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Salmon River at Salmon

Highest listed crest 10.33 ftFlood stage 7.5 ft45 crests since 1916

The Salmon River at Salmon crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1916 to 2025. The highest, 10.33 ft on February 7, 1985, was major flooding, 2.83 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.33 ft
February 7, 1985
Flood stage
7.5 ft
Major flooding from 9.5 ft
Crests at major
4
5th of 78 gauges in Idaho
Most recent flood crest
June 13, 2022
7.91 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lemhi County
Idaho

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Salmon River at Salmon
Action stage7.014Apr 27, 2012The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.512Jun 13, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.59Jun 6, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.54Feb 7, 1985Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1916 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Salmon River at Salmon, 1916 to 2025 4681012ft Flood stage 7.5 ftMajor 9.5 ft Jun 19, 1916: 6.84 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1921: 8.12 ft, minor flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1928: 6.85 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1932: 8.95 ft, moderate floodingDec 19, 1932: 7.30 ft, action stageJan 30, 1936: 8.48 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1937: 7.45 ft, action stageJan 8, 1942: 9.62 ft, major floodingMay 31, 1943: 7.18 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1947: 7.05 ft, action stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1948: 7.32 ft, action stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1949: 9.07 ft, moderate floodingFeb 4, 1950: 8.57 ft, moderate floodingMay 29, 1951: 7.38 ft, action stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1956: 8.90 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 1956: 8.25 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1957: 8.04 ft, minor floodingJun 6, 1957: 7.23 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1958: 7.24 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1962: 8.65 ft, moderate floodingFeb 2, 1963: 8.69 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1965: 7.89 ft, minor flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1967: 7.06 ft, action stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1970: 6.75 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1971: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1972: 7.77 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1973: 9.60 ft, major floodingJun 17, 1974: 8.67 ft, moderate flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1982: 7.56 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1983: 7.29 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1983: 9.50 ft, major floodingJan 12, 1984: 9.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 7, 1985: 10.33 ft, major floodingJun 2, 1986: 8.11 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1996: 7.94 ft, minor flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1997: 8.48 ft, minor flooding; 15,900 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1999: 6.87 ft, below flood stage; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2003: 7.23 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2006: 7.76 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2010: 7.19 ft, action stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2011: 7.28 ft, action stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2012: 7.16 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2017: 9.15 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2022: 7.91 ft, minor flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 5.57 ft, below flood stage; 6,780 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.33 ft, Feb 7, 1985 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Salmon River at Salmon 1910s: 0 1920s: 1 1930s: 2 1940s: 2 1950s: 4 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 5 5 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Salmon River at Salmon
1Feb 7, 198510.33+2.83Major—
2Jan 8, 19429.62+2.12Major—
3Jan 12, 19739.60+2.10Major—
4Dec 13, 19839.50+2.00Major—
5Jun 6, 20179.15+1.65Moderate17,100
6Feb 12, 19499.07+1.57Moderate—
7Jan 12, 19849.00+1.50Moderate—
8Feb 2, 19328.95+1.45Moderate—
9Feb 3, 19568.90+1.40Moderate—
10Feb 2, 19638.69+1.19Moderate—
11Jun 17, 19748.67+1.17Moderate17,700
12Jan 20, 19628.65+1.15Moderate—
13Feb 4, 19508.57+1.07Moderate—
14Jan 30, 19368.48+0.98Minor—
15Jun 11, 19978.48+0.98Minor15,900
16May 25, 19568.25+0.75Minor16,500
17Jun 12, 19218.12+0.62Minor16,400
18Jun 2, 19868.11+0.61Minor15,000
19Jan 27, 19578.04+0.54Minor—
20Jun 10, 19967.94+0.44Minor15,800
21Jun 13, 20227.91+0.41Minor13,200
22Jun 13, 19657.89+0.39Minor15,300
23Jun 8, 19727.77+0.27Minor16,200
24May 21, 20067.76+0.26Minor14,900
25Jun 21, 19827.56+0.06Minor13,700
26Jan 26, 19377.45−0.05Action—
27May 29, 19517.38−0.12Action11,400
28Jun 4, 19487.32−0.18Action10,900
29Dec 19, 19327.30−0.20Action—
30May 31, 19837.29−0.21Action13,200
31Jun 24, 20117.28−0.22Action13,100
32May 25, 19587.24−0.26Action12,900
33Jun 6, 19577.23−0.27Action14,300
34May 31, 20037.23−0.27Action13,000
35Jun 5, 20107.19−0.31Action12,800
36May 31, 19437.18−0.32Action10,700
37Apr 27, 20127.16−0.34Action12,700
38Jun 22, 19677.06−0.44Action11,500
39May 10, 19477.05−0.45Action10,100
40Jun 27, 19716.94−0.56Below flood stage12,500
41Jun 19, 19996.87−0.63Below flood stage11,900
42May 27, 19286.85−0.65Below flood stage11,800
43Jun 19, 19166.84−0.66Below flood stage11,600
44Jun 8, 19706.75−0.75Below flood stage11,600
45May 12, 20255.57−1.93Below flood stage6,780

The worst floods along the Salmon River

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

June 6, 2017: 9.15 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Yankee ForkID · Jun 5, 2017 · 10.64 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Salmon River

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

Flood gauges on the Salmon River
Yankee ForkID9.510.64 ft, Jun 5, 20170
Salmon this gaugeID7.510.33 ft, Feb 7, 19854

Other gauges in Lemhi County

Flood gauges in Lemhi County
Lemhi6.57.19 ft, Jun 21, 19840

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SMNI1, 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.