Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Big Lost River at Howell Ranch

Highest listed crest 6.02 ftFlood stage 4.1 ft36 crests since 1921

The Big Lost River at Howell Ranch crested above flood stage 23 times among the 36 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1921 to 2022. The highest, 6.02 ft on May 25, 1967, was minor flooding, 1.97 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
6.02 ft
May 25, 1967; 4,420 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
4.1 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
23 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 13, 2022
5.21 ft, minor flooding
Location
Custer County
Idaho

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Big Lost River at Howell Ranch
Action stage3.55May 31, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.123Jun 13, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

36 crests from 1921 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Lost River at Howell Ranch, 1921 to 2022 234567ft Flood stage 4.1 ft Jun 12, 1921: 5.94 ft, minor flooding; 3,500 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1922: 5.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,360 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1954: 6.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,960 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1957: 5.27 ft, minor flooding; 3,570 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1965: 5.73 ft, minor flooding; 3,450 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1967: 6.02 ft, minor flooding; 4,420 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1974: 5.41 ft, minor flooding; 3,510 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1982: 5.47 ft, minor flooding; 2,930 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1983: 5.52 ft, minor flooding; 3,720 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1986: 5.48 ft, minor flooding; 3,860 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1995: 5.17 ft, minor flooding; 3,690 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1997: 4.00 ft, action stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1998: 4.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,388 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2000: 3.38 ft, below flood stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2001: 2.75 ft, below flood stage; 927 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2002: 3.62 ft, action stage; 1,730 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2003: 4.64 ft, minor flooding; 3,100 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2004: 3.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,110 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2005: 4.81 ft, minor flooding; 3,380 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2006: 5.68 ft, minor flooding; 5,010 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2007: 2.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 3.58 ft, action stage; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2009: 4.13 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2010: 4.57 ft, minor flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2011: 4.34 ft, minor flooding; 2,650 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2012: 4.36 ft, minor flooding; 2,680 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2013: 3.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,410 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2014: 3.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2015: 3.45 ft, below flood stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2016: 4.01 ft, action stage; 2,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2017: 5.27 ft, minor flooding; 4,240 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2018: 4.15 ft, minor flooding; 2,520 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2019: 4.40 ft, minor flooding; 2,740 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2020: 3.52 ft, action stage; 1,680 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2021: 2.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,120 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 5.21 ft, minor flooding; 4,080 cubic feet per second Highest, 6.02 ft, May 25, 1967 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Lost River at Howell Ranch 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 3 1990s: 2 2000s: 4 2010s: 6 6 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Big Lost River at Howell Ranch
1May 25, 19676.02+1.97Minor4,420
2Jun 26, 19546.00+1.95Minor3,960
3Jun 12, 19215.94+1.89Minor3,500
4Jun 12, 19655.73+1.68Minor3,450
5May 21, 20065.68+1.63Minor5,010
6Jun 11, 19835.52+1.47Minor3,720
7Jun 15, 19225.50+1.45Minor3,360
8Jun 4, 19865.48+1.43Minor3,860
9Jun 22, 19825.47+1.42Minor2,930
10Jun 16, 19745.41+1.36Minor3,510
11Jun 6, 19575.27+1.22Minor3,570
12Jun 5, 20175.27+1.22Minor4,240
13Jun 13, 20225.21+1.16Minor4,080
14Jul 10, 19955.17+1.12Minor3,690
15May 19, 20054.81+0.76Minor3,380
16May 31, 20034.64+0.59Minor3,100
17Jun 7, 20104.57+0.52Minor3,000
18Jun 7, 20194.40+0.35Minor2,740
19Apr 27, 20124.36+0.31Minor2,680
20Jun 24, 20114.34+0.29Minor2,650
21Jul 3, 19984.15+0.10Minor2,388
22May 26, 20184.15+0.10Minor2,520
23Jun 20, 20094.13+0.08Minor2,360
24Jun 6, 20164.01−0.04Action2,200
25May 18, 19974.00−0.05Action2,190
26Jun 1, 20023.62−0.43Action1,730
27May 19, 20083.58−0.47Action1,750
28May 31, 20203.52−0.53Action1,680
29Jun 10, 20153.45−0.60Below flood stage1,540
30May 24, 20003.38−0.67Below flood stage1,470
31Jun 11, 20133.32−0.73Below flood stage1,410
32May 28, 20143.03−1.02Below flood stage1,140
33Jun 6, 20043.00−1.05Below flood stage1,110
34May 13, 20072.96−1.09Below flood stage1,080
35Jun 5, 20212.82−1.23Below flood stage1,120
36May 15, 20012.75−1.30Below flood stage927

The worst floods along the Big Lost River

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

June 12, 1921: 5.94 ft here, minor flooding

June 12, 1965: 5.73 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Big Lost River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Lost River
Howell Ranch this gaugeID4.16.02 ft, May 25, 19670
Mackay ReservoirID4.36.08 ft, Jun 6, 19860
ArcoID6.57.68 ft, Jul 5, 19670

Other gauges in Custer County

Flood gauges in Custer County
Mackay Reservoir4.36.08 ft, Jun 6, 19860
Wild Horse5.16.41 ft, May 21, 20060
Bruno Ck6.26.53 ft, May 7, 20170
Yankee Fork9.510.64 ft, Jun 5, 20170
Stanley3.14.60 ft, May 29, 19130
Clayton11.012.25 ft, Jun 1, 20170

Custer County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Idaho

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HWRI1, 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.