Columbia River at St. Helens

Highest listed crest 27.10 ftFlood stage 15.5 ft17 crests since 1946

The Columbia River at St. Helens crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1946 to 2017. The highest, 27.10 ft on June 14, 1948, was major flooding, 11.60 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Columbia River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 27.10 ft; June 14, 1948
Flood stage: 15.5 ft; Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major: 5; 17th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest: March 30, 2017; 15.80 ft, minor flooding
Location: Columbia County; Near St. Helens (1.1 mi), Ridgefield (6.8 mi), Battle Ground (13.7 mi)
Identifiers: NWS SHNO3; No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Columbia River at St. Helens

Action stage	14.5	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	15.5	5	Mar 30, 2017	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	18.0	7	Jan 3, 1996	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	21.0	5	Feb 10, 1996	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1946 to 2017. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Columbia River at St. Helens

1	Jun 14, 1948	27.10	+11.60	Major	—
2	Dec 25, 1964	24.00	+8.50	Major	—
3	Jun 5, 1956	23.20	+7.70	Major	—
4	Feb 10, 1996	23.00	+7.50	Major	—
5	Jun 27, 1950	21.60	+6.10	Major	—
6	Jun 10, 1961	20.10	+4.60	Moderate	—
7	May 23, 1957	19.80	+4.30	Moderate	—
8	Jan 3, 1996	19.78	+4.28	Moderate	—
9	Jan 31, 1965	19.60	+4.10	Moderate	—
10	May 19, 1949	19.20	+3.70	Moderate	—
11	Jun 16, 1953	18.40	+2.90	Moderate	—
12	Jun 1, 1946	18.10	+2.60	Moderate	—
13	Dec 25, 1955	17.80	+2.30	Minor	—
14	Jun 23, 1967	17.80	+2.30	Minor	—
15	Jun 1, 1958	17.40	+1.90	Minor	—
16	Jun 19, 1954	17.10	+1.60	Minor	—
17	Mar 30, 2017	15.80	+0.30	Minor	—

The worst floods along the Columbia River

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

June 14, 1948: 27.10 ft here, major flooding

VancouverWA · Jun 13, 1948 · 31.00 ft · Major

December 25, 1964: 24.00 ft here, major flooding

VancouverWA · Dec 25, 1964 · 27.70 ft · Major
LongviewWA · Dec 25, 1964 · 18.90 ft · Major

June 5, 1956: 23.20 ft here, major flooding

VancouverWA · Jun 4, 1956 · 27.60 ft · Major
LongviewWA · Jun 8, 1956 · 18.00 ft · Major

Gauges on the Columbia River

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

Flood gauges on the Columbia River

Longview	WA	13.5	24.00 ft, Jun 7, 1894	5
St. Helens this gauge	OR	15.5	27.10 ft, Jun 14, 1948	5
Vancouver	WA	16.0	33.60 ft, Jun 7, 1894	15
Wauna	OR	12.0	12.67 ft, Dec 10, 2015	0

Other gauges in Columbia County

Flood gauges in Columbia County

Vernonia	12.0	19.10 ft, Dec 3, 2007	1
Hwy 47 Bridge at Vernonia	9.5	10.22 ft, Nov 25, 2016	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHNO3, 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.