Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Powder River (OR) at Baker City

Highest listed crest 5.36 ftFlood stage 4.5 ft29 crests since 1979

The Powder River (OR) at Baker City crested above flood stage 5 times among the 29 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1979 to 2025. The highest, 5.36 ft on February 13, 1979, was minor flooding, 0.86 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
5.36 ft
February 13, 1979; 1,040 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
4.5 ft
Major flooding from 7.5 ft
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
January 1, 1997
4.80 ft, minor flooding
Location
Baker County
Near Baker City (0.5 mi)
Identifiers
NWS PWDO3
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, Powder River (OR) at Baker City
Action stage4.06May 17, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.55Jan 1, 1997Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage7.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

29 crests from 1979 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Powder River (OR) at Baker City, 1979 to 2025 2468ft Flood stage 4.5 ftMajor 7.5 ft Feb 13, 1979: 5.36 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1980: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 510 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1981: 3.52 ft, below flood stage; 385 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1982: 4.73 ft, minor flooding; 784 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1983: 4.20 ft, action stage; 601 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1984: 4.62 ft, minor flooding; 743 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1985: 4.00 ft, action stage; 570 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1986: 4.37 ft, action stage; 658 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1987: 3.37 ft, below flood stage; 379 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1988: 2.71 ft, below flood stage; 223 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1989: 4.75 ft, minor flooding; 792 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 1990: 3.03 ft, below flood stage; 260 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1991: 4.30 ft, action stage; 629 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1992: 3.31 ft, below flood stage; 333 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1993: 4.01 ft, action stage; 514 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 1994: 2.87 ft, below flood stage; 234 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1995: 3.28 ft, below flood stage; 321 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1996: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 489 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 4.80 ft, minor flooding; 810 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2011: 4.40 ft, action stage; 712 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2012: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 444 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2018: 3.49 ft, below flood stage; 385 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2019: 3.53 ft, below flood stage; 397 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 3.48 ft, below flood stage; 382 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2021: 3.47 ft, below flood stage; 376 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2022: 3.08 ft, below flood stage; 237 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2023: 3.60 ft, below flood stage; 404 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2024: 3.33 ft, below flood stage; 313 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2025: 3.42 ft, below flood stage; 343 cubic feet per second Highest, 5.36 ft, Feb 13, 1979 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Powder River (OR) at Baker City 1970s: 1 1980s: 3 3 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Powder River (OR) at Baker City
1Feb 13, 19795.36+0.86Minor1,040
2Jan 1, 19974.80+0.30Minor810
3Mar 11, 19894.75+0.25Minor792
4Jul 1, 19824.73+0.23Minor784
5Aug 31, 19844.62+0.12Minor743
6May 17, 20114.40−0.10Action712
7Feb 23, 19864.37−0.13Action658
8May 19, 19914.30−0.20Action629
9Mar 13, 19834.20−0.30Action601
10Mar 20, 19934.01−0.49Action514
11Apr 19, 19854.00−0.50Action570
12Feb 20, 19803.90−0.60Below flood stage510
13Feb 7, 19963.87−0.63Below flood stage489
14May 18, 20123.82−0.68Below flood stage444
15May 7, 20233.60−0.90Below flood stage404
16Apr 9, 20193.53−0.97Below flood stage397
17May 6, 19813.52−0.98Below flood stage385
18Aug 2, 20183.49−1.01Below flood stage385
19May 20, 20203.48−1.02Below flood stage382
20May 8, 20213.47−1.03Below flood stage376
21May 12, 20253.42−1.08Below flood stage343
22May 9, 19873.37−1.13Below flood stage379
23May 20, 20243.33−1.17Below flood stage313
24May 14, 19923.31−1.19Below flood stage333
25Aug 7, 19953.28−1.22Below flood stage321
26May 29, 20223.08−1.42Below flood stage237
27Aug 1, 19903.03−1.47Below flood stage260
28Aug 14, 19942.87−1.63Below flood stage234
29Aug 6, 19882.71−1.79Below flood stage223

Other gauges in Baker County

Flood gauges in Baker County
Unity Reservoir8.38.97 ft, May 8, 20230

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PWDO3, 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.