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Willamette River at Portland

Highest listed crest 33.00 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft26 crests since 1876

The Willamette River at Portland crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1876 to 2019. The highest, 33.00 ft on June 7, 1894, was major flooding, 15.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
33.00 ft
June 7, 1894
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
7
7th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
February 9, 1996
28.55 ft, major flooding
Location
Multnomah County
Near Portland (1.6 mi), Milwaukie (5.5 mi), Lake Oswego (7.3 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 at Portland
Action stage17.02Mar 30, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.04Feb 24, 1986Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.012Jun 4, 1956Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.07Feb 9, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1876 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willamette River at Portland, 1876 to 2019 1520253035ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jun 24, 1876: 28.20 ft, major floodingJul 1, 1880: 27.30 ft, moderate floodingJun 14, 1882: 26.20 ft, moderate floodingJun 21, 1887: 25.70 ft, moderate floodingFeb 6, 1890: 28.70 ft, major floodingJun 7, 1894: 33.00 ft, major floodingJun 23, 1899: 24.20 ft, moderate floodingJun 18, 1903: 24.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1913: 24.00 ft, moderate floodingJun 12, 1921: 24.30 ft, moderate floodingJan 8, 1923: 25.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 31, 1928: 24.40 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1933: 24.80 ft, moderate floodingJun 1, 1948: 30.00 ft, major floodingJun 14, 1948: 30.00 ft, major floodingJun 26, 1950: 24.80 ft, moderate floodingJun 4, 1956: 26.40 ft, moderate floodingDec 25, 1964: 29.80 ft, major floodingJan 18, 1974: 23.84 ft, minor flooding; 238,000 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 1977: 18.27 ft, minor flooding; 237,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 20.10 ft, minor flooding; 207,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1986: 18.90 ft, minor flooding; 213,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 28.55 ft, major floodingJun 2, 2011: 17.20 ft, action stageMar 30, 2017: 17.30 ft, action stageApr 12, 2019: 15.56 ft, below flood stage; 181,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 33.00 ft, Jun 7, 1894 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willamette River at Portland 1870s: 1 1880s: 3 3 1890s: 3 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 3 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s
  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 at Portland
1Jun 7, 189433.00+15.00Major—
2Jun 1, 194830.00+12.00Major—
3Jun 14, 194830.00+12.00Major—
4Dec 25, 196429.80+11.80Major—
5Feb 6, 189028.70+10.70Major—
6Feb 9, 199628.55+10.55Major—
7Jun 24, 187628.20+10.20Major—
8Jul 1, 188027.30+9.30Moderate—
9Jun 4, 195626.40+8.40Moderate—
10Jun 14, 188226.20+8.20Moderate—
11Jun 21, 188725.70+7.70Moderate—
12Jan 8, 192325.30+7.30Moderate—
13Jun 13, 193324.80+6.80Moderate—
14Jun 26, 195024.80+6.80Moderate—
15May 31, 192824.40+6.40Moderate—
16Jun 12, 192124.30+6.30Moderate—
17Jun 23, 189924.20+6.20Moderate—
18Jun 18, 190324.00+6.00Moderate—
19Jun 13, 191324.00+6.00Moderate—
20Jan 18, 197423.84+5.84Minor238,000
21Feb 21, 198220.10+2.10Minor207,000
22Feb 24, 198618.90+0.90Minor213,000
23Dec 16, 197718.27+0.27Minor237,000
24Mar 30, 201717.30−0.70Action—
25Jun 2, 201117.20−0.80Action—
26Apr 12, 201915.56−2.44Below flood stage181,000

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: 29.80 ft here, major flooding

February 6, 1890: 28.70 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 CityOR64.071.30 ft, Feb 5, 199010
Falls at Oregon CityOR27.050.50 ft, Feb 5, 18906
Portland this gaugeOR18.033.00 ft, Jun 7, 18947

Other gauges in Multnomah County

Flood gauges in Multnomah County
Troutdale10.013.56 ft, Dec 7, 20150
Glisan St near Gresham6.26.75 ft, Dec 7, 20150
56th Ave - Portland11.112.07 ft, Dec 7, 20150
Gresham8.511.82 ft, Dec 7, 20150
Sycamore11.015.33 ft, Dec 7, 20158

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRTO3, 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.