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Mojave River at Barstow

Highest listed crest 6.28 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft14 crests since 1971

The Mojave River at Barstow crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 14 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1971 to 2023. The highest, 6.28 ft on March 2, 1983, was major flooding, 1.28 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Mojave River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
6.28 ft
March 2, 1983; 12,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 6.0 ft
Crests at major
1
33rd of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
December 22, 2010
5.83 ft, moderate flooding
Location
San Bernardino County
Near Barstow (3.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mojave River at Barstow
Flood stage (minor)5.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage5.51Dec 22, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage6.01Mar 2, 1983Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

14 crests from 1971 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mojave River at Barstow, 1971 to 2023 234567ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 6.0 ft Dec 26, 1971: 2.94 ft, below flood stage; 256 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1973: 3.43 ft, below flood stage; 670 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1979: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1983: 6.28 ft, major flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 1984: 2.88 ft, below flood stage; 223 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1988: 2.39 ft, below flood stage; 50 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2006: 2.51 ft, below flood stage; 76 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2008: 2.53 ft, below flood stage; 83 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2010: 2.51 ft, below flood stage; 78 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2010: 5.83 ft, moderate flooding; 9,000 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 2014: 4.31 ft, below flood stage; 930 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2019: 3.32 ft, below flood stage; 148 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2022: 2.35 ft, below flood stage; 1 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2023: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per second Highest, 6.28 ft, Mar 2, 1983 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mojave River at Barstow 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 20 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 5.72 ft on Feb 9, 1932; 3.26 ft on May 9, 1935; 5.31 ft on Feb 15, 1937; 8.60 ft on Mar 3, 1938; 4.72 ft on Mar 3, 1941; 7.00 ft on Jan 23, 1943; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Mojave River at Barstow
1Mar 2, 19836.28+1.28Major12,300
2Dec 22, 20105.83+0.83Moderate9,000
3Aug 3, 20144.31−0.69Below flood stage930
4Mar 16, 20234.20−0.80Below flood stage1,910
5Mar 28, 19794.12−0.88Below flood stage1,820
6Feb 12, 19733.43−1.57Below flood stage670
7Feb 16, 20193.32−1.68Below flood stage148
8Dec 26, 19712.94−2.06Below flood stage256
9Sep 11, 19842.88−2.12Below flood stage223
10Jul 13, 20082.53−2.47Below flood stage83
11Apr 6, 20062.51−2.49Below flood stage76
12Jan 21, 20102.51−2.49Below flood stage78
13Aug 29, 19882.39−2.61Below flood stage50
14Sep 13, 20222.35−2.65Below flood stage1

The worst floods along the Mojave River

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

March 2, 1983: 6.28 ft here, major flooding

December 22, 2010: 5.83 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Mojave River

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

Flood gauges on the Mojave River
VictorvilleCA16.033.70 ft, Mar 2, 19383
Barstow this gaugeCA5.06.28 ft, Mar 2, 19831

Other gauges in San Bernardino County

Flood gauges in San Bernardino County
Victorville16.033.70 ft, Mar 2, 19383

San Bernardino County: every hazard · River floods across the country · California

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MBRC1, 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.