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Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam

Highest listed crest 38.23 ftFlood stage 32.0 ft38 crests since 1972

The Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 38 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2024. The highest, 38.23 ft on June 22, 2017, was major flooding, 6.23 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
38.23 ft
June 22, 2017; 321,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
32.0 ft
Major flooding from 34.0 ft
Crests at major
2
36th of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2017
38.23 ft, major flooding
Location
Grant County
Washington

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam
Action stage31.02May 14, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)32.01Feb 24, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage33.02Jun 12, 1997Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage34.02Jun 22, 2017Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

38 crests from 1972 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam, 1972 to 2024 152025303540ft Flood stage 32.0 ftMajor 34.0 ft Jun 15, 1972: 33.11 ft, moderate flooding; 431,000 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1985: 26.11 ft, below flood stage; 279,000 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1987: 23.54 ft, below flood stage; 323,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1988: 23.40 ft, below flood stage; 230,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1989: 25.31 ft, below flood stage; 264,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1990: 28.28 ft, below flood stage; 322,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1991: 26.58 ft, below flood stage; 288,000 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1992: 25.12 ft, below flood stage; 261,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1993: 25.13 ft, below flood stage; 261,000 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1994: 23.59 ft, below flood stage; 233,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1995: 24.59 ft, below flood stage; 251,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1996: 29.61 ft, below flood stage; 350,000 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1997: 33.97 ft, moderate flooding; 452,200 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1998: 27.47 ft, below flood stage; 306,000 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1999: 25.15 ft, below flood stage; 261,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2002: 28.11 ft, below flood stage; 318,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2003: 24.53 ft, below flood stage; 250,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2004: 22.40 ft, below flood stage; 213,000 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2005: 23.03 ft, below flood stage; 224,000 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2006: 26.56 ft, below flood stage; 288,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2007: 24.77 ft, below flood stage; 254,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2008: 26.78 ft, below flood stage; 292,000 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2009: 22.73 ft, below flood stage; 219,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2010: 25.57 ft, below flood stage; 269,000 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2011: 30.75 ft, below flood stage; 375,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2012: 31.67 ft, action stage; 396,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2013: 24.90 ft, below flood stage; 256,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 26.82 ft, below flood stage; 293,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2015: 32.04 ft, minor flooding; 208,000 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 2016: 34.53 ft, major flooding; 250,000 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2017: 38.23 ft, major flooding; 321,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2018: 31.20 ft, action stage; 386,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2019: 20.35 ft, below flood stage; 181,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2020: 24.91 ft, below flood stage; 257,000 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2021: 23.61 ft, below flood stage; 240,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2022: 29.84 ft, below flood stage; 355,000 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 26.64 ft, below flood stage; 289,000 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2024: 19.95 ft, below flood stage; 175,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 38.23 ft, Jun 22, 2017 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 0 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Columbia River below Priest Rapids Dam
1Jun 22, 201738.23+6.23Major321,000
2Apr 22, 201634.53+2.53Major250,000
3Jun 12, 199733.97+1.97Moderate452,200
4Jun 15, 197233.11+1.11Moderate431,000
5Feb 24, 201532.04+0.04Minor208,000
6Jun 27, 201231.67−0.33Action396,000
7May 14, 201831.20−0.80Action386,000
8Jun 5, 201130.75−1.25Below flood stage375,000
9Jun 27, 202229.84−2.16Below flood stage355,000
10Feb 27, 199629.61−2.39Below flood stage350,000
11Jun 12, 199028.28−3.72Below flood stage322,000
12Jul 1, 200228.11−3.89Below flood stage318,000
13May 31, 199827.47−4.53Below flood stage306,000
14Jul 1, 201426.82−5.18Below flood stage293,000
15May 24, 200826.78−5.22Below flood stage292,000
16May 17, 202326.64−5.36Below flood stage289,000
17May 23, 199126.58−5.42Below flood stage288,000
18May 28, 200626.56−5.44Below flood stage288,000
19Nov 24, 198526.11−5.89Below flood stage279,000
20Jun 22, 201025.57−6.43Below flood stage269,000
21May 18, 198925.31−6.69Below flood stage264,000
22Jul 13, 199925.15−6.85Below flood stage261,000
23May 16, 199325.13−6.87Below flood stage261,000
24May 21, 199225.12−6.88Below flood stage261,000
25Jun 4, 202024.91−7.09Below flood stage257,000
26May 10, 201324.90−7.10Below flood stage256,000
27Apr 2, 200724.77−7.23Below flood stage254,000
28Jun 26, 199524.59−7.41Below flood stage251,000
29Jun 6, 200324.53−7.47Below flood stage250,000
30Jun 4, 202123.61−8.39Below flood stage240,000
31May 3, 199423.59−8.41Below flood stage233,000
32May 11, 198723.54−8.46Below flood stage323,000
33May 16, 198823.40−8.60Below flood stage230,000
34May 27, 200523.03−8.97Below flood stage224,000
35Apr 24, 200922.73−9.27Below flood stage219,000
36Jun 20, 200422.40−9.60Below flood stage213,000
37May 19, 201920.35−11.65Below flood stage181,000
38Jun 10, 202419.95−12.05Below flood stage175,000

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PRDW1, 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.