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Chehalis River at Centralia

Highest listed crest 178.10 ftFlood stage 168.5 ft49 crests since 1950

The Chehalis River at Centralia crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 49 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2025. The highest, 178.10 ft on December 4, 2007, was major flooding, 9.60 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Chehalis River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
178.10 ft
December 4, 2007; 70,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
168.5 ft
Major flooding from 175.5 ft
Crests at major
1
43rd of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
December 11, 2025
168.59 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lewis County
Near Centralia (0.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Chehalis River at Centralia
Action stage166.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)168.51Dec 11, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage172.01Jan 7, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage175.51Dec 4, 2007Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

49 crests from 1950 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chehalis River at Centralia, 1950 to 2025 6080100120140160180ft Flood stage 168.5 ftMajor 175.5 ft Feb 26, 1950: 66.10 ft, below flood stageFeb 10, 1951: 69.20 ft, below flood stageJan 6, 1954: 68.62 ft, below flood stageDec 22, 1955: 68.58 ft, below flood stageJan 21, 1967: 65.25 ft, below flood stageDec 7, 1970: 67.27 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 1971: 70.20 ft, below flood stageJan 21, 1972: 71.65 ft, below flood stageJan 16, 1974: 69.10 ft, below flood stageDec 5, 1975: 71.17 ft, below flood stageDec 3, 1977: 68.70 ft, below flood stageDec 27, 1980: 65.30 ft, below flood stageJan 24, 1982: 66.50 ft, below flood stageFeb 17, 1982: 66.00 ft, below flood stageDec 4, 1982: 65.80 ft, below flood stageJan 19, 1986: 67.63 ft, below flood stageNov 25, 1986: 71.99 ft, below flood stageFeb 2, 1987: 68.26 ft, below flood stageMar 4, 1987: 67.54 ft, below flood stageJan 10, 1990: 73.50 ft, below flood stageFeb 11, 1990: 69.91 ft, below flood stageNov 25, 1990: 71.30 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1991: 68.29 ft, below flood stageDec 21, 1994: 68.22 ft, below flood stageDec 28, 1994: 66.17 ft, below flood stageNov 30, 1995: 68.50 ft, below flood stageFeb 9, 1996: 74.31 ft, below flood stageApr 24, 1996: 68.12 ft, below flood stageDec 30, 1996: 70.18 ft, below flood stageMar 20, 1997: 65.09 ft, below flood stageJan 15, 1998: 65.38 ft, below flood stageNov 27, 1998: 69.73 ft, below flood stageDec 3, 1998: 65.42 ft, below flood stageDec 29, 1998: 65.45 ft, below flood stageJan 30, 1999: 65.31 ft, below flood stageFeb 25, 1999: 69.60 ft, below flood stageDec 16, 1999: 67.58 ft, below flood stageDec 17, 2001: 68.77 ft, below flood stageJan 11, 2006: 67.61 ft, below flood stage; 30,685 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2006: 68.43 ft, below flood stage; 33,668 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 2006: 67.34 ft, below flood stageDec 4, 2007: 178.10 ft, major flooding; 70,300 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2009: 72.40 ft, below flood stage; 62,960 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2014: 62.46 ft, below flood stageJan 6, 2015: 62.25 ft, below flood stageDec 10, 2015: 67.86 ft, below flood stage; 31,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2017: 65.07 ft, below flood stage; 23,400 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2022: 174.93 ft, moderate flooding; 51,042 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2025: 168.59 ft, minor flooding; 23,999 cubic feet per second Highest, 178.10 ft, Dec 4, 2007 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chehalis River at Centralia 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 2 2 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Chehalis River at Centralia
1Dec 4, 2007178.10+9.60Major70,300
2Jan 7, 2022174.93+6.43Moderate51,042
3Dec 11, 2025168.59+0.09Minor23,999
4Feb 9, 199674.31−94.19Below flood stage—
5Jan 10, 199073.50−95.00Below flood stage—
6Jan 8, 200972.40−96.10Below flood stage62,960
7Nov 25, 198671.99−96.51Below flood stage—
8Jan 21, 197271.65−96.85Below flood stage—
9Nov 25, 199071.30−97.20Below flood stage—
10Dec 5, 197571.17−97.33Below flood stage—
11Jan 26, 197170.20−98.30Below flood stage—
12Dec 30, 199670.18−98.32Below flood stage—
13Feb 11, 199069.91−98.59Below flood stage—
14Nov 27, 199869.73−98.77Below flood stage—
15Feb 25, 199969.60−98.90Below flood stage—
16Feb 10, 195169.20−99.30Below flood stage—
17Jan 16, 197469.10−99.40Below flood stage—
18Dec 17, 200168.77−99.73Below flood stage—
19Dec 3, 197768.70−99.80Below flood stage—
20Jan 6, 195468.62−99.88Below flood stage—
21Dec 22, 195568.58−99.92Below flood stage—
22Nov 30, 199568.50−100.00Below flood stage—
23Jan 30, 200668.43−100.07Below flood stage33,668
24Apr 5, 199168.29−100.21Below flood stage—
25Feb 2, 198768.26−100.24Below flood stage—
26Dec 21, 199468.22−100.28Below flood stage—
27Apr 24, 199668.12−100.38Below flood stage—
28Dec 10, 201567.86−100.64Below flood stage31,600
29Jan 19, 198667.63−100.87Below flood stage—
30Jan 11, 200667.61−100.89Below flood stage30,685
31Dec 16, 199967.58−100.92Below flood stage—
32Mar 4, 198767.54−100.96Below flood stage—
33Nov 8, 200667.34−101.16Below flood stage—
34Dec 7, 197067.27−101.23Below flood stage—
35Jan 24, 198266.50−102.00Below flood stage—
36Dec 28, 199466.17−102.33Below flood stage—
37Feb 26, 195066.10−102.40Below flood stage—
38Feb 17, 198266.00−102.50Below flood stage—
39Dec 4, 198265.80−102.70Below flood stage—
40Dec 29, 199865.45−103.05Below flood stage—
41Dec 3, 199865.42−103.08Below flood stage—
42Jan 15, 199865.38−103.12Below flood stage—
43Jan 30, 199965.31−103.19Below flood stage—
44Dec 27, 198065.30−103.20Below flood stage—
45Jan 21, 196765.25−103.25Below flood stage—
46Mar 20, 199765.09−103.41Below flood stage—
47Feb 10, 201765.07−103.43Below flood stage23,400
48Feb 18, 201462.46−106.04Below flood stage—
49Jan 6, 201562.25−106.25Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Chehalis River

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

December 4, 2007: 178.10 ft here, major flooding

  • DotyWA · Dec 3, 2007 · 336.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • Grand MoundWA · Dec 4, 2007 · 147.26 ft · Major · its highest
  • PorterWA · Dec 5, 2007 · 53.17 ft · Major · its highest

January 7, 2022: 174.93 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Grand MoundWA · Jan 7, 2022 · 145.21 ft · Major
  • PorterWA · Jan 8, 2022 · 52.01 ft · Major
  • DotyWA · Jan 6, 2022 · 321.11 ft · Minor

December 11, 2025: 168.59 ft here, minor flooding

  • Grand MoundWA · Dec 11, 2025 · 143.27 ft · Moderate
  • DotyWA · Dec 9, 2025 · 318.47 ft · Minor
  • PorterWA · Dec 12, 2025 · 49.64 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Chehalis River

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

Flood gauges on the Chehalis River
DotyWA318.0336.26 ft, Dec 3, 20071
Centralia this gaugeWA168.5178.10 ft, Dec 4, 20071
Grand MoundWA141.0147.26 ft, Dec 4, 20072
PorterWA48.053.17 ft, Dec 5, 20072

Other gauges in Lewis County

Flood gauges in Lewis County
Doty318.0336.26 ft, Dec 3, 20071
Packwood10.514.59 ft, Nov 6, 20069
Randle18.025.24 ft, Nov 7, 200610
Chehalis202.5205.59 ft, Jan 6, 20221
Centralia189.0191.03 ft, Feb 8, 19961

Lewis County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Washington

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CENW1, 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.