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Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City

Highest listed crest 71.30 ftFlood stage 64.0 ft31 crests since 1916

The Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City crested at major flood stage 10 times among the 31 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1916 to 2019. The highest, 71.30 ft on February 5, 1990, was major flooding, 7.30 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
71.30 ft
February 5, 1990
Flood stage
64.0 ft
Major flooding from 67.0 ft
Crests at major
10
3rd of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
January 22, 2012
65.24 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Clackamas County
Near Oregon City (1.4 mi), West Linn (1.6 mi), Gladstone (2.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City
Action stage62.03Apr 13, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)64.02Dec 30, 1998Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage65.015Jan 22, 2012Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage67.010Feb 9, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

31 crests from 1916 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City, 1916 to 2019 60626466687072ft Flood stage 64.0 ftMajor 67.0 ft Feb 10, 1916: 65.20 ft, moderate floodingNov 23, 1921: 65.30 ft, moderate floodingJan 9, 1923: 69.40 ft, major floodingFeb 24, 1927: 65.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 2, 1931: 65.20 ft, moderate floodingDec 24, 1933: 65.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 1936: 65.80 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 1937: 66.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 3, 1943: 68.50 ft, major floodingDec 31, 1943: 66.00 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 1945: 66.70 ft, moderate floodingDec 17, 1946: 66.40 ft, moderate floodingJan 9, 1948: 67.20 ft, major floodingFeb 20, 1949: 66.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 21, 1953: 67.50 ft, major floodingDec 24, 1955: 67.50 ft, major floodingFeb 13, 1961: 66.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 25, 1964: 70.10 ft, major floodingJan 30, 1965: 67.40 ft, major floodingJan 23, 1972: 65.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 18, 1974: 67.30 ft, major floodingDec 17, 1977: 64.79 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1990: 71.30 ft, major floodingFeb 9, 1996: 69.47 ft, major floodingJan 2, 1997: 66.43 ft, moderate floodingDec 30, 1998: 64.74 ft, minor floodingNov 28, 1999: 62.01 ft, action stageDec 5, 2007: 61.90 ft, below flood stageJan 4, 2009: 63.10 ft, action stageJan 22, 2012: 65.24 ft, moderate floodingApr 13, 2019: 63.45 ft, action stage Highest, 71.30 ft, Feb 5, 1990 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City 1910s: 1 1920s: 3 1930s: 4 1940s: 6 6 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Willamette River above Falls at Oregon City
1Feb 5, 199071.30+7.30Major—
2Dec 25, 196470.10+6.10Major—
3Feb 9, 199669.47+5.47Major—
4Jan 9, 192369.40+5.40Major—
5Jan 3, 194368.50+4.50Major—
6Jan 21, 195367.50+3.50Major—
7Dec 24, 195567.50+3.50Major—
8Jan 30, 196567.40+3.40Major—
9Jan 18, 197467.30+3.30Major—
10Jan 9, 194867.20+3.20Major—
11Dec 31, 194566.70+2.70Moderate—
12Feb 13, 196166.60+2.60Moderate—
13Dec 31, 193766.50+2.50Moderate—
14Jan 2, 199766.43+2.43Moderate—
15Dec 17, 194666.40+2.40Moderate—
16Dec 31, 194366.00+2.00Moderate—
17Feb 20, 194966.00+2.00Moderate—
18Feb 24, 192765.80+1.80Moderate—
19Jan 15, 193665.80+1.80Moderate—
20Dec 24, 193365.50+1.50Moderate—
21Jan 23, 197265.50+1.50Moderate—
22Nov 23, 192165.30+1.30Moderate—
23Jan 22, 201265.24+1.24Moderate—
24Feb 10, 191665.20+1.20Moderate—
25Apr 2, 193165.20+1.20Moderate—
26Dec 17, 197764.79+0.79Minor—
27Dec 30, 199864.74+0.74Minor—
28Apr 13, 201963.45−0.55Action—
29Jan 4, 200963.10−0.90Action—
30Nov 28, 199962.01−1.99Action—
31Dec 5, 200761.90−2.10Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Willamette River

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

December 25, 1964: 70.10 ft here, major flooding

  • Falls at Oregon CityOR · Dec 25, 1964 · 48.10 ft · Major
  • SalemOR · Dec 23, 1964 · 37.78 ft · Major
  • CorvallisOR · Dec 24, 1964 · 36.00 ft · Major
  • AlbanyOR · Dec 24, 1964 · 33.93 ft · Major
  • PortlandOR · Dec 25, 1964 · 29.80 ft · Major
  • EugeneOR · Dec 26, 1964 · 24.30 ft · Minor

February 9, 1996: 69.47 ft here, major flooding

  • Falls at Oregon CityOR · Feb 9, 1996 · 46.04 ft · Major
  • SalemOR · Feb 8, 1996 · 35.09 ft · Major
  • PortlandOR · Feb 9, 1996 · 28.55 ft · Major
  • CorvallisOR · Feb 9, 1996 · 33.50 ft · Moderate
  • AlbanyOR · Feb 9, 1996 · 30.05 ft · Moderate
  • HarrisburgOR · Feb 8, 1996 · 14.70 ft · Minor

January 9, 1923: 69.40 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Willamette River

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

Flood gauges on the Willamette River
EugeneOR23.024.80 ft, Feb 10, 19610
HarrisburgOR14.023.00 ft, Dec 4, 18616
CorvallisOR30.042.40 ft, Dec 1, 18616
AlbanyOR25.041.00 ft, Dec 4, 18612
SalemOR28.047.00 ft, Dec 4, 18617
Falls at Oregon City this gaugeOR64.071.30 ft, Feb 5, 199010
Falls at Oregon CityOR27.050.50 ft, Feb 5, 18906
PortlandOR18.033.00 ft, Jun 7, 18947

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
West Linn13.518.32 ft, Feb 10, 19965
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 OCUO3, 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.