Bear Creek at Medford

Highest listed crest 14.69 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft2 crests since 1996

The Bear Creek at Medford crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 2 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1996 to 1997. The highest, 14.69 ft on January 1, 1997, was major flooding, 4.69 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 14.69 ft; January 1, 1997; 17,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 10.0 ft; Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major: 1; 45th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest: January 1, 1997; 14.69 ft, major flooding
Location: Jackson County; Near Medford (1.1 mi), Central Point (4.3 mi), Ashland (12.5 mi)
Identifiers: NWS MFDO3; USGS 14357500

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Bear Creek at Medford

Action stage	8.0	1	Dec 8, 1996	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	10.0	0	—	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	13.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	14.0	1	Jan 1, 1997	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

2 crests from 1996 to 1997. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

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.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 10.04 ft on Dec 2, 1962.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Bear Creek at Medford

1	Jan 1, 1997	14.69	+4.69	Major	17,600
2	Dec 8, 1996	8.86	−1.14	Action	3,950

Other gauges in Jackson County

Flood gauges in Jackson County

Applegate	13.0	20.41 ft, Jan 15, 1974	6
Rogue River Lost Creek Lake	1,873.0	1,882.24 ft, Jun 2, 1988	0
Gold Ray Dam	12.0	23.43 ft, Dec 23, 1964	4
Eagle Point	10.0	15.17 ft, Dec 22, 1955	1

Jackson County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Oregon

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MFDO3, 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.