Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Truckee River at Vista

Highest listed crest 23.46 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft24 crests since 1904

The Truckee River at Vista crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1904 to 2023. The highest, 23.46 ft on February 1, 1963, was major flooding, 6.46 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Truckee River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.46 ft
February 1, 1963; 18,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major
4
8th of 46 gauges in Nevada
Most recent flood crest
February 10, 2017
18.01 ft, minor flooding
Location
Washoe County
Near Sparks (3.8 mi), Reno (8.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Truckee River at Vista
Action stage15.08May 18, 1996The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.06Feb 10, 2017Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.53Jan 9, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage21.04Jan 2, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1904 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Truckee River at Vista, 1904 to 2023 12141618202224ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 21.0 ft Apr 15, 1904: 17.33 ft, minor flooding; 8,940 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1907: 22.48 ft, major flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondDec 12, 1937: 18.01 ft, minor flooding; 9,760 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1943: 16.06 ft, action stage; 7,680 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1950: 17.15 ft, minor flooding; 8,750 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1952: 15.32 ft, action stage; 7,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1963: 23.46 ft, major flooding; 18,900 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 19.36 ft, moderate flooding; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1967: 15.25 ft, action stage; 7,040 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1970: 16.00 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1980: 18.16 ft, minor flooding; 9,970 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1981: 16.96 ft, action stage; 8,550 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1983: 16.47 ft, action stage; 8,040 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1983: 15.50 ft, action stage; 7,230 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 22.00 ft, major flooding; 16,100 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1995: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1996: 15.46 ft, action stage; 7,200 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1997: 23.26 ft, major flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 20.62 ft, moderate flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 2017: 19.42 ft, moderate flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2017: 18.01 ft, minor flooding; 9,760 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2018: 14.14 ft, below flood stage; 6,190 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2021: 13.32 ft, below flood stage; 5,590 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2023: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 5,270 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.46 ft, Feb 1, 1963 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Truckee River at Vista 1900s: 2 2 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 0 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Truckee River at Vista
1Feb 1, 196323.46+6.46Major18,900
2Jan 2, 199723.26+6.26Major18,500
3Mar 18, 190722.48+5.48Major17,000
4Feb 18, 198622.00+5.00Major16,100
5Dec 31, 200520.62+3.62Moderate13,700
6Jan 9, 201719.42+2.42Moderate11,800
7Dec 23, 196419.36+2.36Moderate11,700
8Jan 14, 198018.16+1.16Minor9,970
9Dec 12, 193718.01+1.01Minor9,760
10Feb 10, 201718.01+1.01Minor9,760
11Apr 15, 190417.33+0.33Minor8,940
12Mar 10, 199517.20+0.20Minor8,800
13Nov 21, 195017.15+0.15Minor8,750
14Dec 20, 198116.96−0.04Action8,550
15Mar 13, 198316.47−0.53Action8,040
16Jan 22, 194316.06−0.94Action7,680
17Jan 22, 197016.00−1.00Action7,630
18Nov 24, 198315.50−1.50Action7,230
19May 18, 199615.46−1.54Action7,200
20May 4, 195215.32−1.68Action7,090
21May 22, 196715.25−1.75Action7,040
22Apr 7, 201814.14−2.86Below flood stage6,190
23Oct 25, 202113.32−3.68Below flood stage5,590
24May 23, 202312.86−4.14Below flood stage5,270

The worst floods along the Truckee River

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

February 1, 1963: 23.46 ft here, major flooding

  • NixonNV · Feb 2, 1963 · 13.30 ft · Major
  • TruckeeCA · Feb 1, 1963 · 9.59 ft · Major
  • Derby DamNV · Feb 1, 1963 · 14.78 ft · Minor
  • FaradCA · Feb 1, 1963 · 11.80 ft · Minor

January 2, 1997: 23.26 ft here, major flooding

  • WadsworthNV · Jan 3, 1997 · 19.51 ft · Major · its highest
  • MogulNV · Jan 2, 1997 · 15.85 ft · Major · its highest
  • NixonNV · Jan 3, 1997 · 15.42 ft · Major · its highest
  • FaradCA · Jan 2, 1997 · 13.21 ft · Major
  • TruckeeCA · Jan 2, 1997 · 10.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • Tahoe CityCA · Jan 2, 1997 · 9.59 ft · Major · its highest
  • Derby DamNV · Jan 3, 1997 · 14.99 ft · Minor · its highest

March 18, 1907: 22.48 ft here, major flooding

  • FaradCA · Mar 18, 1907 · 13.40 ft · Major

Gauges on the Truckee River

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

Flood gauges on the Truckee River
Tahoe CityCA8.09.59 ft, Jan 2, 19971
TruckeeCA5.510.03 ft, Jan 2, 19973
FaradCA11.014.37 ft, Nov 21, 19504
MogulNV12.515.85 ft, Jan 2, 19971
RenoNV12.013.52 ft, Dec 31, 20050
Vista this gaugeNV17.023.46 ft, Feb 1, 19634
TracyNV14.017.39 ft, Dec 31, 20050
Derby DamNV11.014.99 ft, Jan 3, 19970
WadsworthNV15.019.51 ft, Jan 3, 19971
NixonNV10.515.42 ft, Jan 3, 19974

Other gauges in Washoe County

Flood gauges in Washoe County
Verdi7.513.72 ft, Jan 1, 19973
Incline Village3.53.87 ft, Jan 2, 19970
Steamboat4.06.26 ft, Feb 17, 19862
Reno12.013.52 ft, Dec 31, 20050
Wadsworth15.019.51 ft, Jan 3, 19971
Mogul12.515.85 ft, Jan 2, 19971
Nixon10.515.42 ft, Jan 3, 19974

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge VISN2, 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.