Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Clarion River at Ridgway

Highest listed crest 23.10 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft13 crests since 1936

The Clarion River at Ridgway crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 13 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2019. The highest, 23.10 ft on July 19, 1964, was major flooding, 7.10 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.10 ft
July 19, 1964; 17,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
3
68th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
June 21, 2019
16.73 ft, minor flooding
Location
Elk County
Near St. Marys (11.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clarion River at Ridgway
Action stage11.04Jul 15, 1992The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.04Jun 21, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.02Dec 1, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.03May 21, 2014Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

13 crests from 1936 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clarion River at Ridgway, 1936 to 2019 141618202224ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Mar 18, 1936: 14.00 ft, action stageJul 1, 1942: 16.40 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1964: 15.50 ft, action stageJul 19, 1964: 23.10 ft, major flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1972: 19.50 ft, moderate flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1984: 15.00 ft, action stageJul 15, 1992: 15.10 ft, action stageAug 14, 1994: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 9,800 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 20.27 ft, major flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 16.89 ft, minor floodingDec 1, 2010: 19.21 ft, moderate flooding; 22,753 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2014: 21.67 ft, major flooding; 45,344 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2019: 16.73 ft, minor flooding; 11,185 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.10 ft, Jul 19, 1964 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clarion River at Ridgway 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 3 3 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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, Clarion River at Ridgway
1Jul 19, 196423.10+7.10Major17,800
2May 21, 201421.67+5.67Major45,344
3Jan 19, 199620.27+4.27Major14,200
4Jun 23, 197219.50+3.50Moderate13,300
5Dec 1, 201019.21+3.21Moderate22,753
6Sep 18, 200416.89+0.89Minor—
7Jun 21, 201916.73+0.73Minor11,185
8Jul 1, 194216.40+0.40Minor34,000
9Aug 14, 199416.000.00Minor9,800
10Mar 10, 196415.50−0.50Action—
11Jul 15, 199215.10−0.90Action—
12Feb 14, 198415.00−1.00Action—
13Mar 18, 193614.00−2.00Action—

The worst floods along the Clarion River

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

May 21, 2014: 21.67 ft here, major flooding

  • CooksburgPA · May 22, 2014 · 18.69 ft · Major

January 19, 1996: 20.27 ft here, major flooding

  • JohnsonburgPA · Jan 19, 1996 · 12.60 ft · Major
  • CooksburgPA · Jan 19, 1996 · 16.40 ft · Moderate

June 23, 1972: 19.50 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CooksburgPA · Jun 23, 1972 · 18.84 ft · Major
  • JohnsonburgPA · Jun 22, 1972 · 9.99 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Clarion River

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

Flood gauges on the Clarion River
JohnsonburgPA7.016.70 ft, Jul 1, 19422
Ridgway this gaugePA16.023.10 ft, Jul 19, 19643
CooksburgPA13.019.00 ft, Mar 17, 19367

Other gauges in Elk County

Flood gauges in Elk County
Johnsonburg7.016.70 ft, Jul 1, 19422

Elk County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Pennsylvania

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RDYP1, 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.