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Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam

Highest listed crest 23.43 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft17 crests since 1909

The Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1909 to 2012. The highest, 23.43 ft on December 23, 1964, was major flooding, 11.43 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Rogue River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.43 ft
December 23, 1964; 131,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
4
25th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
December 2, 2012
12.23 ft, minor flooding
Location
Jackson County
Near Central Point (5.7 mi), Medford (9.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam
Action stage10.01Nov 21, 1998The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.08Dec 2, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.04Jan 1, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.04Dec 23, 1964Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1909 to 2012. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam, 1909 to 2012 10152025ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Nov 23, 1909: 22.50 ft, major flooding; 92,000 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1953: 17.83 ft, moderate flooding; 56,500 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1953: 16.93 ft, moderate flooding; 52,300 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1955: 21.55 ft, major flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1958: 13.68 ft, minor flooding; 44,900 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1962: 19.10 ft, major flooding; 88,900 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 23.43 ft, major flooding; 131,000 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1970: 13.22 ft, minor flooding; 44,400 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1971: 15.59 ft, minor flooding; 60,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1972: 16.28 ft, moderate flooding; 66,200 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 15.95 ft, minor flooding; 63,600 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1981: 15.46 ft, minor flooding; 57,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1983: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 50,700 cubic feet per secondDec 8, 1996: 12.40 ft, minor flooding; 38,093 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 17.17 ft, moderate flooding; 70,695 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 1998: 11.80 ft, action stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2012: 12.23 ft, minor flooding; 38,242 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.43 ft, Dec 23, 1964 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 4 4 1960s: 2 1970s: 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 24.80 ft on Feb 21, 1927.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Rogue River below Gold Ray Dam
1Dec 23, 196423.43+11.43Major131,000
2Nov 23, 190922.50+10.50Major92,000
3Dec 22, 195521.55+9.55Major110,000
4Dec 2, 196219.10+7.10Major88,900
5Jan 18, 195317.83+5.83Moderate56,500
6Jan 1, 199717.17+5.17Moderate70,695
7Nov 23, 195316.93+4.93Moderate52,300
8Mar 2, 197216.28+4.28Moderate66,200
9Jan 16, 197415.95+3.95Minor63,600
10Jan 17, 197115.59+3.59Minor60,900
11Dec 19, 198115.46+3.46Minor57,700
12Feb 18, 198314.42+2.42Minor50,700
13Jan 2, 195813.68+1.68Minor44,900
14Jan 27, 197013.22+1.22Minor44,400
15Dec 8, 199612.40+0.40Minor38,093
16Dec 2, 201212.23+0.23Minor38,242
17Nov 21, 199811.80−0.20Action35,000

The worst floods along the Rogue River

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

December 23, 1964: 23.43 ft here, major flooding

  • Grants PassOR · Dec 23, 1964 · 35.15 ft · Major · its highest
  • AgnessOR · Dec 23, 1964 · 68.03 ft · Minor · its highest
  • Eagle PointOR · Dec 22, 1964 · 12.78 ft · Minor

December 22, 1955: 21.55 ft here, major flooding

  • Grants PassOR · Dec 22, 1955 · 33.60 ft · Major
  • Eagle PointOR · Dec 22, 1955 · 15.17 ft · Major · its highest

December 2, 1962: 19.10 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Rogue River

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

Flood gauges on the Rogue River
Eagle PointOR10.015.17 ft, Dec 22, 19551
Gold Ray Dam this gaugeOR12.023.43 ft, Dec 23, 19644
Grants PassOR20.035.15 ft, Dec 23, 19644
AgnessOR25.068.03 ft, Dec 23, 19640

Other gauges in Jackson County

Flood gauges in Jackson County
Applegate13.020.41 ft, Jan 15, 19746
Medford10.014.69 ft, Jan 1, 19971
Rogue River Lost Creek Lake1,873.01,882.24 ft, Jun 2, 19880
Eagle Point10.015.17 ft, Dec 22, 19551

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RYGO3, 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.