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Snake River near Shelley

Highest listed crest 16.97 ftFlood stage 12.5 ft30 crests since 1917

The Snake River near Shelley crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1917 to 2022. The highest, 16.97 ft on June 17, 1918, was major flooding, 4.47 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
16.97 ft
June 17, 1918; 47,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.5 ft
Major flooding from 13.5 ft
Crests at major
4
5th of 78 gauges in Idaho
Most recent flood crest
May 28, 2011
13.15 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Bingham County
Near Idaho Falls (7.3 mi), Ammon (9.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Snake River near Shelley
Action stage12.07Jun 16, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.51May 17, 1984Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.01May 28, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.54Jun 17, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1917 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Snake River near Shelley, 1917 to 2022 81012141618ft Flood stage 12.5 ftMajor 13.5 ft Jun 22, 1917: 14.68 ft, major flooding; 36,800 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1918: 16.97 ft, major flooding; 47,200 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1928: 14.36 ft, major flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1963: 12.17 ft, action stage; 25,600 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1971: 12.16 ft, action stage; 25,600 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1974: 12.06 ft, action stage; 25,900 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1983: 12.17 ft, action stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1984: 12.90 ft, minor flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1986: 12.00 ft, action stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1997: 16.05 ft, major flooding; 47,800 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2003: 8.84 ft, below flood stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 9.40 ft, below flood stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2005: 8.93 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2006: 11.15 ft, below flood stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2007: 8.23 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2008: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2009: 12.00 ft, action stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2010: 11.91 ft, below flood stage; 26,200 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2011: 13.15 ft, moderate flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2012: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2013: 9.54 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2014: 9.25 ft, below flood stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2015: 9.77 ft, below flood stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2016: 8.35 ft, below flood stage; 10,800 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2017: 12.24 ft, action stage; 27,800 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 2018: 11.85 ft, below flood stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2019: 11.04 ft, below flood stage; 22,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2020: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 18,100 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 2021: 8.74 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2022: 8.01 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.97 ft, Jun 17, 1918 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Snake River near Shelley 1910s: 2 2 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 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 near Shelley
1Jun 17, 191816.97+4.47Major47,200
2Jun 17, 199716.05+3.55Major47,800
3Jun 22, 191714.68+2.18Major36,800
4May 29, 192814.36+1.86Major36,600
5May 28, 201113.15+0.65Moderate32,300
6May 17, 198412.90+0.40Minor29,200
7Jun 16, 201712.24−0.26Action27,800
8Jun 19, 196312.17−0.33Action25,600
9Jun 14, 198312.17−0.33Action26,300
10May 15, 197112.16−0.34Action25,600
11Jun 23, 197412.06−0.44Action25,900
12May 7, 198612.00−0.50Action26,300
13Jun 24, 200912.00−0.50Action26,700
14Jun 10, 201011.91−0.59Below flood stage26,200
15Jun 3, 201811.85−0.65Below flood stage26,000
16May 3, 200611.15−1.35Below flood stage21,700
17Apr 24, 201911.04−1.46Below flood stage22,200
18Jun 2, 200810.50−2.00Below flood stage19,000
19Jun 7, 202010.11−2.39Below flood stage18,100
20May 18, 20159.77−2.73Below flood stage16,700
21May 21, 20139.54−2.96Below flood stage15,700
22May 24, 20049.40−3.10Below flood stage14,700
23Jun 9, 20149.25−3.25Below flood stage14,500
24Apr 29, 20129.00−3.50Below flood stage13,500
25Jun 16, 20058.93−3.57Below flood stage13,000
26Jul 29, 20038.84−3.66Below flood stage12,300
27Aug 5, 20218.74−3.76Below flood stage12,500
28Jun 9, 20168.35−4.15Below flood stage10,800
29May 26, 20078.23−4.27Below flood stage10,500
30May 31, 20228.01−4.49Below flood stage10,000

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 17, 1918: 16.97 ft here, major flooding

June 17, 1997: 16.05 ft here, major flooding

June 22, 1917: 14.68 ft here, major flooding

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
Shelley this gaugeID12.516.97 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)ID11.516.02 ft, Jun 21, 19180

Other gauges in Bingham County

Flood gauges in Bingham County
Blackfoot (Butte Road-Ft. Hall)5.86.77 ft, Jun 16, 19970
Shelley (Wolverine Canyon)8.59.10 ft, May 16, 19870
Blackfoot10.513.55 ft, Jun 17, 19971
Blackfoot (Tilden Bridge-Ft. Hall)11.014.80 ft, Jun 18, 19970

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHYI1, 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.