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Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park

Highest listed crest 14.40 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft56 crests since 1947

The Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 56 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2017. The highest, 14.40 ft on December 29, 1982, was major flooding, 9.40 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Calcasieu River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.40 ft
December 29, 1982
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
8
18th of 107 gauges in Louisiana
Most recent flood crest
August 31, 2017
11.20 ft, major flooding
Location
Calcasieu Parish
Near Sulphur (7.1 mi), Lake Charles (7.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS LCRL1
Out of service

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park
Action stage3.016Mar 1, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.028May 5, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.04Sep 24, 2005Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.08Aug 31, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

56 crests from 1947 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park, 1947 to 2017 05101520ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Jan 24, 1947: 4.70 ft, action stageApr 25, 1948: 3.10 ft, action stageApr 1, 1949: 5.40 ft, minor floodingJun 6, 1950: 6.18 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1951: 3.21 ft, action stageJul 18, 1952: 6.50 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1953: 12.75 ft, major floodingMay 7, 1954: 4.50 ft, action stageFeb 7, 1955: 6.70 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 1957: 6.45 ft, minor floodingSep 23, 1958: 9.60 ft, moderate floodingJul 27, 1959: 4.12 ft, action stageDec 17, 1959: 3.00 ft, action stageSep 12, 1961: 6.65 ft, minor floodingAug 29, 1962: 4.89 ft, action stageSep 18, 1963: 3.51 ft, action stageMar 4, 1964: 3.31 ft, action stageMar 2, 1965: 4.17 ft, action stageFeb 18, 1966: 4.20 ft, action stageApr 17, 1967: 5.56 ft, minor floodingSep 4, 1968: 3.48 ft, action stageFeb 24, 1969: 4.10 ft, action stageDec 6, 1969: 3.10 ft, action stageOct 29, 1970: 10.66 ft, major floodingDec 10, 1971: 5.10 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1973: 6.28 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 1974: 5.38 ft, minor floodingJan 10, 1975: 5.37 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1976: 5.64 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 1976: 5.80 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 1977: 5.71 ft, minor floodingSep 21, 1979: 6.66 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 1980: 11.82 ft, major floodingDec 29, 1982: 14.40 ft, major floodingMay 23, 1983: 6.40 ft, minor floodingNov 1, 1985: 7.30 ft, minor floodingJun 10, 1986: 6.00 ft, minor floodingMay 21, 1989: 7.80 ft, minor floodingJul 2, 1989: 11.07 ft, major floodingDec 16, 1991: 5.60 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1995: 5.20 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 1995: 8.35 ft, moderate floodingOct 27, 1996: 4.60 ft, action stageSep 14, 1998: 5.80 ft, minor floodingSep 3, 2001: 6.70 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 2001: 8.00 ft, moderate floodingOct 30, 2002: 7.00 ft, minor floodingNov 7, 2002: 7.90 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 2003: 4.00 ft, action stageMay 19, 2004: 5.40 ft, minor floodingSep 24, 2005: 8.50 ft, moderate floodingOct 28, 2006: 10.90 ft, major flooding; 19,959 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2008: 10.50 ft, major floodingMar 23, 2012: 7.80 ft, minor flooding; 8,030 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2017: 7.70 ft, minor floodingAug 31, 2017: 11.20 ft, major flooding; 21,240 cubic feet per second Highest, 14.40 ft, Dec 29, 1982 1950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park 1940s: 1 1950s: 6 1960s: 2 1970s: 9 9 1980s: 7 1990s: 4 2000s: 8 2010s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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

The 50 highest of 56 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Calcasieu River at Sam Houston Jones State Park
1Dec 29, 198214.40+9.40Major—
2May 22, 195312.75+7.75Major—
3May 18, 198011.82+6.82Major—
4Aug 31, 201711.20+6.20Major21,240
5Jul 2, 198911.07+6.07Major—
6Oct 28, 200610.90+5.90Major19,959
7Oct 29, 197010.66+5.66Major—
8Sep 13, 200810.50+5.50Major—
9Sep 23, 19589.60+4.60Moderate—
10Sep 24, 20058.50+3.50Moderate—
11Apr 13, 19958.35+3.35Moderate—
12Dec 1, 20018.00+3.00Moderate—
13Nov 7, 20027.90+2.90Minor—
14May 21, 19897.80+2.80Minor—
15Mar 23, 20127.80+2.80Minor8,030
16May 5, 20177.70+2.70Minor—
17Nov 1, 19857.30+2.30Minor—
18Oct 30, 20027.00+2.00Minor—
19Feb 7, 19556.70+1.70Minor—
20Sep 3, 20016.70+1.70Minor—
21Sep 21, 19796.66+1.66Minor—
22Sep 12, 19616.65+1.65Minor—
23Jul 18, 19526.50+1.50Minor—
24Jun 28, 19576.45+1.45Minor—
25May 23, 19836.40+1.40Minor—
26Apr 19, 19736.28+1.28Minor—
27Jun 6, 19506.18+1.18Minor—
28Jun 10, 19866.00+1.00Minor—
29Dec 1, 19765.80+0.80Minor—
30Sep 14, 19985.80+0.80Minor—
31Dec 1, 19775.71+0.71Minor—
32Mar 27, 19765.64+0.64Minor—
33Dec 16, 19915.60+0.60Minor—
34Apr 17, 19675.56+0.56Minor—
35Apr 1, 19495.40+0.40Minor—
36May 19, 20045.40+0.40Minor—
37Jan 21, 19745.38+0.38Minor—
38Jan 10, 19755.37+0.37Minor—
39Mar 16, 19955.20+0.20Minor—
40Dec 10, 19715.10+0.10Minor—
41Aug 29, 19624.89−0.11Action—
42Jan 24, 19474.70−0.30Action—
43Oct 27, 19964.60−0.40Action—
44May 7, 19544.50−0.50Action—
45Feb 18, 19664.20−0.80Action—
46Mar 2, 19654.17−0.83Action—
47Jul 27, 19594.12−0.88Action—
48Feb 24, 19694.10−0.90Action—
49Mar 1, 20034.00−1.00Action—
50Sep 18, 19633.51−1.49Action—

The worst floods along the Calcasieu River

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

December 29, 1982: 14.40 ft here, major flooding

  • KinderLA · Dec 29, 1982 · 26.22 ft · Major
  • OberlinLA · Dec 30, 1982 · 24.33 ft · Major
  • GlenmoraLA · Dec 28, 1982 · 20.40 ft · Major
  • Saltwater BarrierLA · Dec 31, 1982 · 8.95 ft · Major

May 22, 1953: 12.75 ft here, major flooding

  • KinderLA · May 19, 1953 · 32.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • OakdaleLA · May 19, 1953 · 27.62 ft · Major · its highest
  • OberlinLA · May 19, 1953 · 26.53 ft · Major · its highest
  • GlenmoraLA · May 19, 1953 · 21.55 ft · Major · its highest

May 18, 1980: 11.82 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Calcasieu River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Calcasieu River
Goos Ferry RoadLA2.07.46 ft, Oct 14, 20201
Saltwater BarrierLA4.013.00 ft, Oct 1, 19136
Sam Houston Jones State Park this gaugeLA5.014.40 ft, Dec 29, 19828
White Oak ParkLA2.09.61 ft, Sep 2, 20175
GlenmoraLA12.021.55 ft, May 19, 195317
KinderLA16.032.00 ft, May 19, 19538
OakdaleLA17.027.62 ft, May 19, 19531
OberlinLA13.026.53 ft, May 19, 195340

Other gauges in Calcasieu Parish

Flood gauges in Calcasieu Parish
Lorrain Park4.07.51 ft, Aug 17, 20161
Alligator Park20.023.74 ft, Apr 29, 20200
Goos Ferry Road2.07.46 ft, Oct 14, 20201
Saltwater Barrier4.013.00 ft, Oct 1, 19136
White Oak Park2.09.61 ft, Sep 2, 20175
Dave Dugas Road5.013.15 ft, Jan 14, 20161
Common Street8.011.53 ft, May 1, 20162
Anthony Ferry Road4.57.47 ft, Oct 13, 20200
Coffey Road13.016.01 ft, Jun 4, 20160
Tide Station (LCH) at Lake Charles3.09.50 ft, Sep 13, 20082
Dunn Ferry Road5.014.86 ft, Aug 31, 20172

Calcasieu Parish: every hazard · River floods across the country · Louisiana

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LCRL1, 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.