Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Skookumchuck River at Centralia

Highest listed crest 191.03 ftFlood stage 189.0 ft23 crests since 1953

The Skookumchuck River at Centralia crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2022. The highest, 191.03 ft on February 8, 1996, was major flooding, 2.03 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Skookumchuck River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
191.03 ft
February 8, 1996; 10,370 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
189.0 ft
Major flooding from 191.0 ft
Crests at major
1
43rd of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
January 7, 2022
190.18 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Lewis County
Near Centralia (1.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Skookumchuck River at Centralia
Action stage187.01Jan 6, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)189.00—Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage190.03Jan 7, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage191.01Feb 8, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1953 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Skookumchuck River at Centralia, 1953 to 2022 80100120140160180200ft Flood stage 189.0 ftMajor 191.0 ft Dec 10, 1953: 86.00 ft, below flood stageJan 6, 1954: 85.10 ft, below flood stageDec 12, 1955: 85.60 ft, below flood stageJan 26, 1971: 86.00 ft, below flood stageJan 21, 1972: 86.60 ft, below flood stageDec 4, 1975: 85.46 ft, below flood stageNov 24, 1986: 85.59 ft, below flood stageFeb 2, 1987: 85.26 ft, below flood stageJan 10, 1990: 190.86 ft, moderate floodingFeb 11, 1990: 86.38 ft, below flood stageNov 25, 1990: 86.50 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1991: 86.68 ft, below flood stageNov 30, 1995: 85.17 ft, below flood stageDec 30, 1995: 85.17 ft, below flood stageFeb 8, 1996: 191.03 ft, major flooding; 10,370 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1996: 86.17 ft, below flood stageDec 16, 1999: 85.20 ft, below flood stageFeb 1, 2003: 84.54 ft, below flood stageJan 31, 2006: 85.02 ft, below flood stage; 7,413 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2009: 190.34 ft, moderate flooding; 9,940 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2014: 83.76 ft, below flood stageJan 6, 2015: 187.57 ft, action stageJan 7, 2022: 190.18 ft, moderate flooding; 9,130 cubic feet per second Highest, 191.03 ft, Feb 8, 1996 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Skookumchuck River at Centralia 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 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, Skookumchuck River at Centralia
1Feb 8, 1996191.03+2.03Major10,370
2Jan 10, 1990190.86+1.86Moderate—
3Jan 8, 2009190.34+1.34Moderate9,940
4Jan 7, 2022190.18+1.18Moderate9,130
5Jan 6, 2015187.57−1.43Action—
6Apr 5, 199186.68−102.32Below flood stage—
7Jan 21, 197286.60−102.40Below flood stage—
8Nov 25, 199086.50−102.50Below flood stage—
9Feb 11, 199086.38−102.62Below flood stage—
10Dec 30, 199686.17−102.83Below flood stage—
11Dec 10, 195386.00−103.00Below flood stage—
12Jan 26, 197186.00−103.00Below flood stage—
13Dec 12, 195585.60−103.40Below flood stage—
14Nov 24, 198685.59−103.41Below flood stage—
15Dec 4, 197585.46−103.54Below flood stage—
16Feb 2, 198785.26−103.74Below flood stage—
17Dec 16, 199985.20−103.80Below flood stage—
18Nov 30, 199585.17−103.83Below flood stage—
19Dec 30, 199585.17−103.83Below flood stage—
20Jan 6, 195485.10−103.90Below flood stage—
21Jan 31, 200685.02−103.98Below flood stage7,413
22Feb 1, 200384.54−104.46Below flood stage—
23Feb 18, 201483.76−105.24Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Skookumchuck River

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

February 8, 1996: 191.03 ft here, major flooding

  • BucodaWA · Feb 8, 1996 · 216.02 ft · Major · its highest

January 7, 2022: 190.18 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BucodaWA · Jan 7, 2022 · 215.99 ft · Major

Gauges on the Skookumchuck River

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

Flood gauges on the Skookumchuck River
BucodaWA211.5216.02 ft, Feb 8, 19962
Centralia this gaugeWA189.0191.03 ft, Feb 8, 19961

Other gauges in Lewis County

Flood gauges in Lewis County
Centralia168.5178.10 ft, Dec 4, 20071
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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CTAW1, 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.