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Russian River at Guerneville

Highest listed crest 49.50 ftFlood stage 32.0 ft52 crests since 1940

The Russian River at Guerneville crested at major flood stage 15 times among the 52 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2023. The highest, 49.50 ft on February 18, 1986, was major flooding, 17.50 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Russian River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
49.50 ft
February 18, 1986; 102,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
32.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
15
1st of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
February 27, 2019
45.38 ft, major flooding
Location
Sonoma County
Near Windsor (10.7 mi), Healdsburg (11.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Russian River at Guerneville
Action stage29.03Jan 10, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)32.06Dec 12, 2014Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage35.017Jan 11, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.015Feb 27, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

52 crests from 1940 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Russian River at Guerneville, 1940 to 2023 01020304050ft Flood stage 32.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Feb 28, 1940: 46.87 ft, major flooding; 88,400 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1941: 31.80 ft, action stage; 48,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1942: 39.00 ft, moderate flooding; 67,800 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1943: 39.50 ft, moderate flooding; 69,200 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1945: 35.22 ft, moderate flooding; 56,800 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1950: 34.70 ft, minor flooding; 53,600 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1953: 34.15 ft, minor flooding; 52,200 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1954: 38.35 ft, moderate flooding; 59,900 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1955: 47.62 ft, major flooding; 90,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1958: 40.20 ft, major flooding; 68,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1959: 32.50 ft, minor flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1960: 38.10 ft, moderate flooding; 63,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1962: 35.80 ft, moderate flooding; 57,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1963: 41.10 ft, major flooding; 71,800 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 47.35 ft, major flooding; 93,400 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1966: 42.50 ft, major flooding; 77,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1967: 39.30 ft, moderate flooding; 68,400 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1969: 39.50 ft, moderate flooding; 68,600 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 41.30 ft, major flooding; 72,900 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1970: 36.50 ft, moderate flooding; 59,800 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1973: 37.90 ft, moderate flooding; 62,800 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1974: 40.70 ft, major flooding; 74,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1975: 36.60 ft, moderate flooding; 67,300 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1978: 39.50 ft, moderate flooding; 65,200 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1980: 36.00 ft, moderate flooding; 59,700 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1981: 39.00 ft, moderate flooding; 67,200 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1983: 40.40 ft, major flooding; 71,900 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1983: 34.20 ft, minor flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 49.50 ft, major flooding; 102,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1993: 36.30 ft, moderate flooding; 54,900 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1995: 48.00 ft, major flooding; 93,900 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1995: 41.45 ft, major flooding; 72,100 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 44.99 ft, major floodingFeb 4, 1998: 36.60 ft, moderate floodingFeb 20, 1998: 33.06 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 2006: 41.81 ft, major flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2008: 27.40 ft, below flood stage; 36,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2009: 20.81 ft, below flood stage; 22,400 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2010: 27.53 ft, below flood stage; 37,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 27.92 ft, below flood stage; 37,300 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2012: 23.27 ft, below flood stage; 26,800 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2012: 30.36 ft, action stage; 38,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2014: 19.17 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 2014: 33.42 ft, minor flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2016: 26.72 ft, below flood stage; 32,500 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2017: 37.82 ft, moderate flooding; 64,500 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2018: 18.36 ft, below flood stage; 15,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2019: 45.38 ft, major flooding; 85,300 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 2019: 12.10 ft, below flood stage; 6,930 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2021: 8.24 ft, below flood stage; 2,950 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2021: 23.49 ft, below flood stageJan 10, 2023: 31.83 ft, action stage Highest, 49.50 ft, Feb 18, 1986 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Russian River at Guerneville 1940s: 4 1950s: 6 1960s: 7 7 1970s: 6 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 52 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Russian River at Guerneville
1Feb 18, 198649.50+17.50Major102,000
2Jan 10, 199548.00+16.00Major93,900
3Dec 23, 195547.62+15.62Major90,100
4Dec 23, 196447.35+15.35Major93,400
5Feb 28, 194046.87+14.87Major88,400
6Feb 27, 201945.38+13.38Major85,300
7Jan 1, 199744.99+12.99Major—
8Jan 5, 196642.50+10.50Major77,000
9Jan 1, 200641.81+9.81Major86,000
10Mar 10, 199541.45+9.45Major72,100
11Jan 24, 197041.30+9.30Major72,900
12Feb 1, 196341.10+9.10Major71,800
13Jan 17, 197440.70+8.70Major74,000
14Jan 27, 198340.40+8.40Major71,900
15Feb 25, 195840.20+8.20Major68,700
16Jan 22, 194339.50+7.50Moderate69,200
17Jan 14, 196939.50+7.50Moderate68,600
18Jan 17, 197839.50+7.50Moderate65,200
19Jan 21, 196739.30+7.30Moderate68,400
20Feb 6, 194239.00+7.00Moderate67,800
21Dec 20, 198139.00+7.00Moderate67,200
22Jan 17, 195438.35+6.35Moderate59,900
23Jan 8, 196038.10+6.10Moderate63,100
24Jan 12, 197337.90+5.90Moderate62,800
25Jan 11, 201737.82+5.82Moderate64,500
26Feb 13, 197536.60+4.60Moderate67,300
27Feb 4, 199836.60+4.60Moderate—
28Dec 4, 197036.50+4.50Moderate59,800
29Jan 21, 199336.30+4.30Moderate54,900
30Jan 14, 198036.00+4.00Moderate59,700
31Feb 13, 196235.80+3.80Moderate57,400
32Dec 28, 194535.22+3.22Moderate56,800
33Dec 4, 195034.70+2.70Minor53,600
34Dec 25, 198334.20+2.20Minor55,200
35Jan 10, 195334.15+2.15Minor52,200
36Dec 12, 201433.42+1.42Minor42,900
37Feb 20, 199833.06+1.06Minor—
38Feb 16, 195932.50+0.50Minor48,900
39Jan 10, 202331.83−0.17Action—
40Apr 5, 194131.80−0.20Action48,100
41Dec 24, 201230.36−1.64Action38,400
42Mar 21, 201127.92−4.08Below flood stage37,300
43Jan 21, 201027.53−4.47Below flood stage37,900
44Jan 5, 200827.40−4.60Below flood stage36,600
45Mar 11, 201626.72−5.28Below flood stage32,500
46Oct 25, 202123.49−8.51Below flood stage—
47Mar 28, 201223.27−8.73Below flood stage26,800
48Feb 24, 200920.81−11.19Below flood stage22,400
49Feb 9, 201419.17−12.83Below flood stage17,300
50Apr 8, 201818.36−13.64Below flood stage15,900

The worst floods along the Russian River

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

February 18, 1986: 49.50 ft here, major flooding

  • HealdsburgCA · Feb 17, 1986 · 25.81 ft · Minor
  • HoplandCA · Feb 17, 1986 · 22.96 ft · Minor

January 10, 1995: 48.00 ft here, major flooding

  • HealdsburgCA · Jan 9, 1995 · 26.23 ft · Minor
  • HoplandCA · Jan 9, 1995 · 22.40 ft · Minor

December 23, 1955: 47.62 ft here, major flooding

  • HoplandCA · Dec 22, 1955 · 27.00 ft · Major
  • HealdsburgCA · Dec 22, 1955 · 26.16 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Russian River

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

Flood gauges on the Russian River
HoplandCA15.030.00 ft, Dec 15, 19375
HealdsburgCA23.030.80 ft, Dec 1, 19372
Guerneville this gaugeCA32.049.50 ft, Feb 18, 198615

Other gauges in Sonoma County

Flood gauges in Sonoma County
Corona Road24.927.98 ft, Feb 3, 19980
Healdsburg23.030.80 ft, Dec 1, 19372

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GUEC1, 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.