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Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry)

Highest listed crest 16.02 ftFlood stage 11.5 ft27 crests since 1911

The Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry) crested above flood stage 13 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1911 to 2022. The highest, 16.02 ft on June 21, 1918, was minor flooding, 4.52 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Snake River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.02 ft
June 21, 1918; 45,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.5 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
13 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 17, 2017
11.63 ft, minor flooding
Location
Minidoka County
Idaho

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry)
Action stage10.23Apr 25, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.513Apr 17, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1911 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry), 1911 to 2022 681012141618ft Flood stage 11.5 ft Jun 25, 1911: 13.68 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1912: 13.80 ft, minor flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1913: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 32,800 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1914: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 36,400 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1917: 13.72 ft, minor flooding; 34,900 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1918: 16.02 ft, minor flooding; 45,900 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1921: 13.36 ft, minor flooding; 32,900 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1927: 13.54 ft, minor flooding; 32,100 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1943: 13.28 ft, minor flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1997: 15.49 ft, minor flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2006: 10.92 ft, action stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2007: 8.00 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2008: 8.67 ft, below flood stage; 12,800 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2009: 11.51 ft, minor flooding; 23,500 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2010: 8.08 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 2011: 12.39 ft, minor flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2012: 8.81 ft, below flood stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2013: 8.06 ft, below flood stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2014: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2015: 8.07 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2016: 8.50 ft, below flood stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2017: 11.63 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2018: 10.68 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2019: 10.76 ft, action stage; 21,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2020: 9.02 ft, below flood stage; 14,400 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2021: 8.87 ft, below flood stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2022: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 9,810 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.02 ft, Jun 21, 1918 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry) 1910s: 6 6 1920s: 2 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 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, Snake River below Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry)
1Jun 21, 191816.02+4.52Minor45,900
2Jun 21, 199715.49+3.99Minor42,900
3Jun 8, 191414.18+2.68Minor36,400
4Jun 18, 191213.80+2.30Minor34,300
5Jun 24, 191713.72+2.22Minor34,900
6Jun 25, 191113.68+2.18Minor33,800
7Jul 3, 192713.54+2.04Minor32,100
8Jun 2, 191313.40+1.90Minor32,800
9Jun 2, 192113.36+1.86Minor32,900
10Jun 5, 194313.28+1.78Minor29,900
11Jun 1, 201112.39+0.89Minor27,800
12Apr 17, 201711.63+0.13Minor24,600
13Jun 23, 200911.51+0.01Minor23,500
14May 1, 200610.92−0.58Action21,700
15Apr 25, 201910.76−0.74Action21,000
16Apr 18, 201810.68−0.82Action20,600
17May 26, 20209.02−2.48Below flood stage14,400
18May 21, 20218.87−2.63Below flood stage13,600
19Jun 28, 20128.81−2.69Below flood stage13,500
20Jul 6, 20148.77−2.73Below flood stage13,200
21Jul 13, 20088.67−2.83Below flood stage12,800
22Jun 5, 20168.50−3.00Below flood stage12,900
23Jul 10, 20108.08−3.42Below flood stage10,900
24Jun 19, 20158.07−3.43Below flood stage11,500
25May 13, 20138.06−3.44Below flood stage10,900
26Jul 6, 20078.00−3.50Below flood stage10,700
27Feb 7, 20227.70−3.80Below flood stage9,810

The worst floods along the Snake River

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

June 21, 1918: 16.02 ft here, minor flooding

  • ShelleyID · Jun 17, 1918 · 16.97 ft · Major · its highest

June 21, 1997: 15.49 ft here, minor flooding

June 24, 1917: 13.72 ft here, minor flooding

  • ShelleyID · Jun 22, 1917 · 14.68 ft · Major

Gauges on the Snake River

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

Flood gauges on the Snake River
Flagg RanchWY10.010.75 ft, Jun 5, 19960
MooseWY15.015.25 ft, Jun 11, 19970
JacksonWY10.011.66 ft, Jun 11, 19970
HeiseID8.011.26 ft, Jun 13, 19971
MenanID8.510.57 ft, Jun 9, 20110
Idaho FallsID13.218.91 ft, Jun 16, 19970
ShelleyID12.516.97 ft, Jun 17, 19184
BlackfootID10.513.55 ft, Jun 17, 19971
Blackfoot (Tilden Bridge-Ft. Hall)ID11.014.80 ft, Jun 18, 19970
NeeleyID9.511.46 ft, Jun 19, 19970
Minidoka Dam (at Howells Ferry) this gaugeID11.516.02 ft, Jun 21, 19180

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MDMI1, 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.