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Clarion River near Cooksburg

Highest listed crest 19.00 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft24 crests since 1936

The Clarion River near Cooksburg crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 24 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1936 to 2024. The highest, 19.00 ft on March 17, 1936, was major flooding, 6.00 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.00 ft
March 17, 1936; 56,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
7
27th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
April 12, 2024
13.60 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clarion County
Pennsylvania

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Clarion River near Cooksburg
Action stage10.52Mar 20, 2008The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.08Apr 12, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.06Jun 21, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.07May 22, 2014Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

24 crests from 1936 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Clarion River near Cooksburg, 1936 to 2024 8101214161820ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 17.0 ft Mar 17, 1936: 19.00 ft, major flooding; 56,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1959: 15.40 ft, moderate floodingFeb 3, 1970: 17.10 ft, major floodingJun 23, 1972: 18.84 ft, major flooding; 53,300 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 17.40 ft, major floodingMar 6, 1979: 17.60 ft, major floodingFeb 5, 1986: 9.80 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1989: 11.50 ft, action stage; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1989: 16.10 ft, moderate flooding; 39,500 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 16.40 ft, moderate flooding; 40,900 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 13.04 ft, minor flooding; 25,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 14.09 ft, minor floodingSep 9, 2004: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 16.50 ft, moderate flooding; 39,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 14.99 ft, minor flooding; 29,852 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2008: 12.36 ft, action stage; 18,801 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2009: 14.64 ft, minor flooding; 28,193 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 15.00 ft, moderate flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2010: 17.39 ft, major flooding; 43,283 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2011: 14.03 ft, minor flooding; 25,431 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2014: 18.69 ft, major flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2019: 15.17 ft, moderate flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2022: 13.12 ft, minor flooding; 18,945 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2024: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 20,316 cubic feet per second Highest, 19.00 ft, Mar 17, 1936 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Clarion River near Cooksburg 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 4 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 5 5 2010s: 5 2020s: 2 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Cooksburg
1Mar 17, 193619.00+6.00Major56,000
2Jun 23, 197218.84+5.84Major53,300
3May 22, 201418.69+5.69Major51,100
4Mar 6, 197917.60+4.60Major—
5Jan 26, 197817.40+4.40Major—
6Dec 1, 201017.39+4.39Major43,283
7Feb 3, 197017.10+4.10Major—
8Sep 18, 200416.50+3.50Moderate39,400
9Jan 19, 199616.40+3.40Moderate40,900
10Jun 21, 198916.10+3.10Moderate39,500
11Jan 21, 195915.40+2.40Moderate—
12Jun 21, 201915.17+2.17Moderate25,100
13Jan 26, 201015.00+2.00Moderate29,900
14Mar 15, 200714.99+1.99Minor29,852
15Mar 9, 200914.64+1.64Minor28,193
16Feb 10, 200114.09+1.09Minor—
17Mar 6, 201114.03+1.03Minor25,431
18Apr 12, 202413.60+0.60Minor20,316
19Sep 9, 200413.40+0.40Minor22,800
20Feb 18, 202213.12+0.12Minor18,945
21Jan 24, 199913.04+0.04Minor25,200
22Mar 20, 200812.36−0.64Action18,801
23Mar 31, 198911.50−1.50Action18,300
24Feb 5, 19869.80−3.20Below flood stage13,000

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.

June 23, 1972: 18.84 ft here, major flooding

  • RidgwayPA · Jun 23, 1972 · 19.50 ft · Moderate
  • JohnsonburgPA · Jun 22, 1972 · 9.99 ft · Moderate

May 22, 2014: 18.69 ft here, major flooding

  • RidgwayPA · May 21, 2014 · 21.67 ft · Major

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
RidgwayPA16.023.10 ft, Jul 19, 19643
Cooksburg this gaugePA13.019.00 ft, Mar 17, 19367

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge COKP1, 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.