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Umatilla River at Pendleton

Highest listed crest 19.20 ftFlood stage 12.3 ft14 crests since 1924

The Umatilla River at Pendleton crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 14 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1924 to 2020. The highest, 19.20 ft on February 6, 2020, was major flooding, 6.90 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Umatilla River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.20 ft
February 6, 2020; 19,400 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.3 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
1
45th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
February 6, 2020
19.20 ft, major flooding
Location
Umatilla County
Near Pendleton (1.3 mi)
Identifiers
NWS PDTO3
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, Umatilla River at Pendleton
Action stage11.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.31Apr 10, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.01Feb 6, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

14 crests from 1924 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Umatilla River at Pendleton, 1924 to 2020 -505101520ft Flood stage 12.3 ftMajor 17.0 ft Jan 24, 1924: -0.99 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1948: 5.79 ft, below flood stage; 7,510 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: -0.99 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1972: 9.15 ft, below flood stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1973: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1975: -0.99 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1977: 9.10 ft, below flood stage; 6,000 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1977: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 5,200 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1982: -0.99 ft, below flood stage; 17,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2002: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 4,730 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2011: 10.31 ft, below flood stageApr 20, 2013: 8.43 ft, below flood stage; 8,234 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2019: 13.17 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 19.20 ft, major flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.20 ft, Feb 6, 2020 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Umatilla River at Pendleton 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1 2020s: 1 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 12 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 11.00 ft on May 30, 1906; 5.20 ft on Apr 13, 1936; 7.92 ft on Dec 29, 1945; 8.45 ft on Dec 12, 1946; 9.01 ft on Feb 22, 1949; 5.41 ft on Jan 19, 1953; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Umatilla River at Pendleton
1Feb 6, 202019.20+6.90Major19,400
2Apr 10, 201913.17+0.87Minor10,000
3Jan 17, 201110.31−1.99Below flood stage—
4Mar 3, 19729.15−3.15Below flood stage10,400
5Dec 3, 19779.10−3.20Below flood stage6,000
6Dec 13, 19778.70−3.60Below flood stage5,200
7Apr 20, 20138.43−3.87Below flood stage8,234
8Dec 7, 19737.50−4.80Below flood stage4,800
9Apr 14, 20027.18−5.12Below flood stage4,730
10Feb 26, 19485.79−6.51Below flood stage7,510
11Jan 24, 1924-0.99−13.29Below flood stage12,700
12Jan 24, 1970-0.99−13.29Below flood stage12,700
13Jan 25, 1975-0.99−13.29Below flood stage14,300
14Dec 14, 1982-0.99−13.29Below flood stage17,000

The worst floods along the Umatilla River

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

February 6, 2020: 19.20 ft here, major flooding

  • GibbonOR · Feb 7, 2020 · 11.32 ft · Moderate · its highest

April 10, 2019: 13.17 ft here, minor flooding

  • GibbonOR · Apr 10, 2019 · 8.26 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Umatilla River

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

Flood gauges on the Umatilla River
Pendleton this gaugeOR12.319.20 ft, Feb 6, 20201
GibbonOR7.011.32 ft, Feb 7, 20200

Other gauges in Umatilla County

Flood gauges in Umatilla County
Gibbon7.011.32 ft, Feb 7, 20200

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PDTO3, 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.