Rivers in Nevada
Truckee River at Reno
Below flood stage
4.34ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 7:20 AM PDT
- Flood stage
- 12.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 4.34 ftWed, Sep 23, 8:00 AM PDT
- Record crest
- 14.62 ft1955
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 14.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 13.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 12.00 ft |
| Action | 10.00 ft |
- 15.50 ftRecord catastrophic flooding from Mogul to Reno. Property and infrastructure in the floodplain sustain heavy damage. Reno airport and portions of downtown under about 6 feet of water. Transportation, power, phone, water, and hospital services disrupted through region. Only Interstate 80, Wells and Highway 395 bridges likely to remain open. Downtown Reno flooded from approximately 3rd Street in north to Court/Mill Streets in south.
- 15.00 ftNear Record flooding between Mogul and Reno with extensive flood damage. Reno airport and downtown flood several feet deep. Downtown Reno floods from approximately 2nd Street on the north side of the river to Court/Mill streets on the south. Casinos, hotels, stores, post office, courthouse, phone building, bus depot, churches, museums and parks flood. Utility lines on bridges may be severed. Idlewild and Wingfield Parks flood up to 10 feet. Bridges likely closed except I-80, Wells and 395. Similar to 97.
- 14.50 ftMajor damage from Mogul to Reno. Extensive flood damage in downtown Reno and the Reno airport near level of January 1997 event.
- 14.00 ftMajor Flood stage. Major flooding with serious damage from Mogul to Reno. Downtown Reno and the Reno airport begin to have serious river flooding roughly between 2nd Street on the north to Court/Mill Streets on the south. Transportation severely impacted, many roads and bridges flood.
- 13.50 ftModerate flooding from Mogul to Reno. Flooding area includes downtown Reno with impacts expanding into multiple commercial and municipal buildings. Flooding may start impacting the airport. Slightly above the level of the 12/31/05 flooding.
- 13.00 ftModerate Flood stage. Moderate flooding from Mogul to Reno. Only I-80, Keystone, Virginia street, Wells Ave and Highway 395 bridges likely to remain open. Flooding expected to begin impacting downtown Reno along north side of river near Booth Street and along Riverside and portions of 1st Street. Flooding may also start occurring at the Grand Sierra Resort RV Park unless protective measures are implemented.
- 12.50 ftMinor flooding from Mogul to Reno. River flooding low areas, parks, and trails between Mogul and Reno. Out of bank flow near Booth Street and 1st Street is possible. Arlington, Sierra, Center, and Lake Street Bridges likely closed. Debris accumulation or bank erosion may lead to expanded impacts. Similar to 1/9/17 flood event.
- 12.00 ftFlood stage. Minor flooding with bank full conditions from Mogul to Reno with significant inundation to Truckee River Walk, riverside parks and damage to park infrastructure. Impacts to transportation, as many downtown Reno bridges may be closed for public safety and to facilitate debris removal. Overtopping of river bank near Booth Street in Reno is possible.
- 11.50 ftNear maximum safe flow from Mogul to Greg Street Bridge in Reno, minor flooding of bike path and riverside parks. Close monitoring is necessary as debris build up or bank erosion could easily lead to flooding. Similar to 2/10/2017 flood event.
- 11.00 ftVery high flows with some inconvenience flooding of riverside parks and bike path.
- 10.00 ftMonitor Stage, No flooding from Mogul to Greg Street Bridge in Reno. Significant preparations to riverside parks begin in advance of this level. Releases from flood control reservoirs (Prosser, Stampede and Boca) are cut slightly in advance of this level. Similar to high flow of 4/7/2008.
Crest history
22 crests on NOAA’s list since 1907.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 23, 1955 | 14.62 ft |
| 2 | November 21, 1950 | 14.42 ft |
| 3 | February 1, 1963 | 14.05 ft |
| 4 | January 2, 1997 | 14.00 ft |
| 5 | December 31, 2005 | 13.52 ft |
| 6 | March 18, 1907 | 13.01 ft |
| 7 | February 17, 1986 | 12.96 ft |
| 8 | January 9, 2017 | 12.46 ft |
| 9 | December 23, 1964 | 11.96 ft |
| 10 | February 10, 2017 | 11.65 ft |
| 11 | December 20, 1981 | 10.98 ft |
| 12 | January 14, 1980 | 10.96 ft |
| 13 | January 16, 1909 | 10.89 ft |
| 14 | May 3, 1952 | 10.67 ft |
| 15 | December 31, 1913 | 10.48 ft |
| 16 | May 18, 1996 | 10.46 ft |
| 17 | January 22, 1970 | 10.43 ft |
| 18 | March 13, 1983 | 10.35 ft |
| 19 | November 24, 1983 | 10.21 ft |
| 20 | May 22, 1967 | 10.15 ft |
| 21 | April 7, 2018 | 10.10 ft |
| 22 | May 23, 2023 | 9.58 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 23, 2023: 9.58 ft
- April 7, 2018: 10.10 ft
- February 10, 2017: 11.65 ft
- January 9, 2017: 12.46 ft
- December 31, 2005: 13.52 ft
- January 2, 1997: 14.00 ft
- May 18, 1996: 10.46 ft
- February 17, 1986: 12.96 ft
- November 24, 1983: 10.21 ft
- March 13, 1983: 10.35 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. USGS observed crests can be found at: waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt 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.