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Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City

Highest listed crest 38.40 ftFlood stage 29.0 ft35 crests since 1945

The Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 35 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1945 to 2025. The highest, 38.40 ft on December 22, 1964, was major flooding, 9.40 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Smith River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
38.40 ft
December 22, 1964; 228,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
29.0 ft
Major flooding from 37.0 ft
Crests at major
1
33rd of 106 gauges in California
Most recent flood crest
January 13, 2024
30.96 ft, minor flooding
Location
Del Norte County
California

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City
Action stage25.09Dec 29, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)29.013Jan 13, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage34.03Mar 2, 1972Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage37.01Dec 22, 1964Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

35 crests from 1945 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City, 1945 to 2025 2025303540ft Flood stage 29.0 ftMajor 37.0 ft Dec 28, 1945: 30.30 ft, minor flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondOct 29, 1950: 33.00 ft, minor flooding; 152,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1953: 31.70 ft, minor flooding; 139,000 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1953: 31.90 ft, minor flooding; 141,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1955: 34.30 ft, moderate flooding; 165,000 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1964: 38.40 ft, major flooding; 228,000 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1966: 32.30 ft, minor flooding; 145,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1970: 29.40 ft, minor flooding; 116,000 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1970: 29.50 ft, minor flooding; 117,000 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1971: 30.70 ft, minor flooding; 128,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1972: 35.60 ft, moderate flooding; 182,000 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1972: 35.00 ft, moderate flooding; 173,000 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1975: 30.80 ft, minor flooding; 129,000 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1990: 29.20 ft, minor flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1993: 25.02 ft, action stage; 76,400 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1995: 25.60 ft, action stage; 81,400 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1995: 24.06 ft, below flood stage; 68,410 cubic feet per secondNov 18, 1996: 29.56 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 2010: 22.91 ft, below flood stage; 59,400 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2010: 21.99 ft, below flood stage; 53,100 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2012: 27.90 ft, action stage; 93,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2012: 26.64 ft, action stage; 83,536 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2012: 25.86 ft, action stage; 77,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2014: 25.34 ft, action stage; 74,300 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2014: 24.71 ft, below flood stage; 70,000 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2015: 30.76 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2017: 24.93 ft, below flood stage; 70,700 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2019: 26.67 ft, action stage; 82,700 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2020: 20.76 ft, below flood stage; 45,700 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2021: 25.85 ft, action stage; 76,900 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2022: 22.11 ft, below flood stage; 53,200 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2023: 24.92 ft, below flood stage; 70,600 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2024: 30.96 ft, minor flooding; 116,000 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2024: 27.27 ft, action stage; 87,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2025: 21.49 ft, below flood stage; 49,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 38.40 ft, Dec 22, 1964 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City 1940s: 1 1950s: 4 1960s: 2 1970s: 6 6 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 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.
  3. 15 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 26.80 ft on Dec 31, 1942; 26.80 ft on Jan 18, 1950; 26.80 ft on Jan 15, 1956; 27.10 ft on Jan 29, 1958; 26.60 ft on Jan 12, 1959; 29.20 ft on Dec 2, 1962; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Smith River at Jed Smith near Crescent City
1Dec 22, 196438.40+9.40Major228,000
2Jan 22, 197235.60+6.60Moderate182,000
3Mar 2, 197235.00+6.00Moderate173,000
4Dec 22, 195534.30+5.30Moderate165,000
5Oct 29, 195033.00+4.00Minor152,000
6Jan 6, 196632.30+3.30Minor145,000
7Nov 23, 195331.90+2.90Minor141,000
8Jan 18, 195331.70+2.70Minor139,000
9Jan 13, 202430.96+1.96Minor116,000
10Mar 18, 197530.80+1.80Minor129,000
11Dec 13, 201530.76+1.76Minor114,000
12Jan 16, 197130.70+1.70Minor128,000
13Dec 28, 194530.30+1.30Minor123,000
14Nov 18, 199629.56+0.56Minor—
15Nov 24, 197029.50+0.50Minor117,000
16Jan 22, 197029.40+0.40Minor116,000
17Jan 8, 199029.20+0.20Minor113,000
18Jan 19, 201227.90−1.10Action93,000
19Dec 29, 202427.27−1.73Action87,000
20Apr 8, 201926.67−2.33Action82,700
21Mar 30, 201226.64−2.36Action83,536
22Dec 2, 201225.86−3.14Action77,900
23Jan 13, 202125.85−3.15Action76,900
24Jan 9, 199525.60−3.40Action81,400
25Feb 14, 201425.34−3.66Action74,300
26Jan 20, 199325.02−3.98Action76,400
27Jan 11, 201724.93−4.07Below flood stage70,700
28Mar 13, 202324.92−4.08Below flood stage70,600
29Dec 21, 201424.71−4.29Below flood stage70,000
30Dec 12, 199524.06−4.94Below flood stage68,410
31Jan 1, 201022.91−6.09Below flood stage59,400
32Dec 27, 202222.11−6.89Below flood stage53,200
33Dec 29, 201021.99−7.01Below flood stage53,100
34Dec 17, 202521.49−7.51Below flood stage49,700
35Jan 26, 202020.76−8.24Below flood stage45,700

The worst floods along the Smith River

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

December 22, 1964: 38.40 ft here, major flooding

January 22, 1972: 35.60 ft here, moderate flooding

March 2, 1972: 35.00 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Smith River

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

Flood gauges on the Smith River
Jed Smith near Crescent City this gaugeCA29.038.40 ft, Dec 22, 19641
Dr Fine BridgeCA33.039.50 ft, Dec 22, 19641

Other gauges in Del Norte County

Flood gauges in Del Norte County
Klamath38.061.29 ft, Dec 23, 19642
Lake Earl near Crescent City9.09.28 ft, Mar 21, 20170
Dr Fine Bridge33.039.50 ft, Dec 22, 19641

Del Norte County: every hazard · River floods across the country · California

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CREC1, 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.