Clackamas River near Estacada

Highest listed crest 30.36 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft40 crests since 1960

The Clackamas River near Estacada crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 40 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1960 to 2025. The highest, 30.36 ft on December 22, 1964, was major flooding, 10.36 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.36 ft
December 22, 1964; 86,900 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 25.0 ft
Crests at major
5
17th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
December 19, 2025
26.25 ft, major flooding
Location
Clackamas County
Near Sandy (7.9 mi), Happy Valley (11.9 mi), Oregon City (11.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clackamas River near Estacada
Action stage18.01Feb 1, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.029Apr 8, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage23.05Jan 17, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage25.05Dec 19, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

40 crests from 1960 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clackamas River near Estacada, 1960 to 2025 1520253035ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 25.0 ft Nov 24, 1960: 24.82 ft, moderate flooding; 55,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1961: 24.96 ft, moderate flooding; 41,300 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1964: 30.36 ft, major flooding; 86,900 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1970: 21.51 ft, minor flooding; 36,100 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1971: 21.06 ft, minor flooding; 33,400 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1972: 25.52 ft, major flooding; 64,200 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 25.03 ft, major flooding; 60,000 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1977: 22.58 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1977: 23.56 ft, moderate flooding; 48,800 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1980: 22.69 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1981: 20.77 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1982: 22.70 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1983: 21.26 ft, minor flooding; 33,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1986: 22.80 ft, minor flooding; 43,300 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1987: 21.46 ft, minor flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1995: 20.83 ft, minor flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1995: 23.40 ft, moderate flooding; 40,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1996: 27.57 ft, major flooding; 68,900 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1996: 22.15 ft, minor flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1996: 20.33 ft, minor flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 22.30 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1997: 21.52 ft, minor flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 1997: 20.38 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1998: 22.39 ft, minor flooding; 34,500 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1999: 22.68 ft, minor flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2003: 19.90 ft, action stage; 22,734 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2005: 21.87 ft, minor flooding; 31,741 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2006: 22.63 ft, minor flooding; 35,752 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 2006: 22.29 ft, minor flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 2007: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 2009: 22.75 ft, minor flooding; 36,424 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2011: 24.01 ft, moderate flooding; 43,700 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2012: 20.55 ft, minor flooding; 25,544 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 2012: 20.03 ft, minor flooding; 23,289 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 2014: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 2015: 21.17 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2015: 20.87 ft, minor flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondOct 22, 2017: 21.21 ft, minor flooding; 30,587 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2023: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 29,500 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2025: 26.25 ft, major flooding; 61,301 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.36 ft, Dec 22, 1964 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clackamas River near Estacada 1960s: 3 1970s: 6 1980s: 6 1990s: 10 10 2000s: 5 2010s: 7 2020s: 2 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Clackamas River near Estacada
1Dec 22, 196430.36+10.36Major86,900
2Feb 7, 199627.57+7.57Major68,900
3Dec 19, 202526.25+6.25Major61,301
4Jan 21, 197225.52+5.52Major64,200
5Jan 16, 197425.03+5.03Major60,000
6Feb 10, 196124.96+4.96Moderate41,300
7Nov 24, 196024.82+4.82Moderate55,200
8Jan 17, 201124.01+4.01Moderate43,700
9Dec 13, 197723.56+3.56Moderate48,800
10Nov 28, 199523.40+3.40Moderate40,100
11Feb 23, 198622.80+2.80Minor43,300
12Jan 2, 200922.75+2.75Minor36,424
13Feb 20, 198222.70+2.70Minor42,600
14Dec 25, 198022.69+2.69Minor42,600
15Nov 26, 199922.68+2.68Minor36,000
16Jan 11, 200622.63+2.63Minor35,752
17Nov 25, 197722.58+2.58Minor42,000
18Dec 28, 199822.39+2.39Minor34,500
19Jan 1, 199722.30+2.30Minor34,000
20Nov 7, 200622.29+2.29Minor33,900
21Nov 19, 199622.15+2.15Minor33,200
22Dec 31, 200521.87+1.87Minor31,741
23Jan 31, 199721.52+1.52Minor30,000
24Jan 23, 197021.51+1.51Minor36,100
25Dec 10, 198721.46+1.46Minor34,800
26Jan 6, 198321.26+1.26Minor33,600
27Oct 22, 201721.21+1.21Minor30,587
28Dec 7, 201521.17+1.17Minor28,300
29Jan 19, 197121.06+1.06Minor33,400
30Dec 5, 200721.00+1.00Minor13,200
31Apr 8, 202321.00+1.00Minor29,500
32Dec 18, 201520.87+0.87Minor26,200
33Jan 31, 199520.83+0.83Minor26,000
34Dec 6, 198120.77+0.77Minor30,800
35Mar 31, 201220.55+0.55Minor25,544
36Oct 30, 199720.38+0.38Minor24,800
37Dec 4, 199620.33+0.33Minor24,500
38Dec 21, 201420.30+0.30Minor24,300
39Nov 20, 201220.03+0.03Minor23,289
40Feb 1, 200319.90−0.10Action22,734

The worst floods along the Clackamas River

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

December 19, 2025: 26.25 ft here, major flooding

  • Oregon CityOR · Dec 19, 2025 · 46.56 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Clackamas River

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

Flood gauges on the Clackamas River
Estacada this gaugeOR20.030.36 ft, Dec 22, 19645
Oregon CityOR39.046.56 ft, Dec 19, 20251

Other gauges in Clackamas County

Flood gauges in Clackamas County
Oregon City39.046.56 ft, Dec 19, 20251
Milwaukie30.331.30 ft, Dec 8, 20150
Canby20.026.76 ft, Dec 22, 19643
Bull Run19.322.59 ft, Feb 7, 19964
West Linn13.518.32 ft, Feb 10, 19965
Falls at Oregon City64.071.30 ft, Feb 5, 199010
Falls at Oregon City27.050.50 ft, Feb 5, 18906

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ESTO3, 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.