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Portneuf River at Pocatello

Highest listed crest 13.85 ftFlood stage 8.5 ft34 crests since 1969

The Portneuf River at Pocatello crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1969 to 2023. The highest, 13.85 ft on May 17, 1984, was major flooding, 5.35 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Portneuf River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
13.85 ft
May 17, 1984; 2,870 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.5 ft
Major flooding from 11.0 ft
Crests at major
3
11th of 78 gauges in Idaho
Most recent flood crest
May 30, 2023
11.14 ft, major flooding
Location
Bannock County
Near Pocatello (0.3 mi), Chubbuck (3.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Portneuf River at Pocatello
Action stage8.04Jan 22, 2012The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.59Apr 27, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.01May 3, 2006Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage11.03May 30, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1969 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Portneuf River at Pocatello, 1969 to 2023 468101214ft Flood stage 8.5 ftMajor 11.0 ft Apr 25, 1969: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1971: 9.59 ft, minor flooding; 1,580 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1972: 8.19 ft, action stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1974: 8.32 ft, action stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1975: 9.40 ft, minor flooding; 1,540 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1976: 9.00 ft, minor flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1983: 11.19 ft, major flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1984: 13.85 ft, major flooding; 2,870 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1986: 9.41 ft, minor flooding; 1,460 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1989: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 881 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1993: 8.30 ft, action stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1994: 6.78 ft, below flood stage; 730 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1996: 9.07 ft, minor flooding; 1,280 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1997: 9.14 ft, minor flooding; 1,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2002: 5.23 ft, below flood stage; 443 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2004: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 480 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2005: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 673 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2006: 10.52 ft, moderate flooding; 1,410 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2007: 7.76 ft, below flood stage; 836 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2008: 6.14 ft, below flood stage; 455 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2009: 7.44 ft, below flood stage; 693 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2010: 6.30 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2011: 9.95 ft, minor flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 2012: 8.06 ft, action stage; 807 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2013: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 480 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2014: 7.35 ft, below flood stage; 671 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2015: 5.13 ft, below flood stage; 323 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2016: 7.33 ft, below flood stage; 618 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2018: 8.66 ft, minor flooding; 984 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2019: 9.26 ft, minor flooding; 983 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 621 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2021: 5.31 ft, below flood stage; 355 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2022: 5.43 ft, below flood stage; 354 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2023: 11.14 ft, major flooding; 1,310 cubic feet per second Highest, 13.85 ft, May 17, 1984 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Portneuf River at Pocatello 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 2020s: 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 9.83 ft on May 14, 2017.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Portneuf River at Pocatello
1May 17, 198413.85+5.35Major2,870
2May 31, 198311.19+2.69Major1,990
3May 30, 202311.14+2.64Major1,310
4May 3, 200610.52+2.02Moderate1,410
5May 27, 20119.95+1.45Minor1,210
6May 14, 19719.59+1.09Minor1,580
7Apr 26, 19869.41+0.91Minor1,460
8May 19, 19759.40+0.90Minor1,540
9Apr 27, 20199.26+0.76Minor983
10May 20, 19979.14+0.64Minor1,300
11May 31, 19969.07+0.57Minor1,280
12May 13, 19769.00+0.50Minor1,390
13Apr 30, 20188.66+0.16Minor984
14May 11, 19748.32−0.18Action1,290
15May 18, 19938.30−0.20Action1,080
16May 9, 19728.19−0.31Action1,260
17Jan 22, 20128.06−0.44Action807
18Feb 12, 20077.76−0.74Below flood stage836
19Apr 25, 19697.62−0.88Below flood stage1,130
20Jun 18, 20097.44−1.06Below flood stage693
21May 18, 20057.36−1.14Below flood stage673
22Feb 16, 20147.35−1.15Below flood stage671
23Apr 15, 20167.33−1.17Below flood stage618
24May 2, 20206.97−1.53Below flood stage621
25Apr 22, 19896.96−1.54Below flood stage881
26Feb 28, 19946.78−1.72Below flood stage730
27Apr 23, 20106.30−2.20Below flood stage500
28May 8, 20086.14−2.36Below flood stage455
29Sep 3, 20136.08−2.42Below flood stage480
30Mar 26, 20045.68−2.82Below flood stage480
31May 8, 20225.43−3.07Below flood stage354
32Mar 20, 20215.31−3.19Below flood stage355
33Apr 16, 20025.23−3.27Below flood stage443
34Feb 9, 20155.13−3.37Below flood stage323

The worst floods along the Portneuf River

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

May 17, 1984: 13.85 ft here, major flooding

  • TopazID · May 21, 1984 · 5.42 ft · Minor

May 31, 1983: 11.19 ft here, major flooding

  • TopazID · May 31, 1983 · 5.20 ft · Minor

May 3, 2006: 10.52 ft here, moderate flooding

  • TyheeID · May 3, 2006 · 6.44 ft · Minor
  • TopazID · May 2, 2006 · 5.00 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Portneuf River

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

Flood gauges on the Portneuf River
TopazID4.06.00 ft, Dec 23, 19640
Pocatello this gaugeID8.513.85 ft, May 17, 19843
TyheeID6.26.76 ft, May 6, 19860

Other gauges in Bannock County

Flood gauges in Bannock County
McCammon5.613.85 ft, May 17, 19840
Topaz4.06.00 ft, Dec 23, 19640
Tyhee6.26.76 ft, May 6, 19860

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PIHI1, 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.