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South Fork Palouse River at Pullman

Highest listed crest 11.80 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft59 crests since 1910

The South Fork Palouse River at Pullman crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 59 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1910 to 2026. The highest, 11.80 ft on March 1, 1910, was major flooding, 4.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
11.80 ft
March 1, 1910; 7,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
4
27th of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2026
8.82 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Whitman County
Near Pullman (0.6 mi), Moscow (8.6 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Fork Palouse River at Pullman
Action stage5.510Dec 28, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.03Feb 23, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.03Mar 14, 2026Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.04Feb 9, 1996Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

59 crests from 1910 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Fork Palouse River at Pullman, 1910 to 2026 24681012ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Mar 1, 1910: 11.80 ft, major flooding; 7,500 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1933: 6.00 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1935: 3.87 ft, below flood stage; 940 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1936: 3.58 ft, below flood stage; 830 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1937: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 731 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1938: 3.14 ft, below flood stage; 482 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1939: 4.01 ft, below flood stage; 968 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1940: 3.90 ft, below flood stage; 743 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1941: 3.99 ft, below flood stage; 785 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1942: 3.98 ft, below flood stage; 780 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1948: 9.50 ft, major flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1959: 6.50 ft, action stage; 1,860 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1960: 3.84 ft, below flood stage; 511 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1961: 4.15 ft, below flood stage; 885 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1962: 3.82 ft, below flood stage; 734 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1963: 6.91 ft, action stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1964: 7.11 ft, minor flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1966: 2.99 ft, below flood stage; 298 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1967: 3.38 ft, below flood stage; 438 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1967: 4.68 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1969: 5.25 ft, below flood stage; 1,400 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1970: 4.37 ft, below flood stage; 965 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1971: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1972: 9.46 ft, major flooding; 4,570 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1973: 6.00 ft, action stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1974: 6.34 ft, action stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1975: 4.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1976: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1977: 4.21 ft, below flood stage; 948 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1979: 8.25 ft, moderate flooding; 3,740 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1980: 4.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1981: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 756 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 9.04 ft, major flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1997: 8.83 ft, moderate flooding; 4,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2001: 2.25 ft, below flood stage; 85 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2002: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 902 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2003: 4.81 ft, below flood stage; 940 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2004: 4.63 ft, below flood stage; 730 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 2.71 ft, below flood stage; 128 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2006: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 661 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 2007: 4.62 ft, below flood stage; 813 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2008: 4.35 ft, below flood stage; 635 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2009: 6.05 ft, action stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2010: 5.00 ft, below flood stage; 974 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2011: 5.75 ft, action stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2012: 6.96 ft, action stage; 2,490 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2013: 3.07 ft, below flood stage; 226 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2014: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 673 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2015: 3.83 ft, below flood stage; 500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2016: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 805 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2017: 7.03 ft, minor flooding; 2,520 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2018: 3.81 ft, below flood stage; 541 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2019: 6.90 ft, action stage; 2,220 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2020: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 843 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2021: 4.39 ft, below flood stage; 777 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 2022: 4.51 ft, below flood stage; 832 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2023: 5.83 ft, action stage; 1,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2025: 7.61 ft, minor flooding; 3,220 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2026: 8.82 ft, moderate flooding; 4,887 cubic feet per second Highest, 11.80 ft, Mar 1, 1910 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Fork Palouse River at Pullman 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 2 2 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 59 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Fork Palouse River at Pullman
1Mar 1, 191011.80+4.80Major7,500
2Feb 26, 19489.50+2.50Major5,000
3Jan 21, 19729.46+2.46Major4,570
4Feb 9, 19969.04+2.04Major5,000
5Jan 1, 19978.83+1.83Moderate4,200
6Mar 14, 20268.82+1.82Moderate4,887
7Feb 13, 19798.25+1.25Moderate3,740
8Feb 23, 20257.61+0.61Minor3,220
9Dec 23, 19647.11+0.11Minor2,610
10Mar 10, 20177.03+0.03Minor2,520
11Mar 26, 20126.96−0.04Action2,490
12Feb 3, 19636.91−0.09Action2,160
13Apr 9, 20196.90−0.10Action2,220
14Jan 24, 19596.50−0.50Action1,860
15Jan 15, 19746.34−0.66Action2,280
16Jan 8, 20096.05−0.95Action1,700
17Dec 22, 19336.00−1.00Action1,800
18Jan 13, 19736.00−1.00Action1,990
19Dec 28, 20235.83−1.17Action1,450
20Jan 16, 20115.75−1.25Action1,470
21Jan 7, 19695.25−1.75Below flood stage1,400
22Jan 5, 20105.00−2.00Below flood stage974
23Jan 15, 19764.92−2.08Below flood stage1,390
24Mar 12, 20024.85−2.15Below flood stage902
25Jan 18, 19754.84−2.16Below flood stage1,340
26Jan 31, 20034.81−2.19Below flood stage940
27Jan 16, 19714.77−2.23Below flood stage1,220
28Apr 9, 20204.70−2.30Below flood stage843
29Dec 25, 19674.68−2.32Below flood stage1,060
30Feb 18, 20044.63−2.37Below flood stage730
31Jan 3, 20074.62−2.38Below flood stage813
32Jan 21, 20224.51−2.49Below flood stage832
33Mar 22, 20164.46−2.54Below flood stage805
34Jan 18, 20064.43−2.57Below flood stage661
35Feb 13, 19804.42−2.58Below flood stage1,090
36Jan 13, 20214.39−2.61Below flood stage777
37Jan 24, 19704.37−2.63Below flood stage965
38Mar 1, 20084.35−2.65Below flood stage635
39Feb 12, 20144.26−2.74Below flood stage673
40Dec 13, 19774.21−2.79Below flood stage948
41Feb 21, 19614.15−2.85Below flood stage885
42Mar 21, 19394.01−2.99Below flood stage968
43Jan 18, 19413.99−3.01Below flood stage785
44Jan 27, 19423.98−3.02Below flood stage780
45Mar 8, 19403.90−3.10Below flood stage743
46Jan 24, 19353.87−3.13Below flood stage940
47Apr 15, 19373.84−3.16Below flood stage731
48Feb 7, 19603.84−3.16Below flood stage511
49Jan 18, 20153.83−3.17Below flood stage500
50Mar 25, 19623.82−3.18Below flood stage734

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PULW1, 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.