Salinas River at Paso Robles

Highest listed crest 32.02 ftFlood stage 29.0 ft10 crests since 1993

The Salinas River at Paso Robles crested above flood stage 2 times among the 10 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1993 to 2023. The highest, 32.02 ft on January 10, 2023, was minor flooding, 3.02 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Salinas River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 32.02 ft; January 10, 2023; 25,154 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 29.0 ft; Major flooding from 37.0 ft
Crests at major: 0; 2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: March 10, 2023; 29.41 ft, minor flooding
Location: San Luis Obispo County; Near Paso Robles (1.9 mi), Atascadero (9.9 mi)
Identifiers: NWS PRBC1; USGS 11147500

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Salinas River at Paso Robles

Action stage	23.0	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	29.0	2	Mar 10, 2023	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	33.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	37.0	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

10 crests from 1993 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 23.80 ft on Jan 25, 1969; 15.99 ft on Feb 16, 1980.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Salinas River at Paso Robles

1	Jan 10, 2023	32.02	+3.02	Minor	25,154
2	Mar 10, 2023	29.41	+0.41	Minor	18,429
3	Mar 10, 1995	22.99	−6.01	Below flood stage	28,400
4	Jan 14, 1993	18.80	−10.20	Below flood stage	14,900
5	Jan 10, 1995	18.79	−10.21	Below flood stage	14,900
6	Jan 24, 1995	16.52	−12.48	Below flood stage	12,100
7	Feb 7, 1998	15.08	−13.92	Below flood stage	12,300
8	Mar 23, 1995	14.17	−14.83	Below flood stage	10,700
9	Mar 5, 2001	14.17	−14.83	Below flood stage	10,170
10	Feb 3, 1998	13.47	−15.53	Below flood stage	9,480

The worst floods along the Salinas River

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

January 10, 2023: 32.02 ft here, minor flooding

SpreckelsCA · Jan 13, 2023 · 24.63 ft · Minor
BradleyCA · Jan 10, 2023 · 19.64 ft · Minor

March 10, 2023: 29.41 ft here, minor flooding

SpreckelsCA · Mar 13, 2023 · 26.89 ft · Moderate
BradleyCA · Mar 11, 2023 · 19.63 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Salinas River

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

Flood gauges on the Salinas River

Paso Robles this gauge	CA	29.0	32.02 ft, Jan 10, 2023	0
Bradley	CA	14.0	23.44 ft, Mar 11, 1995	1
Soledad	CA	18.0	26.49 ft, Mar 11, 1995	0
Spreckels	CA	23.0	30.29 ft, Mar 12, 1995	1

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRBC1, 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.