Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Tualatin River at West Linn

Highest listed crest 18.32 ftFlood stage 13.5 ft11 crests since 1949

The Tualatin River at West Linn crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1949 to 2015. The highest, 18.32 ft on February 10, 1996, was major flooding, 4.82 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Tualatin River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.32 ft
February 10, 1996; 26,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.5 ft
Major flooding from 15.0 ft
Crests at major
5
17th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
March 1, 1999
14.42 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clackamas County
Near West Linn (2.1 mi), Oregon City (4.1 mi), Lake Oswego (4.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tualatin River at West Linn
Action stage11.02Dec 13, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.54Mar 1, 1999Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.05Jan 2, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1949 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Tualatin River at West Linn, 1949 to 2015 1214161820ft Flood stage 13.5 ftMajor 15.0 ft Feb 20, 1949: 14.36 ft, minor flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1955: 16.27 ft, major flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1964: 15.40 ft, major flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1972: 14.18 ft, minor flooding; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1974: 16.31 ft, major flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1977: 14.16 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1996: 18.32 ft, major flooding; 26,400 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1997: 16.31 ft, major flooding; 20,600 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1999: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2006: 13.47 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2015: 13.40 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.32 ft, Feb 10, 1996 1950196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Tualatin River at West Linn 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 3 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 17.72 ft on Dec 23, 1933; 15.30 ft on Jan 24, 1936; 17.29 ft on Dec 30, 1937.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Tualatin River at West Linn
1Feb 10, 199618.32+4.82Major26,400
2Jan 18, 197416.31+2.81Major22,300
3Jan 2, 199716.31+2.81Major20,600
4Dec 23, 195516.27+2.77Major21,400
5Jan 28, 196415.40+1.90Major17,700
6Mar 1, 199914.42+0.92Minor15,700
7Feb 20, 194914.36+0.86Minor15,100
8Jan 24, 197214.18+0.68Minor14,700
9Dec 17, 197714.16+0.66Minor16,200
10Jan 13, 200613.47−0.03Action13,600
11Dec 13, 201513.40−0.10Action13,200

The worst floods along the Tualatin River

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

February 10, 1996: 18.32 ft here, major flooding

  • FarmingtonOR · Feb 9, 1996 · 37.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • DilleyOR · Feb 8, 1996 · 19.06 ft · Moderate

January 18, 1974: 16.31 ft here, major flooding

  • FarmingtonOR · Jan 17, 1974 · 35.13 ft · Moderate
  • DilleyOR · Jan 16, 1974 · 18.53 ft · Moderate

January 2, 1997: 16.31 ft here, major flooding

  • FarmingtonOR · Jan 1, 1997 · 34.81 ft · Moderate
  • DilleyOR · Dec 30, 1996 · 18.02 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Tualatin River

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

Flood gauges on the Tualatin River
DilleyOR17.519.27 ft, Jan 21, 19720
FarmingtonOR32.037.20 ft, Feb 9, 19963
West Linn this gaugeOR13.518.32 ft, Feb 10, 19965

Other gauges in Clackamas County

Flood gauges in Clackamas County
Estacada20.030.36 ft, Dec 22, 19645
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
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 WSLO3, 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.