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Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City

Highest listed crest 50.50 ftFlood stage 27.0 ft38 crests since 1861

The Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1861 to 2019. The highest, 50.50 ft on February 5, 1890, was major flooding, 23.50 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Willamette River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
50.50 ft
February 5, 1890
Flood stage
27.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
6
10th of 100 gauges in Oregon
Most recent flood crest
January 22, 2012
29.00 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clackamas County
Near Oregon City (1.4 mi), West Linn (1.5 mi), Gladstone (2.1 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 below Falls at Oregon City
Action stage25.02Apr 12, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)27.015Jan 22, 2012Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage35.014Jan 2, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.06Feb 9, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 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 below Falls at Oregon City, 1861 to 2019 2030405060ft Flood stage 27.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Dec 5, 1861: 48.00 ft, major floodingFeb 5, 1890: 50.50 ft, major floodingDec 24, 1915: 26.20 ft, action stageFeb 11, 1916: 36.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 20, 1917: 34.80 ft, minor floodingJan 9, 1923: 47.80 ft, major floodingFeb 7, 1925: 34.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 1926: 32.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1927: 37.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 24, 1933: 37.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 1936: 34.70 ft, minor floodingDec 30, 1937: 37.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 3, 1943: 42.50 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1946: 37.70 ft, moderate floodingDec 17, 1946: 38.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 10, 1948: 39.10 ft, moderate floodingFeb 20, 1949: 35.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 22, 1953: 39.10 ft, moderate floodingDec 24, 1955: 39.40 ft, moderate floodingFeb 13, 1961: 35.90 ft, moderate floodingDec 25, 1964: 48.10 ft, major floodingJan 30, 1965: 39.30 ft, moderate floodingJan 23, 1972: 32.40 ft, minor floodingJan 18, 1974: 38.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 17, 1977: 32.03 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 1980: 28.90 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 1980: 29.51 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1982: 32.18 ft, minor floodingJan 7, 1983: 27.06 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1986: 30.15 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 1996: 46.04 ft, major floodingJan 2, 1997: 36.79 ft, moderate floodingDec 30, 1998: 29.56 ft, minor floodingNov 27, 1999: 23.06 ft, below flood stageJan 2, 2006: 27.52 ft, minor floodingJan 14, 2006: 28.34 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 2012: 29.00 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 2019: 26.33 ft, action stage Highest, 50.50 ft, Feb 5, 1890 18801900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 1 1900s: 0 1910s: 2 1920s: 4 1930s: 3 1940s: 5 5 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 5 1990s: 3 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.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City
1Feb 5, 189050.50+23.50Major—
2Dec 25, 196448.10+21.10Major—
3Dec 5, 186148.00+21.00Major—
4Jan 9, 192347.80+20.80Major—
5Feb 9, 199646.04+19.04Major—
6Jan 3, 194342.50+15.50Major—
7Dec 24, 195539.40+12.40Moderate—
8Jan 30, 196539.30+12.30Moderate—
9Jan 10, 194839.10+12.10Moderate—
10Jan 22, 195339.10+12.10Moderate—
11Jan 18, 197438.30+11.30Moderate—
12Dec 17, 194638.00+11.00Moderate—
13Jan 1, 194637.70+10.70Moderate—
14Dec 24, 193337.50+10.50Moderate—
15Feb 24, 192737.30+10.30Moderate—
16Dec 30, 193737.00+10.00Moderate—
17Jan 2, 199736.79+9.79Moderate—
18Feb 11, 191636.60+9.60Moderate—
19Feb 13, 196135.90+8.90Moderate—
20Feb 20, 194935.50+8.50Moderate—
21Feb 7, 192534.90+7.90Minor—
22Dec 20, 191734.80+7.80Minor—
23Jan 15, 193634.70+7.70Minor—
24Feb 10, 192632.50+5.50Minor—
25Jan 23, 197232.40+5.40Minor—
26Feb 21, 198232.18+5.18Minor—
27Dec 17, 197732.03+5.03Minor—
28Feb 25, 198630.15+3.15Minor—
29Dec 30, 199829.56+2.56Minor—
30Dec 28, 198029.51+2.51Minor—
31Jan 22, 201229.00+2.00Minor—
32Jan 15, 198028.90+1.90Minor—
33Jan 14, 200628.34+1.34Minor—
34Jan 2, 200627.52+0.52Minor—
35Jan 7, 198327.06+0.06Minor—
36Apr 12, 201926.33−0.67Action—
37Dec 24, 191526.20−0.80Action—
38Nov 27, 199923.06−3.94Below 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.

February 5, 1890: 50.50 ft here, major flooding

  • SalemOR · Feb 5, 1890 · 45.10 ft · Major
  • PortlandOR · Feb 6, 1890 · 28.70 ft · Major

December 25, 1964: 48.10 ft here, major flooding

  • Falls at Oregon CityOR · Dec 25, 1964 · 70.10 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

December 5, 1861: 48.00 ft here, major flooding

  • 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
  • HarrisburgOR · Dec 4, 1861 · 23.00 ft · Major · its highest

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 City this gaugeOR27.050.50 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 City64.071.30 ft, Feb 5, 199010

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ORCO3, 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.