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Willamette River at Harrisburg

Highest listed crest 23.00 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft24 crests since 1861

The Willamette River at Harrisburg crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1861 to 2019. The highest, 23.00 ft on December 4, 1861, was major flooding, 9.00 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Willamette River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.00 ft
December 4, 1861
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
6
10th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
April 9, 2019
15.28 ft, minor flooding
Location
Linn County
Oregon

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Willamette River at Harrisburg
Action stage10.89Dec 18, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.08Apr 9, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Dec 26, 1955Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.06Jan 19, 1953Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1861 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willamette River at Harrisburg, 1861 to 2019 12141618202224ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Dec 4, 1861: 23.00 ft, major floodingApr 1, 1931: 17.00 ft, major floodingMar 19, 1932: 18.00 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1943: 21.10 ft, major floodingDec 15, 1946: 17.90 ft, major floodingJan 18, 1951: 15.00 ft, minor floodingJan 19, 1953: 18.00 ft, major floodingDec 26, 1955: 16.25 ft, moderate floodingDec 7, 1981: 14.99 ft, minor flooding; 77,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1986: 14.35 ft, minor flooding; 66,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1996: 14.70 ft, minor flooding; 76,100 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1996: 15.56 ft, minor flooding; 83,800 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1998: 13.93 ft, action stage; 67,000 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1999: 12.55 ft, action stage; 55,400 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2006: 14.19 ft, minor flooding; 67,780 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2006: 14.55 ft, minor flooding; 71,553 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 2007: 12.70 ft, action stage; 56,500 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2008: 12.99 ft, action stage; 59,000 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2010: 12.85 ft, action stage; 57,700 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2011: 13.27 ft, action stage; 57,600 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2012: 13.81 ft, action stage; 62,900 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2012: 13.17 ft, action stage; 56,700 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2015: 13.76 ft, action stage; 62,400 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2019: 15.28 ft, minor flooding; 78,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.00 ft, Dec 4, 1861 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willamette River at Harrisburg 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 2 1940s: 2 1950s: 3 3 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s
  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. 6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 19.69 ft on Dec 29, 1945; 18.75 ft on Jan 7, 1948; 18.03 ft on Oct 30, 1950; 17.57 ft on Feb 11, 1961; 17.25 ft on Dec 23, 1964; 14.71 ft on Jan 21, 1972.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Willamette River at Harrisburg
1Dec 4, 186123.00+9.00Major—
2Jan 1, 194321.10+7.10Major—
3Mar 19, 193218.00+4.00Major—
4Jan 19, 195318.00+4.00Major—
5Dec 15, 194617.90+3.90Major—
6Apr 1, 193117.00+3.00Major—
7Dec 26, 195516.25+2.25Moderate—
8Nov 19, 199615.56+1.56Minor83,800
9Apr 9, 201915.28+1.28Minor78,500
10Jan 18, 195115.00+1.00Minor—
11Dec 7, 198114.99+0.99Minor77,400
12Feb 8, 199614.70+0.70Minor76,100
13Jan 18, 200614.55+0.55Minor71,553
14Feb 23, 198614.35+0.35Minor66,500
15Jan 1, 200614.19+0.19Minor67,780
16Dec 29, 199813.93−0.07Action67,000
17Jan 25, 201213.81−0.19Action62,900
18Dec 18, 201513.76−0.24Action62,400
19Jan 17, 201113.27−0.73Action57,600
20Dec 2, 201213.17−0.83Action56,700
21Dec 30, 200812.99−1.01Action59,000
22Jan 5, 201012.85−1.15Action57,700
23Jan 4, 200712.70−1.30Action56,500
24Nov 26, 199912.55−1.45Action55,400

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 4, 1861: 23.00 ft here, major flooding

  • Falls at Oregon CityOR · Dec 5, 1861 · 48.00 ft · Major
  • SalemOR · Dec 4, 1861 · 47.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • CorvallisOR · Dec 1, 1861 · 42.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • AlbanyOR · Dec 4, 1861 · 41.00 ft · Major · its highest

January 1, 1943: 21.10 ft here, major flooding

January 19, 1953: 18.00 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
Harrisburg this gaugeOR14.023.00 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 CityOR64.071.30 ft, Feb 5, 199010
Falls at Oregon CityOR27.050.50 ft, Feb 5, 18906
PortlandOR18.033.00 ft, Jun 7, 18947

Other gauges in Linn County

Flood gauges in Linn County
Waterloo12.024.50 ft, Dec 22, 196410
Jefferson15.024.22 ft, Dec 22, 19642
Scio18.020.08 ft, Jan 19, 20121
Albany25.041.00 ft, Dec 4, 18612

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HARO3, 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.