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St. Johns River near Sanford

Highest listed crest 8.96 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft27 crests since 1941

The St. Johns River near Sanford crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1941 to 2024. The highest, 8.96 ft on October 9, 2022, was major flooding, 3.46 feet above flood stage. 12 other gauges on the St. Johns River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
8.96 ft
October 9, 2022; 18,753 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
1
107th of 237 gauges in Florida
Most recent flood crest
October 18, 2024
7.16 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Volusia County
Near DeBary (3.0 mi), Sanford (4.5 mi), Lake Mary (5.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, St. Johns River near Sanford
Action stage4.27Jan 9, 1998The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.511Sep 7, 2002Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage7.06Oct 18, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.01Oct 9, 2022Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1941 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the St. Johns River near Sanford, 1941 to 2024 246810ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 8.0 ft Aug 7, 1941: 5.29 ft, action stageOct 11, 1943: 5.60 ft, minor floodingOct 30, 1944: 5.61 ft, minor floodingJul 27, 1945: 4.98 ft, action stageOct 11, 1949: 5.82 ft, minor floodingOct 29, 1950: 5.57 ft, minor floodingDec 5, 1953: 5.02 ft, action stageNov 4, 1956: 5.73 ft, minor floodingJul 14, 1968: 5.43 ft, action stageNov 6, 1969: 5.48 ft, action stageOct 8, 1979: 4.91 ft, action stageDec 7, 1987: 3.35 ft, below flood stageOct 10, 1988: 2.48 ft, below flood stageNov 26, 1994: 6.55 ft, minor floodingOct 24, 1995: 5.90 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 1998: 5.43 ft, action stageMar 9, 1998: 6.35 ft, minor floodingNov 2, 1999: 5.99 ft, minor floodingSep 25, 2001: 5.84 ft, minor floodingSep 7, 2002: 5.86 ft, minor floodingOct 4, 2004: 7.51 ft, moderate floodingSep 2, 2008: 7.89 ft, moderate floodingSep 23, 2017: 7.23 ft, moderate floodingOct 8, 2017: 7.20 ft, moderate floodingOct 9, 2022: 8.96 ft, major flooding; 18,753 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 2022: 7.00 ft, moderate floodingOct 18, 2024: 7.16 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 8.96 ft, Oct 9, 2022 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, St. Johns River near Sanford 1940s: 3 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 2 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, St. Johns River near Sanford
1Oct 9, 20228.96+3.46Major18,753
2Sep 2, 20087.89+2.39Moderate—
3Oct 4, 20047.51+2.01Moderate—
4Sep 23, 20177.23+1.73Moderate—
5Oct 8, 20177.20+1.70Moderate—
6Oct 18, 20247.16+1.66Moderate—
7Nov 10, 20227.00+1.50Moderate—
8Nov 26, 19946.55+1.05Minor—
9Mar 9, 19986.35+0.85Minor—
10Nov 2, 19995.99+0.49Minor—
11Oct 24, 19955.90+0.40Minor—
12Sep 7, 20025.86+0.36Minor—
13Sep 25, 20015.84+0.34Minor—
14Oct 11, 19495.82+0.32Minor—
15Nov 4, 19565.73+0.23Minor—
16Oct 30, 19445.61+0.11Minor—
17Oct 11, 19435.60+0.10Minor—
18Oct 29, 19505.57+0.07Minor—
19Nov 6, 19695.48−0.02Action—
20Jul 14, 19685.43−0.07Action—
21Jan 9, 19985.43−0.07Action—
22Aug 7, 19415.29−0.21Action—
23Dec 5, 19535.02−0.48Action—
24Jul 27, 19454.98−0.52Action—
25Oct 8, 19794.91−0.59Action—
26Dec 7, 19873.35−2.15Below flood stage—
27Oct 10, 19882.48−3.02Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the St. Johns River

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

October 9, 2022: 8.96 ft here, major flooding

September 2, 2008: 7.89 ft here, moderate flooding

October 4, 2004: 7.51 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the St. Johns River

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

Flood gauges on the St. Johns River
Lake HarneyFL8.012.67 ft, Oct 3, 20227
AstorFL2.34.81 ft, Oct 12, 20247
Buckman Bridge (I-295) (in MHHW)FL1.55.20 ft, Sep 11, 20177
Buckman Bridge (I-295) (in MHHW)FL1.55.20 ft, Sep 11, 20175
Buffalo Bluff (in MHHW)FL1.53.36 ft, Sep 29, 20223
Dames Point Bridge (I-295) (in MHHW)FL1.63.67 ft, Sep 11, 20172
Dames Point Bridge (I-295) (in MHHW)FL1.63.67 ft, Sep 11, 20172
Jacksonville (in MHHW)FL1.56.00 ft, Oct 12, 18467
Main Street Bridge (in MHHW)FL1.56.00 ft, Oct 12, 18467
Mayport (in MHHW)FL1.83.41 ft, Nov 10, 20221
Racy Point (in MHHW)FL1.54.41 ft, Oct 7, 20162
Racy Point (in MHHW)FL1.54.41 ft, Oct 7, 20164
Shands BridgeFL2.03.66 ft, Oct 7, 20161
Shands Bridge (in MHHW)FL1.53.66 ft, Oct 7, 20164
CocoaFL16.017.43 ft, Oct 6, 20172
DelandFL4.06.33 ft, Oct 11, 20225
Sanford this gaugeFL5.58.96 ft, Oct 9, 20221

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SNFF1, 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.