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Salinas River near Bradley

Highest listed crest 23.44 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft46 crests since 1949

The Salinas River near Bradley crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 46 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2023. The highest, 23.44 ft on March 11, 1995, was major flooding, 9.44 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Salinas River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.44 ft
March 11, 1995; 120,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
1
33rd of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
March 15, 2023
17.30 ft, minor flooding
Location
Monterey County
California

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Salinas River near Bradley
Action stage12.011Feb 23, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.08Mar 15, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.01Feb 24, 1969Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.01Mar 11, 1995Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

46 crests from 1949 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Salinas River near Bradley, 1949 to 2023 0510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 22.0 ft Mar 3, 1949: 10.79 ft, below flood stage; 15,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1950: 10.66 ft, below flood stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1950: 10.18 ft, below flood stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1952: 12.35 ft, action stage; 26,800 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1955: 12.01 ft, action stage; 25,000 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1958: 12.53 ft, action stage; 28,400 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1966: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1969: 20.34 ft, moderate flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1974: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 8,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1975: 10.40 ft, below flood stage; 7,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1978: 18.68 ft, minor flooding; 70,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1980: 13.55 ft, action stage; 28,000 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1982: 12.20 ft, action stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1983: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1986: 11.89 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1991: 10.81 ft, below flood stage; 9,770 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1992: 11.17 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1993: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1995: 13.89 ft, action stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1995: 23.44 ft, major flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1998: 14.35 ft, minor flooding; 26,700 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2001: 12.48 ft, action stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2004: 12.22 ft, action stage; 17,500 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2006: 11.87 ft, below flood stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 2008: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondNov 17, 2008: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2009: 4.75 ft, below flood stage; 711 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2010: 8.05 ft, below flood stage; 4,320 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2011: 12.50 ft, action stage; 16,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2012: 4.59 ft, below flood stage; 744 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2013: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 834 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2013: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 516 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2014: 3.11 ft, below flood stage; 137 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2015: 3.89 ft, below flood stage; 221 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2016: 3.57 ft, below flood stage; 157 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2017: 13.30 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2017: 12.92 ft, action stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2018: 9.54 ft, below flood stage; 5,720 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2019: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 4,330 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2020: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 653 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2020: 4.80 ft, below flood stage; 721 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2021: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 784 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2021: 4.89 ft, below flood stage; 810 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2023: 19.64 ft, minor flooding; 45,600 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2023: 19.63 ft, minor flooding; 45,600 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2023: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.44 ft, Mar 11, 1995 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Salinas River near Bradley 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 3 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

Highest listed crests, Salinas River near Bradley
1Mar 11, 199523.44+9.44Major120,000
2Feb 24, 196920.34+6.34Moderate117,000
3Jan 10, 202319.64+5.64Minor45,600
4Mar 11, 202319.63+5.63Minor45,600
5Feb 10, 197818.68+4.68Minor70,600
6Mar 15, 202317.30+3.30Minor30,700
7Dec 7, 196616.20+2.20Minor34,000
8Jan 27, 198315.28+1.28Minor31,600
9Jan 14, 199314.42+0.42Minor23,200
10Feb 8, 199814.35+0.35Minor26,700
11Jan 25, 199513.89−0.11Action20,200
12Feb 19, 198013.55−0.45Action28,000
13Feb 8, 201713.30−0.70Action14,300
14Feb 23, 201712.92−1.08Action12,000
15Apr 3, 195812.53−1.47Action28,400
16Mar 27, 201112.50−1.50Action16,000
17Mar 5, 200112.48−1.52Action18,200
18Jan 15, 195212.35−1.65Action26,800
19Dec 31, 200412.22−1.78Action17,500
20Apr 11, 198212.20−1.80Action12,600
21Dec 24, 195512.01−1.99Action25,000
22Mar 16, 198611.89−2.11Below flood stage12,000
23Apr 5, 200611.87−2.13Below flood stage13,900
24Feb 15, 199211.17−2.83Below flood stage10,800
25Mar 19, 199110.81−3.19Below flood stage9,770
26Mar 3, 194910.79−3.21Below flood stage15,200
27Feb 6, 195010.66−3.34Below flood stage15,500
28Feb 10, 197510.40−3.60Below flood stage7,000
29Nov 19, 195010.18−3.82Below flood stage12,800
30Jan 7, 197410.10−3.90Below flood stage8,800
31Mar 23, 20189.54−4.46Below flood stage5,720
32Mar 7, 20198.77−5.23Below flood stage4,330
33Jan 22, 20108.05−5.95Below flood stage4,320
34Jan 28, 20086.78−7.22Below flood stage2,690
35Nov 17, 20085.25−8.75Below flood stage1,240
36Dec 20, 20214.89−9.11Below flood stage810
37Jan 29, 20214.88−9.12Below flood stage784
38Mar 23, 20204.85−9.15Below flood stage653
39Jul 16, 20134.82−9.18Below flood stage834
40Aug 26, 20204.80−9.20Below flood stage721
41Jul 20, 20094.75−9.25Below flood stage711
42Apr 14, 20124.59−9.41Below flood stage744
43Oct 2, 20134.26−9.74Below flood stage516
44Sep 4, 20153.89−10.11Below flood stage221
45Mar 15, 20163.57−10.43Below flood stage157
46Dec 17, 20143.11−10.89Below flood stage137

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.

March 11, 1995: 23.44 ft here, major flooding

  • SpreckelsCA · Mar 12, 1995 · 30.29 ft · Major · its highest
  • SoledadCA · Mar 11, 1995 · 26.49 ft · Minor · its highest

February 24, 1969: 20.34 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SpreckelsCA · Feb 26, 1969 · 26.51 ft · Moderate
  • SoledadCA · Feb 25, 1969 · 23.31 ft · Minor

January 10, 2023: 19.64 ft here, minor flooding

  • Paso RoblesCA · Jan 10, 2023 · 32.02 ft · Minor · its highest
  • SpreckelsCA · Jan 13, 2023 · 24.63 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 RoblesCA29.032.02 ft, Jan 10, 20230
Bradley this gaugeCA14.023.44 ft, Mar 11, 19951
SoledadCA18.026.49 ft, Mar 11, 19950
SpreckelsCA23.030.29 ft, Mar 12, 19951

Other gauges in Monterey County

Flood gauges in Monterey County
Robles Del Rio8.512.90 ft, Mar 10, 19950
Soledad18.026.49 ft, Mar 11, 19950
Spreckels23.030.29 ft, Mar 12, 19951

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BRDC1, 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.