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East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville

Highest listed crest 20.17 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft10 crests since 1950

The East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 10 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2022. The highest, 20.17 ft on January 3, 1997, was major flooding, 6.17 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the East Fork Carson River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.17 ft
January 3, 1997; 20,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.5 ft
Crests at major
4
8th of 46 gauges in Nevada
Most recent flood crest
December 31, 2022
14.79 ft, minor flooding
Location
Douglas County
Nevada

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville
Action stage13.01Mar 22, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.03Dec 31, 2022Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.52Jan 8, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.54Jan 3, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

10 crests from 1950 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, 1950 to 2022 121416182022ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 16.5 ft Nov 21, 1950: 17.11 ft, major flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1955: 19.20 ft, major flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1963: 17.64 ft, major flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1997: 20.17 ft, major flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 16.10 ft, moderate flooding; 9,730 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2017: 16.12 ft, moderate flooding; 9,770 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2017: 15.47 ft, minor flooding; 8,360 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2018: 13.79 ft, action stage; 5,090 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2018: 14.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,850 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2022: 14.79 ft, minor flooding; 6,770 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.17 ft, Jan 3, 1997 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 16 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 13.32 ft on May 28, 1890; 14.03 ft on Dec 25, 1892; 13.23 ft on Feb 24, 1904; 13.29 ft on Jun 5, 1909; 16.35 ft on Dec 11, 1937; 13.21 ft on Dec 3, 1941; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville
1Jan 3, 199720.17+6.17Major20,300
2Dec 23, 195519.20+5.20Major17,600
3Feb 1, 196317.64+3.64Major13,400
4Nov 21, 195017.11+3.11Major12,100
5Jan 8, 201716.12+2.12Moderate9,770
6Dec 31, 200516.10+2.10Moderate9,730
7Feb 10, 201715.47+1.47Minor8,360
8Dec 31, 202214.79+0.79Minor6,770
9Apr 7, 201814.20+0.20Minor5,850
10Mar 22, 201813.79−0.21Action5,090

The worst floods along the East Fork Carson River

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

January 3, 1997: 20.17 ft here, major flooding

  • MarkleevilleCA · Jan 2, 1997 · 11.64 ft · Major · its highest

February 1, 1963: 17.64 ft here, major flooding

January 8, 2017: 16.12 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the East Fork Carson River

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

Flood gauges on the East Fork Carson River
MarkleevilleCA9.011.64 ft, Jan 2, 19971
Gardnerville this gaugeNV14.020.17 ft, Jan 3, 19974

Other gauges in Douglas County

Flood gauges in Douglas County
Genoa15.517.53 ft, Dec 31, 20050
Hoye Bridge nr Wellington8.013.67 ft, Jan 3, 19971

Douglas County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Nevada

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GRDN2, 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.