, moderate flooding; 48,000 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1964: 23.00 ft, minor flooding; 39,200 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1964: 32.70 ft, major flooding; 81,000 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1972: 25.40 ft, moderate flooding; 54,400 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 22.20 ft, minor flooding; 41,300 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1975: 22.70 ft, minor flooding; 43,400 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1981: 22.00 ft, minor flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 23.10 ft, minor flooding; 49,000 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1993: 16.90 ft, action stage; 24,500 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1995: 20.76 ft, action stage; 38,100 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1995: 24.17 ft, moderate flooding; 54,670 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 25.46 ft, moderate flooding; 61,843 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 23.33 ft, minor flooding; 49,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2009: 13.62 ft, below flood stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2010: 13.97 ft, below flood stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2010: 19.56 ft, action stage; 30,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2012: 16.65 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2012: 22.67 ft, minor flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2014: 14.48 ft, below flood stage; 14,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2015: 16.39 ft, action stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2016: 22.73 ft, minor flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2017: 19.82 ft, action stage; 29,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2019: 16.89 ft, action stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2019: 23.92 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2020: 14.10 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2021: 14.28 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2022: 22.27 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2023: 20.90 ft, action stage; 28,400 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2024: 27.26 ft, moderate flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2024: 21.57 ft, action stage; 30,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 2025: 21.34 ft, action stage; 30,100 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2025: 24.76 ft, moderate flooding; 42,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.70 ft, Dec 22, 1964 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mad River near Arcata 1950s: 5 5 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 2020s: 3 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 12 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 22.00 ft on Feb 12, 1958; 22.00 ft on Feb 24, 1958; 20.00 ft on Dec 2, 1962; 21.40 ft on Jan 4, 1966; 20.20 ft on Dec 5, 1966; 20.70 ft on Jan 13, 1969; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Mad River near Arcata
1Dec 22, 196432.70+10.70Major81,000
2Dec 22, 195528.43+6.43Major80,000
3Jan 13, 202427.26+5.26Moderate53,900
4Jan 1, 199725.46+3.46Moderate61,843
5Mar 2, 197225.40+3.40Moderate54,400
6Feb 8, 196024.90+2.90Moderate48,000
7Dec 21, 202524.76+2.76Moderate42,800
8Nov 13, 195724.60+2.60Moderate44,900
9Dec 30, 199524.17+2.17Moderate54,670
10Jan 17, 195324.00+2.00Moderate75,000
11Feb 27, 201923.92+1.92Minor38,900
12Dec 31, 200523.33+1.33Minor49,900
13Feb 18, 198623.10+1.10Minor49,000
14Jan 20, 196423.00+1.00Minor39,200
15Jan 18, 201622.73+0.73Minor43,100
16Mar 18, 197522.70+0.70Minor43,400
17Dec 2, 201222.67+0.67Minor42,500
18Jan 12, 195922.60+0.60Minor33,700
19Dec 30, 202222.27+0.27Minor33,500
20Jan 29, 195822.20+0.20Minor31,500
21Jan 16, 197422.20+0.20Minor41,300
22Dec 19, 198122.000.00Minor37,200
23Dec 29, 202421.57−0.43Action30,900
24Feb 3, 202521.34−0.66Action30,100
25Mar 14, 202320.90−1.10Action28,400
26Jan 9, 199520.76−1.24Action38,100
27Jan 11, 201719.82−2.18Action29,600
28Dec 29, 201019.56−2.44Action30,700
29Jan 20, 199316.90−5.10Action24,500
30Feb 15, 201916.89−5.11Action20,200
31Mar 30, 201216.65−5.35Action21,000
32Feb 7, 201516.39−5.61Action21,100
33Mar 10, 201414.48−7.52Below flood stage14,800
34Feb 15, 202114.28−7.72Below flood stage13,000
35Jan 26, 202014.10−7.90Below flood stage12,500
36Feb 26, 201013.97−8.03Below flood stage14,000
37Feb 23, 200913.62−8.38Below flood stage13,500

Other gauges in Humboldt County

Flood gauges in Humboldt County
Fernbridge20.029.50 ft, Dec 23, 19649
Fort Seward70.082.60 ft, Dec 22, 19640
Scotia51.072.00 ft, Dec 23, 19641
Orleans38.050.25 ft, Dec 22, 19641
Miranda33.046.00 ft, Dec 22, 19642
Hoopa48.057.00 ft, Dec 22, 19641
Bridgeville17.024.00 ft, Dec 22, 19642

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ARCC1, 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.