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Salinas River near Spreckels

Highest listed crest 30.29 ftFlood stage 23.0 ft33 crests since 1931

The Salinas River near Spreckels crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1931 to 2023. The highest, 30.29 ft on March 12, 1995, was major flooding, 7.29 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
30.29 ft
March 12, 1995; 95,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
23.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
1
33rd of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
March 17, 2023
25.94 ft, minor flooding
Location
Monterey County
Near Salinas (4.6 mi), Marina (7.3 mi), Seaside (8.1 mi)

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 Spreckels
Action stage20.08Mar 25, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)23.06Mar 17, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage26.02Mar 13, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.01Mar 12, 1995Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Salinas River near Spreckels, 1931 to 2023 010203040ft Flood stage 23.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Dec 29, 1931: 20.40 ft, action stage; 42,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1936: 20.64 ft, action stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1937: 23.90 ft, minor flooding; 27,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1938: 25.00 ft, minor flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1969: 26.51 ft, moderate flooding; 83,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1978: 22.66 ft, action stage; 57,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1980: 17.77 ft, below flood stage; 37,400 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1983: 23.44 ft, minor flooding; 63,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1993: 20.21 ft, action stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1995: 20.34 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1995: 30.29 ft, major flooding; 95,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1998: 24.54 ft, minor flooding; 30,600 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2008: 11.64 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2009: 9.55 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2010: 13.94 ft, below flood stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2011: 20.14 ft, action stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2012: 5.96 ft, below flood stage; 222 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2012: 9.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2013: 2.62 ft, below flood stage; 29 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2014: 2.61 ft, below flood stage; 7 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2015: 2.74 ft, below flood stageJan 23, 2016: 3.61 ft, below flood stageFeb 22, 2017: 19.92 ft, below flood stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2018: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2019: 17.88 ft, below flood stage; 6,370 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2020: 8.34 ft, below flood stage; 437 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2021: 12.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2021: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 574 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2023: 24.63 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2023: 22.83 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2023: 26.89 ft, moderate flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2023: 25.94 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2023: 21.70 ft, action stage; 8,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.29 ft, Mar 12, 1995 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Salinas River near Spreckels 1930s: 2 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 3 3 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.
  3. 7 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 19.21 ft on Mar 4, 1941; 15.31 ft on Jan 26, 1942; 18.26 ft on Jan 22, 1943; 20.71 ft on Jan 16, 1952; 23.83 ft on Dec 25, 1955; 22.46 ft on Apr 4, 1958; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Salinas River near Spreckels
1Mar 12, 199530.29+7.29Major95,000
2Mar 13, 202326.89+3.89Moderate22,200
3Feb 26, 196926.51+3.51Moderate83,100
4Mar 17, 202325.94+2.94Minor19,400
5Feb 12, 193825.00+2.00Minor75,000
6Jan 13, 202324.63+1.63Minor12,800
7Feb 8, 199824.54+1.54Minor30,600
8Feb 8, 193723.90+0.90Minor27,100
9Mar 3, 198323.44+0.44Minor63,000
10Jan 18, 202322.83−0.17Action10,100
11Feb 11, 197822.66−0.34Action57,400
12Mar 25, 202321.70−1.30Action8,800
13Feb 24, 193620.64−2.36Action20,500
14Dec 29, 193120.40−2.60Action42,100
15Jan 26, 199520.34−2.66Action12,500
16Feb 25, 199320.21−2.79Action12,300
17Mar 26, 201120.14−2.86Action12,300
18Feb 22, 201719.92−3.08Below flood stage11,100
19Feb 16, 201917.88−5.12Below flood stage6,370
20Feb 20, 198017.77−5.23Below flood stage37,400
21Jan 22, 201013.94−9.06Below flood stage4,380
22Jan 30, 202112.94−10.06Below flood stage2,470
23Jan 29, 200811.64−11.36Below flood stage3,320
24Mar 5, 20099.55−13.45Below flood stage1,140
25Dec 25, 20129.42−13.58Below flood stage1,020
26Dec 29, 20219.24−13.76Below flood stage574
27Mar 24, 20189.15−13.85Below flood stage1,160
28Apr 8, 20208.34−14.66Below flood stage437
29Jan 25, 20125.96−17.04Below flood stage222
30Jan 23, 20163.61−19.39Below flood stage—
31Dec 22, 20152.74−20.26Below flood stage—
32Oct 2, 20132.62−20.38Below flood stage29
33Dec 21, 20142.61−20.39Below flood stage7

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 12, 1995: 30.29 ft here, major flooding

  • BradleyCA · Mar 11, 1995 · 23.44 ft · Major · its highest
  • SoledadCA · Mar 11, 1995 · 26.49 ft · Minor · its highest

March 13, 2023: 26.89 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Paso RoblesCA · Mar 10, 2023 · 29.41 ft · Minor
  • BradleyCA · Mar 11, 2023 · 19.63 ft · Minor

February 26, 1969: 26.51 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BradleyCA · Feb 24, 1969 · 20.34 ft · Moderate
  • SoledadCA · Feb 25, 1969 · 23.31 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
BradleyCA14.023.44 ft, Mar 11, 19951
SoledadCA18.026.49 ft, Mar 11, 19950
Spreckels this gaugeCA23.030.29 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
Bradley14.023.44 ft, Mar 11, 19951

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SPRC1, 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.