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Big Wood River below Magic Dam

Highest listed crest 15.68 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft44 crests since 1938

The Big Wood River below Magic Dam crested above flood stage 9 times among the 44 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1938 to 2022. The highest, 15.68 ft on April 26, 1952, was minor flooding, 6.68 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.68 ft
April 26, 1952; 10,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 31, 2017
11.89 ft, minor flooding
Location
Blaine 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 Wood River below Magic Dam
Action stage8.51May 19, 1997The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.09Mar 31, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

44 crests from 1938 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Big Wood River below Magic Dam, 1938 to 2022 46810121416ft Flood stage 9.0 ft Apr 21, 1938: 11.55 ft, minor flooding; 5,610 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1943: 13.31 ft, minor flooding; 7,160 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1951: 9.33 ft, minor flooding; 4,230 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1952: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1980: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1981: 5.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,760 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1982: 8.27 ft, below flood stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1983: 10.69 ft, minor flooding; 6,760 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1984: 10.07 ft, minor flooding; 5,870 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1985: 6.34 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1986: 9.30 ft, minor flooding; 5,060 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1988: 4.64 ft, below flood stage; 963 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1989: 5.19 ft, below flood stage; 1,140 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1990: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1991: 4.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1993: 7.63 ft, below flood stage; 3,170 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1994: 4.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1995: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 3,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1996: 8.31 ft, below flood stage; 3,920 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1997: 8.94 ft, action stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1998: 7.38 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1999: 8.30 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2000: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2001: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 909 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2002: 4.80 ft, below flood stage; 997 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2003: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2004: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 974 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2005: 4.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2006: 10.26 ft, minor flooding; 6,170 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2007: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 2008: 4.61 ft, below flood stage; 943 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2009: 4.65 ft, below flood stage; 954 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2010: 4.48 ft, below flood stage; 863 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2012: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 2012: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2014: 4.88 ft, below flood stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJul 30, 2015: 4.91 ft, below flood stage; 911 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2016: 5.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,020 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 11.89 ft, minor flooding; 7,620 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2018: 6.48 ft, below flood stage; 2,430 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2019: 7.90 ft, below flood stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2020: 4.59 ft, below flood stage; 908 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2021: 4.66 ft, below flood stage; 953 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2022: 4.87 ft, below flood stage; 1,010 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.68 ft, Apr 26, 1952 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Big Wood River below Magic Dam 1930s: 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 0 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 Wood River below Magic Dam
1Apr 26, 195215.68+6.68Minor10,000
2Apr 13, 194313.31+4.31Minor7,160
3Mar 31, 201711.89+2.89Minor7,620
4Apr 21, 193811.55+2.55Minor5,610
5May 31, 198310.69+1.69Minor6,760
6May 21, 200610.26+1.26Minor6,170
7Apr 16, 198410.07+1.07Minor5,870
8Apr 12, 19519.33+0.33Minor4,230
9May 30, 19869.30+0.30Minor5,060
10May 19, 19978.94−0.06Action4,610
11Jun 29, 19958.32−0.68Below flood stage3,900
12May 18, 19968.31−0.69Below flood stage3,920
13Jun 18, 19998.30−0.70Below flood stage3,910
14May 4, 19828.27−0.73Below flood stage4,110
15Jun 4, 20197.90−1.10Below flood stage3,770
16May 21, 19937.63−1.37Below flood stage3,170
17Jun 15, 19987.38−1.62Below flood stage3,000
18Apr 2, 20127.36−1.64Below flood stage3,240
19May 24, 19807.25−1.75Below flood stage3,130
20May 28, 20186.48−2.52Below flood stage2,430
21Apr 14, 19856.34−2.66Below flood stage2,300
22Jun 9, 19815.75−3.25Below flood stage1,760
23Nov 28, 20125.50−3.50Below flood stage1,630
24Aug 12, 20165.40−3.60Below flood stage1,020
25Jun 21, 19895.19−3.81Below flood stage1,140
26Jun 11, 19914.99−4.01Below flood stage1,180
27Aug 20, 19904.91−4.09Below flood stage1,100
28Jul 30, 20154.91−4.09Below flood stage911
29Jul 17, 20144.88−4.12Below flood stage1,040
30Jul 20, 20224.87−4.13Below flood stage1,010
31May 19, 19944.86−4.14Below flood stage1,040
32Jun 4, 20034.83−4.17Below flood stage1,020
33Jul 1, 20004.82−4.18Below flood stage1,010
34Jul 11, 20024.80−4.20Below flood stage997
35Jul 10, 20074.77−4.23Below flood stage1,040
36Aug 10, 20054.73−4.27Below flood stage1,010
37Jun 26, 20044.67−4.33Below flood stage974
38Jun 4, 20214.66−4.34Below flood stage953
39Jun 30, 20014.65−4.35Below flood stage909
40May 31, 20094.65−4.35Below flood stage954
41Jun 29, 19884.64−4.36Below flood stage963
42Aug 30, 20084.61−4.39Below flood stage943
43Aug 10, 20204.59−4.41Below flood stage908
44Jul 18, 20104.48−4.52Below flood stage863

The worst floods along the Big Wood River

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

May 31, 1983: 10.69 ft here, minor flooding

  • HaileyID · May 30, 1983 · 7.93 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Big Wood River

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

Flood gauges on the Big Wood River
KetchumID8.09.89 ft, May 7, 20170
HaileyID6.08.36 ft, May 7, 20171
Magic Dam this gaugeID9.015.68 ft, Apr 26, 19520

Other gauges in Blaine County

Flood gauges in Blaine County
Hailey6.08.36 ft, May 7, 20171
Ketchum8.09.89 ft, May 7, 20170
Gimlet8.48.62 ft, Jun 5, 20170
High 5 Creek5.48.22 ft, Mar 22, 20180
Carey5.88.95 ft, Apr 27, 19520
Ketchum7.37.48 ft, Jun 8, 20170
Picabo8.39.36 ft, Apr 6, 20060
Ketchum7.07.83 ft, Jun 8, 20170
Ketchum12.213.68 ft, May 7, 20170

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BWMI1, 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.