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Payette River at Payette

Highest listed crest 14.50 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft35 crests since 1955

The Payette River at Payette crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 35 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1955 to 2025. The highest, 14.50 ft on January 2, 1997, was major flooding, 2.50 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Payette River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.50 ft
January 2, 1997; 32,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
1
19th of 78 gauges in Idaho
Most recent flood crest
April 10, 2019
12.66 ft, minor flooding
Location
Payette County
Near Ontario (2.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Payette River at Payette
Action stage11.56Mar 21, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.05Apr 10, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.82Jun 6, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.01Jan 2, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

35 crests from 1955 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Payette River at Payette, 1955 to 2025 6810121416ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Dec 23, 1955: 12.75 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1957: 11.53 ft, action stage; 17,700 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1964: 13.80 ft, moderate flooding; 30,900 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1971: 11.96 ft, action stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1974: 11.50 ft, action stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1982: 11.67 ft, action stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1983: 11.46 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1984: 10.66 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1986: 11.05 ft, below flood stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1993: 10.32 ft, below flood stage; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1996: 12.17 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1997: 14.50 ft, major flooding; 32,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1998: 12.33 ft, minor flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2003: 10.66 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2004: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 7,390 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2005: 9.75 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2006: 11.60 ft, action stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2007: 6.76 ft, below flood stage; 4,850 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2008: 10.69 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2009: 10.15 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2010: 13.69 ft, moderate flooding; 23,566 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2011: 11.03 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2012: 12.64 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2014: 9.37 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2015: 8.57 ft, below flood stage; 8,600 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2016: 8.80 ft, below flood stage; 9,230 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2017: 11.97 ft, action stage; 17,800 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2018: 9.20 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2019: 12.66 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2020: 9.08 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2021: 6.68 ft, below flood stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2022: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2023: 10.42 ft, below flood stage; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2024: 9.16 ft, below flood stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.50 ft, Jan 2, 1997 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Payette River at Payette 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 2020s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Payette River at Payette
1Jan 2, 199714.50+2.50Major32,000
2Dec 24, 196413.80+1.80Moderate30,900
3Jun 6, 201013.69+1.69Moderate23,566
4Dec 23, 195512.75+0.75Minor21,900
5Apr 10, 201912.66+0.66Minor19,400
6Apr 28, 201212.64+0.64Minor19,700
7May 28, 199812.33+0.33Minor19,200
8May 19, 199612.17+0.17Minor19,700
9Mar 21, 201711.97−0.03Action17,800
10Jun 27, 197111.96−0.04Action20,800
11Feb 16, 198211.67−0.33Action17,400
12May 21, 200611.60−0.40Action17,000
13May 19, 195711.53−0.47Action17,700
14Jun 25, 197411.50−0.50Action17,000
15May 31, 198311.46−0.54Below flood stage16,800
16Mar 9, 198611.05−0.95Below flood stage15,600
17May 16, 201111.03−0.97Below flood stage15,000
18May 22, 200810.69−1.31Below flood stage14,300
19May 15, 198410.66−1.34Below flood stage14,400
20Jun 1, 200310.66−1.34Below flood stage14,300
21May 23, 202310.42−1.58Below flood stage13,400
22Jun 12, 199310.32−1.68Below flood stage13,900
23Jun 14, 202210.29−1.71Below flood stage13,100
24Jun 7, 200910.15−1.85Below flood stage12,900
25May 20, 20059.75−2.25Below flood stage11,800
26May 29, 20149.37−2.63Below flood stage10,700
27May 12, 20259.24−2.76Below flood stage10,400
28May 27, 20189.20−2.80Below flood stage10,300
29Jun 4, 20249.16−2.84Below flood stage10,200
30Jun 7, 20209.08−2.92Below flood stage10,000
31May 10, 20168.80−3.20Below flood stage9,230
32Feb 10, 20158.57−3.43Below flood stage8,600
33Jun 6, 20047.95−4.05Below flood stage7,390
34May 22, 20076.76−5.24Below flood stage4,850
35Apr 6, 20216.68−5.32Below flood stage4,550

The worst floods along the Payette River

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

January 2, 1997: 14.50 ft here, major flooding

  • EmmettID · Jan 1, 1997 · 15.90 ft · Major

December 24, 1964: 13.80 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EmmettID · Dec 23, 1964 · 16.10 ft · Major · its highest

June 6, 2010: 13.69 ft here, moderate flooding

  • EmmettID · Jun 5, 2010 · 13.45 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Payette River

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

Flood gauges on the Payette River
EmmettID10.516.10 ft, Dec 23, 19642
Payette this gaugeID12.014.50 ft, Jan 2, 19971

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRPI1, 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.