Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Yakima River at Kiona

Highest listed crest 21.57 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft28 crests since 1933

The Yakima River at Kiona crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1933 to 2026. The highest, 21.57 ft on December 23, 1933, was major flooding, 8.57 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Yakima River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
21.57 ft
December 23, 1933; 67,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
8
15th of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
March 23, 2026
13.37 ft, minor flooding
Location
Benton County
Near West Richland (6.0 mi), Richland (9.1 mi), Kennewick (14.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Yakima River at Kiona
Action stage11.08Mar 15, 2007The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.07Mar 23, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.55Dec 12, 2015Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.08Dec 13, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1933 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Yakima River at Kiona, 1933 to 2026 10121416182022ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Dec 23, 1933: 21.57 ft, major flooding; 67,000 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1948: 17.20 ft, major flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1956: 12.73 ft, action stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1957: 12.61 ft, action stage; 19,600 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1959: 12.47 ft, action stage; 18,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1965: 13.76 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1972: 13.57 ft, minor flooding; 20,200 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1974: 18.65 ft, major flooding; 39,700 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1975: 16.52 ft, major flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1977: 16.11 ft, major flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1980: 16.27 ft, major flooding; 27,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1982: 14.42 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1984: 12.60 ft, action stageFeb 28, 1986: 11.96 ft, action stage; 16,100 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1990: 14.36 ft, minor flooding; 22,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1995: 11.77 ft, action stage; 15,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1995: 12.54 ft, action stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1995: 15.88 ft, moderate flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1996: 20.98 ft, major flooding; 49,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2007: 12.56 ft, action stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2009: 15.55 ft, moderate flooding; 25,296 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2011: 14.78 ft, moderate floodingApr 3, 2011: 13.30 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2011: 15.30 ft, moderate floodingDec 12, 2015: 14.71 ft, moderate flooding; 21,797 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2016: 13.53 ft, minor flooding; 19,833 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2025: 16.16 ft, major floodingMar 23, 2026: 13.37 ft, minor flooding; 19,207 cubic feet per second Highest, 21.57 ft, Dec 23, 1933 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Yakima River at Kiona 1930s: 1 1940s: 1 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1970s: 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 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.
  3. 4 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 14.00 ft on Mar 3, 1901; 15.05 ft on Apr 17, 1904; 20.12 ft on Nov 17, 1906; 14.80 ft on Nov 26, 1909.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Yakima River at Kiona
1Dec 23, 193321.57+8.57Major67,000
2Feb 11, 199620.98+7.98Major49,400
3Jan 18, 197418.65+5.65Major39,700
4May 31, 194817.20+4.20Major37,900
5Dec 6, 197516.52+3.52Major28,300
6Dec 28, 198016.27+3.27Major27,600
7Dec 13, 202516.16+3.16Major—
8Dec 4, 197716.11+3.11Major27,000
9Dec 2, 199515.88+2.88Moderate26,100
10Jan 11, 200915.55+2.55Moderate25,296
11May 18, 201115.30+2.30Moderate—
12Jan 20, 201114.78+1.78Moderate—
13Dec 12, 201514.71+1.71Moderate21,797
14Feb 22, 198214.42+1.42Minor22,200
15Nov 27, 199014.36+1.36Minor22,600
16Feb 1, 196513.76+0.76Minor22,400
17Mar 15, 197213.57+0.57Minor20,200
18Feb 18, 201613.53+0.53Minor19,833
19Mar 23, 202613.37+0.37Minor19,207
20Apr 3, 201113.30+0.30Minor—
21May 22, 195612.73−0.27Action20,100
22May 12, 195712.61−0.39Action19,600
23Jan 25, 198412.60−0.40Action—
24Mar 15, 200712.56−0.44Action17,300
25Feb 22, 199512.54−0.46Action17,300
26Nov 25, 195912.47−0.53Action18,700
27Feb 28, 198611.96−1.04Action16,100
28Feb 3, 199511.77−1.23Action15,600

The worst floods along the Yakima River

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

December 23, 1933: 21.57 ft here, major flooding

  • ParkerWA · Dec 23, 1933 · 15.00 ft · Major

February 11, 1996: 20.98 ft here, major flooding

  • HorlickWA · Feb 9, 1996 · 39.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • ParkerWA · Feb 9, 1996 · 16.21 ft · Major · its highest
  • UmtanumWA · Feb 9, 1996 · 38.77 ft · Moderate
  • EastonWA · Feb 8, 1996 · 53.23 ft · Minor

January 18, 1974: 18.65 ft here, major flooding

  • ParkerWA · Jan 16, 1974 · 13.35 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Yakima River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Yakima River
EastonWA51.357.01 ft, Dec 9, 20250
HorlickWA36.039.30 ft, Feb 9, 19962
Kiona this gaugeWA13.021.57 ft, Dec 23, 19338
UmtanumWA35.541.10 ft, Nov 15, 19061
ParkerWA10.016.21 ft, Feb 9, 19964

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KIOW1, 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.