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Clearwater River at Orofino

Highest listed crest 21.10 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft18 crests since 1948

The Clearwater River at Orofino crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2025. The highest, 21.10 ft on May 29, 1948, was major flooding, 4.10 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Clearwater River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.10 ft
May 29, 1948; 106,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
2
12th of 78 gauges in Idaho
Most recent flood crest
June 12, 2022
17.00 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clearwater County
Idaho

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clearwater River at Orofino
Action stage16.06Jun 8, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.02Jun 12, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.52Jun 16, 1974Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.02Jun 8, 1964Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1948 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clearwater River at Orofino, 1948 to 2025 121416182022ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft May 29, 1948: 21.10 ft, major flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1964: 20.32 ft, major flooding; 99,700 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1972: 18.84 ft, moderate flooding; 87,300 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1974: 18.51 ft, moderate flooding; 85,800 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1976: 16.80 ft, action stage; 72,200 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1979: 14.64 ft, below flood stage; 56,200 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1982: 15.29 ft, below flood stage; 60,900 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1984: 16.71 ft, action stage; 71,200 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1986: 15.08 ft, below flood stage; 59,700 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1995: 16.76 ft, action stage; 79,600 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1997: 17.96 ft, minor flooding; 84,700 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2008: 16.97 ft, action stage; 74,900 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2010: 16.01 ft, action stage; 66,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2011: 16.71 ft, action stage; 72,600 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2012: 15.47 ft, below flood stage; 62,400 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2017: 13.68 ft, below flood stage; 48,600 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2022: 17.00 ft, minor flooding; 75,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 12.54 ft, below flood stage; 40,800 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.10 ft, May 29, 1948 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clearwater River at Orofino 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Clearwater River at Orofino
1May 29, 194821.10+4.10Major106,000
2Jun 8, 196420.32+3.32Major99,700
3Jun 2, 197218.84+1.84Moderate87,300
4Jun 16, 197418.51+1.51Moderate85,800
5May 17, 199717.96+0.96Minor84,700
6Jun 12, 202217.000.00Minor75,200
7May 19, 200816.97−0.03Action74,900
8May 11, 197616.80−0.20Action72,200
9Nov 30, 199516.76−0.24Action79,600
10May 31, 198416.71−0.29Action71,200
11Jun 8, 201116.71−0.29Action72,600
12Jun 5, 201016.01−0.99Action66,700
13Apr 27, 201215.47−1.53Below flood stage62,400
14Jun 17, 198215.29−1.71Below flood stage60,900
15May 30, 198615.08−1.92Below flood stage59,700
16May 24, 197914.64−2.36Below flood stage56,200
17Jun 1, 201713.68−3.32Below flood stage48,600
18May 12, 202512.54−4.46Below flood stage40,800

The worst floods along the Clearwater River

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

May 29, 1948: 21.10 ft here, major flooding

  • SpaldingID · May 29, 1948 · 23.76 ft · Major

June 8, 1964: 20.32 ft here, major flooding

  • SpaldingID · Jun 8, 1964 · 20.70 ft · Major

June 16, 1974: 18.51 ft here, moderate flooding

  • SpaldingID · Jun 16, 1974 · 19.10 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Clearwater River

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

Flood gauges on the Clearwater River
Orofino this gaugeID17.021.10 ft, May 29, 19482
SpaldingID18.027.77 ft, Feb 5, 196311

Other gauges in Clearwater County

Flood gauges in Clearwater County
Orofino7.59.77 ft, Feb 9, 19961

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ORFI1, 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.