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San Diego River at Fashion Valley

Highest listed crest 16.30 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft24 crests since 1914

The San Diego River at Fashion Valley crested above flood stage 21 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1914 to 2023. The highest, 16.30 ft on February 21, 1980, was moderate flooding, 6.30 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.30 ft
February 21, 1980; 20,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.5 ft
Crests at major
0
21 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 21, 2023
10.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
San Diego County
Near San Diego (5.3 mi), Coronado (7.5 mi), National City (8.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, San Diego River at Fashion Valley
Action stage7.53Feb 25, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.018Mar 21, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.53Feb 28, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1914 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the San Diego River at Fashion Valley, 1914 to 2023 81012141618ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 16.5 ft Feb 21, 1914: 13.48 ft, minor flooding; 9,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1980: 16.30 ft, moderate flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1982: 11.53 ft, minor flooding; 3,850 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1983: 13.11 ft, minor flooding; 8,280 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1991: 12.45 ft, minor flooding; 5,930 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1993: 12.48 ft, minor flooding; 4,950 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1995: 13.47 ft, minor flooding; 9,430 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1998: 12.80 ft, minor flooding; 7,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1998: 11.45 ft, minor flooding; 3,380 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1998: 11.53 ft, minor flooding; 3,810 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2000: 10.89 ft, minor flooding; 2,190 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2010: 14.01 ft, moderate flooding; 9,230 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2015: 8.88 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2017: 11.81 ft, minor flooding; 3,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2017: 14.15 ft, moderate flooding; 9,320 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 2018: 12.08 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2019: 12.19 ft, minor flooding; 3,600 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2020: 12.49 ft, minor flooding; 4,460 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2021: 9.40 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2023: 10.16 ft, minor flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2023: 12.77 ft, minor flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2023: 8.45 ft, action stage; 824 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2023: 10.26 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2023: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 1,830 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.30 ft, Feb 21, 1980 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, San Diego River at Fashion Valley 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 6 6 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 2020s: 5 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 19.30 ft on Jan 27, 1916.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, San Diego River at Fashion Valley
1Feb 21, 198016.30+6.30Moderate20,000
2Feb 28, 201714.15+4.15Moderate9,320
3Dec 22, 201014.01+4.01Moderate9,230
4Feb 21, 191413.48+3.48Minor9,500
5Mar 6, 199513.47+3.47Minor9,430
6Mar 2, 198313.11+3.11Minor8,280
7Feb 8, 199812.80+2.80Minor7,090
8Jan 16, 202312.77+2.77Minor5,080
9Apr 10, 202012.49+2.49Minor4,460
10Jan 16, 199312.48+2.48Minor4,950
11Mar 1, 199112.45+2.45Minor5,930
12Feb 15, 201912.19+2.19Minor3,600
13Dec 6, 201812.08+2.08Minor3,700
14Jan 21, 201711.81+1.81Minor3,660
15Mar 18, 198211.53+1.53Minor3,850
16Feb 24, 199811.53+1.53Minor3,810
17Feb 15, 199811.45+1.45Minor3,380
18Feb 21, 200010.89+0.89Minor2,190
19Mar 21, 202310.40+0.40Minor1,830
20Mar 15, 202310.26+0.26Minor1,640
21Jan 1, 202310.16+0.16Minor1,540
22Dec 14, 20219.40−0.60Action1,300
23Jul 20, 20158.88−1.12Action1,100
24Feb 25, 20238.45−1.55Action824

Other gauges in San Diego County

Flood gauges in San Diego County
Oceanside21.021.70 ft, Jan 16, 19930
Ysidora12.515.07 ft, Feb 14, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FSNC1, 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.