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Napa River near Napa

Highest listed crest 30.50 ftFlood stage 25.0 ft38 crests since 1931

The Napa River near Napa crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1931 to 2023. The highest, 30.50 ft on March 9, 1995, was major flooding, 5.50 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.50 ft
March 9, 1995; 32,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
25.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
4
13th of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
February 27, 2019
26.47 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Napa County
Near Napa (4.9 mi), Sonoma (10.0 mi), American Canyon (13.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Napa River near Napa
Action stage22.08Mar 10, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)25.02Jan 4, 1982Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.07Feb 27, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.04Dec 31, 2005Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1931 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Napa River near Napa, 1931 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 25.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Dec 27, 1931: 21.41 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1960: 23.10 ft, action stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1963: 27.59 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1965: 25.10 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1967: 26.47 ft, moderate flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 22.02 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1978: 21.54 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1981: 23.85 ft, action stage; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1982: 25.65 ft, minor flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1983: 24.73 ft, action stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 30.20 ft, major flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1995: 26.98 ft, moderate flooding; 20,500 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1995: 30.50 ft, major flooding; 32,600 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 28.07 ft, major flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1998: 26.72 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2002: 26.47 ft, moderate flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2004: 23.32 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 29.85 ft, major flooding; 29,600 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 2008: 20.29 ft, below flood stage; 8,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2009: 18.84 ft, below flood stage; 6,600 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2010: 18.86 ft, below flood stage; 6,460 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2011: 22.86 ft, action stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2012: 18.27 ft, below flood stage; 5,730 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2012: 23.65 ft, action stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2014: 15.11 ft, below flood stage; 3,070 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2014: 21.97 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2016: 19.74 ft, below flood stage; 7,380 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2017: 26.81 ft, moderate flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2018: 16.74 ft, below flood stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2019: 26.47 ft, moderate flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2019: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 820 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2021: 4.11 ft, below flood stage; 87 cubic feet per secondOct 24, 2021: 21.43 ft, below flood stage; 8,570 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2022: 11.75 ft, below flood stage; 2,580 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2023: 21.15 ft, below flood stage; 9,450 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2023: 20.10 ft, below flood stage; 8,440 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2023: 22.48 ft, action stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2023: 19.43 ft, below flood stage; 7,820 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.50 ft, Mar 9, 1995 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Napa River near Napa 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 3 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Napa River near Napa
1Mar 9, 199530.50+5.50Major32,600
2Feb 18, 198630.20+5.20Major37,100
3Dec 31, 200529.85+4.85Major29,600
4Jan 1, 199728.07+3.07Major18,600
5Jan 31, 196327.59+2.59Moderate25,000
6Jan 26, 199526.98+1.98Moderate20,500
7Jan 8, 201726.81+1.81Moderate15,900
8Feb 3, 199826.72+1.72Moderate19,800
9Jan 21, 196726.47+1.47Moderate21,400
10Dec 16, 200226.47+1.47Moderate19,200
11Feb 27, 201926.47+1.47Moderate16,600
12Jan 4, 198225.65+0.65Minor20,900
13Jan 5, 196525.10+0.10Minor18,100
14Mar 1, 198324.73−0.27Action17,300
15Dec 20, 198123.85−1.15Action17,800
16Dec 24, 201223.65−1.35Action13,100
17Feb 18, 200423.32−1.68Action12,200
18Feb 8, 196023.10−1.90Action12,300
19Mar 20, 201122.86−2.14Action11,800
20Mar 10, 202322.48−2.52Action10,800
21Jan 24, 197022.02−2.98Action14,700
22Dec 11, 201421.97−3.03Below flood stage10,400
23Jan 16, 197821.54−3.46Below flood stage15,300
24Oct 24, 202121.43−3.57Below flood stage8,570
25Dec 27, 193121.41−3.59Below flood stage11,600
26Jan 9, 202321.15−3.85Below flood stage9,450
27Jan 4, 200820.29−4.71Below flood stage8,030
28Jan 14, 202320.10−4.90Below flood stage8,440
29Mar 6, 201619.74−5.26Below flood stage7,380
30Mar 14, 202319.43−5.57Below flood stage7,820
31Jan 20, 201018.86−6.14Below flood stage6,460
32Feb 22, 200918.84−6.16Below flood stage6,600
33Mar 14, 201218.27−6.73Below flood stage5,730
34Mar 22, 201816.74−8.26Below flood stage4,580
35Feb 9, 201415.11−9.89Below flood stage3,070
36Dec 31, 202211.75−13.25Below flood stage2,580
37Dec 8, 20197.48−17.52Below flood stage820
38Feb 2, 20214.11−20.89Below flood stage87

The worst floods along the Napa River

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

December 31, 2005: 29.85 ft here, major flooding

  • St. HelenaCA · Dec 31, 2005 · 23.61 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Napa River

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

Flood gauges on the Napa River
St. HelenaCA18.023.61 ft, Dec 31, 20051
Napa this gaugeCA25.030.50 ft, Mar 9, 19954

Other gauges in Napa County

Flood gauges in Napa County
St. Helena18.023.61 ft, Dec 31, 20051

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge APCC1, 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.