Susan River at Susanville
Observed Sat, Sep 26, 4:30 PM PDT
- Flood stage
- 12.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 3.51 ftSat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM PDT
- Record crest
- 18.83 ft1970
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 14.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 13.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 12.00 ft |
| Action | 10.50 ft |
- 18.50 ftRecord flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads... bridges and water systems throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of valley cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone...and rural water system impacts. Like record flood of January 24 1970.
- 18.00 ftNear record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of Honey Lake Valley is cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Only exceeded by flood of January 24 1970.
- 17.50 ftNear record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Severe damage to homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in valley difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly higher than floods of February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
- 17.00 ftMajor flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation very difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly less severe than floods of December 22 1964...February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
- 16.50 ftMajor flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways... bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Extensive transportation...power... phone and rural water system impacts. US Highway 395 and Highway 36 flooded. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
- 16.00 ftMajor flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways and bridges flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation impacts may be serious as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
- 15.50 ftMajor flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Flooding of homes...businesses and schools in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley...including Susanville. Extensive damage to transportation systems as roads...bridges and culverts are flooded or washed out. US Highway 395 is flooded. Major transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 flood.
- 15.00 ftMajor flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Major flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 and January 13 1980 floods.
- 14.50 ftMajor flooding in Susanville, Johnstonville, Leavitt Lake, Standish, and Litchfield areas in Honey Lake Valley. Susanville flooded from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street (Highway 36) on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation impacts, moderate impacts to power, phone, and rural water systems. Similar to 12/23/1955 flood.
- 14.00 ftMajor flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish...Litchfield. Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main St...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Top of K-rail flood wall on Carroll Street. Homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges in the Honey Lake Valley flooded. Serious transportation impacts. Impacts to power...phone and rural water systems begin. Similar to December 31 2005 and February 24 1958 floods.
- 13.50 ftModerate flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield.Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Cornell/River Street on north to Hood Street/Sunkist Drive on south. River up to bottom of Lassen Street bridge. Several homes along river have minor to moderate flooding. Many roads and bridges in Honey Lake Valley flood...moderate transportation impacts. Like December 2 2012...March 30 1974 and January 21 1969 floods.
- 13.00 ftModerate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Some homes along river have moderate flood affects...especially on Carroll Street. Significant lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges in these areas flood. Similar to flood of March 13 1983.
- 12.50 ftMinor to moderate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Several homes along river affected...especially on Carroll Street. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges begin to flood in these areas.
- 12.00 ftFlood Stage. Several homes on Carroll Street in Susanville begin to flood. Local flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive...especially below Piute Creek which enters river near Alexander Drive. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish... and Litchfield areas. Some rural roads affected by flooding.
- 11.50 ftLocalized minor to moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in the Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake... Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
- 11.00 ftLocal minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
- 10.50 ftThose along river should begin careful monitoring of river and keep informed of forecast updates. Localized minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 5% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 26, 2026.
Crest history
31 crests on NOAA’s list since 1903.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 24, 1970 | 18.83 ft |
| 2 | January 2, 1997 | 17.57 ft |
| 3 | February 17, 1986 | 17.52 ft |
| 4 | December 22, 1964 | 17.48 ft |
| 5 | November 23, 1981 | 16.51 ft |
| 6 | January 31, 1963 | 15.48 ft |
| 7 | January 13, 1980 | 15.25 ft |
| 8 | February 10, 2017 | 15.18 ft |
| 9 | December 23, 1955 | 14.81 ft |
| 10 | February 24, 1958 | 14.35 ft |
| 11 | March 30, 1974 | 14.15 ft |
| 12 | January 21, 1969 | 14.13 ft |
| 13 | December 31, 2005 | 13.89 ft |
| 14 | December 2, 2012 | 13.71 ft |
| 15 | February 4, 2025 | 13.67 ft |
| 16 | March 13, 1983 | 13.43 ft |
| 17 | January 9, 2017 | 13.30 ft |
| 18 | March 11, 1989 | 13.18 ft |
| 19 | March 26, 1971 | 12.72 ft |
| 20 | March 30, 1903 | 12.19 ft |
| 21 | January 9, 1953 | 12.14 ft |
| 22 | February 2, 2025 | 12.07 ft |
| 23 | February 22, 1904 | 11.98 ft |
| 24 | April 4, 1952 | 11.35 ft |
| 25 | November 23, 2024 | 11.19 ft |
Most recent crests
- February 4, 2025: 13.67 ft
- February 2, 2025: 12.07 ft
- November 23, 2024: 11.19 ft
- December 31, 2022: 11.03 ft
- October 25, 2021: 10.27 ft
- March 22, 2018: 10.00 ft
- February 10, 2017: 15.18 ft
- January 9, 2017: 13.30 ft
- December 2, 2012: 13.71 ft
- December 31, 2005: 13.89 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the California Nevada River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months. Reported historic crests have been estimated using recent ratings due to previous channel, location and/or datum changes. CADWR observed crests can be found at: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/staInfo.html Please also see Additional Information tab at the bottom of this page.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.