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Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29)

Highest listed crest 15.36 ftFlood stage 9.5 ft48 crests since 1978

The Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29) crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 48 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1978 to 2024. The highest, 15.36 ft on March 15, 1998, was major flooding, 5.86 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Apalachicola River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.36 ft
March 15, 1998; 152,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.5 ft
Major flooding from 13.5 ft
Crests at major
5
39th of 237 gauges in Florida
Most recent flood crest
March 16, 2024
11.16 ft, minor flooding
Location
Franklin County
Florida

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29)
Action stage8.015Jan 22, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.519Mar 16, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.56Mar 13, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.55Jan 1, 2016Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

48 crests from 1978 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29), 1978 to 2024 6810121416ft Flood stage 9.5 ftMajor 13.5 ft Feb 2, 1978: 12.92 ft, moderate flooding; 172,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1979: 10.70 ft, minor flooding; 114,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1980: 11.48 ft, minor flooding; 128,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1981: 8.21 ft, action stage; 58,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1982: 9.30 ft, action stage; 77,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1983: 9.89 ft, minor flooding; 89,300 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1984: 9.71 ft, minor flooding; 85,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1985: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 52,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1986: 8.17 ft, action stage; 58,000 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1987: 9.49 ft, action stage; 81,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1988: 7.40 ft, below flood stage; 45,900 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1989: 8.30 ft, action stage; 60,200 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1990: 13.82 ft, major flooding; 179,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1991: 10.60 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1992: 8.89 ft, action stage; 69,800 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1992: 10.04 ft, minor flooding; 89,700 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1994: 15.05 ft, major flooding; 148,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1995: 10.05 ft, minor flooding; 89,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 9.83 ft, minor flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1997: 8.67 ft, action stage; 65,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1998: 15.36 ft, major flooding; 152,000 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1998: 8.29 ft, action stage; 58,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2001: 10.29 ft, minor flooding; 92,400 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2003: 8.99 ft, action stage; 71,000 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2004: 8.42 ft, action stage; 49,400 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2005: 13.69 ft, major flooding; 167,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2006: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 38,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2008: 8.29 ft, action stage; 49,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2009: 11.74 ft, moderate flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2009: 13.19 ft, moderate flooding; 150,000 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2013: 11.65 ft, moderate flooding; 111,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2014: 10.94 ft, minor flooding; 95,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2014: 10.81 ft, minor flooding; 92,300 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 13.83 ft, major flooding; 168,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2016: 9.53 ft, minor flooding; 68,400 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2016: 10.62 ft, minor flooding; 89,000 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2017: 8.81 ft, action stage; 56,700 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2017: 8.64 ft, action stage; 54,000 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2018: 9.62 ft, minor flooding; 69,800 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2018: 10.00 ft, minor flooding; 76,500 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2019: 8.35 ft, action stage; 50,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2020: 8.47 ft, action stage; 52,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2020: 10.42 ft, minor flooding; 84,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2020: 11.53 ft, moderate flooding; 108,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2020: 13.13 ft, moderate flooding; 148,100 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2020: 9.99 ft, minor flooding; 76,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2024: 10.91 ft, minor flooding; 94,200 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2024: 11.16 ft, minor flooding; 99,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.36 ft, Mar 15, 1998 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29) 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 7 2000s: 4 2010s: 8 8 2020s: 6 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Apalachicola River near Sumatra (in NGVD29)
1Mar 15, 199815.36+5.86Major152,000
2Jul 13, 199415.05+5.55Major148,000
3Jan 1, 201613.83+4.33Major168,000
4Mar 24, 199013.82+4.32Major179,000
5Apr 5, 200513.69+4.19Major167,000
6Apr 5, 200913.19+3.69Moderate150,000
7Mar 13, 202013.13+3.63Moderate148,100
8Feb 2, 197812.92+3.42Moderate172,000
9Feb 20, 200911.74+2.24Moderate113,000
10Mar 2, 201311.65+2.15Moderate111,000
11Feb 27, 202011.53+2.03Moderate108,000
12Apr 5, 198011.48+1.98Minor128,000
13Mar 16, 202411.16+1.66Minor99,600
14Apr 14, 201410.94+1.44Minor95,000
15Feb 20, 202410.91+1.41Minor94,200
16Apr 24, 201410.81+1.31Minor92,300
17Mar 3, 197910.70+1.20Minor114,000
18Apr 8, 201610.62+1.12Minor89,000
19Mar 10, 199110.60+1.10Minor105,000
20Feb 15, 202010.42+0.92Minor84,500
21Mar 26, 200110.29+0.79Minor92,400
22Feb 23, 199510.05+0.55Minor89,800
23Dec 3, 199210.04+0.54Minor89,700
24Dec 21, 201810.00+0.50Minor76,500
25Sep 25, 20209.99+0.49Minor76,300
26Apr 15, 19839.89+0.39Minor89,300
27Feb 9, 19969.83+0.33Minor87,300
28Mar 11, 19849.71+0.21Minor85,600
29Dec 11, 20189.62+0.12Minor69,800
30Feb 10, 20169.53+0.03Minor68,400
31Jan 29, 19879.49−0.01Action81,200
32Feb 11, 19829.30−0.20Action77,000
33May 16, 20038.99−0.51Action71,000
34Feb 25, 19928.89−0.61Action69,800
35Jan 10, 20178.81−0.69Action56,700
36Mar 1, 19978.67−0.83Action65,200
37Jan 29, 20178.64−0.86Action54,000
38Jan 22, 20208.47−1.03Action52,300
39Sep 23, 20048.42−1.08Action49,400
40Dec 30, 20198.35−1.15Action50,000
41Jun 28, 19898.30−1.20Action60,200
42Oct 5, 19988.29−1.21Action58,600
43Feb 28, 20088.29−1.21Action49,500
44Apr 9, 19818.21−1.29Action58,300
45Feb 15, 19868.17−1.33Action58,000
46Feb 15, 19857.82−1.68Below flood stage52,200
47Feb 24, 19887.40−2.10Below flood stage45,900
48Mar 5, 20067.39−2.11Below flood stage38,000

The worst floods along the Apalachicola River

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

March 15, 1998: 15.36 ft here, major flooding

July 13, 1994: 15.05 ft here, major flooding

January 1, 2016: 13.83 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Apalachicola River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Apalachicola River
ChattahoocheeFL63.076.56 ft, Mar 12, 19983
Wewahitchka at Mile 44 (USACE)FL24.528.30 ft, Mar 14, 19982
Woodruff Dam (in NGVD29)FL63.076.29 ft, Jul 10, 19942
BlountstownFL17.028.60 ft, Mar 21, 19295
Sumatra (in NGVD29) this gaugeFL9.515.36 ft, Mar 15, 19985

Other gauges in Franklin County

Flood gauges in Franklin County
CR 67 above Carrabelle4.05.94 ft, Oct 10, 20180
Ranch Road above Apalachicola (in MHHW)2.03.65 ft, Sep 27, 20240
Pilot's Cove (in MHHW)2.03.69 ft, Sep 27, 20240
Rattlesnake Cove (in MHHW)2.03.97 ft, Sep 27, 20240
Tide Station at Apalachicola (in MHHW)2.27.72 ft, Oct 10, 20182
Tide Station at Bald Point State Park (in MHHW)2.04.25 ft, Sep 27, 20240
Tide Station at FSU Coastal Marine Lab in St Teresa (in MHHW)3.06.16 ft, Sep 27, 20241

Franklin County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Florida

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SMAF1, 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.