Rivers in Oregon

Marys River near Philomath

Benton County, OregonNWS PHIO3USGS 14171000Portland office

Below flood stage
1.96ftStage

Observed Mon, Sep 21, 2:00 AM PDT

Flood stage
20.00 ft
Forecast crest
1.95 ftSat, Sep 19, 5:00 PM PDT
Record crest
21.53 ft2012

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood21.50 ft
Moderate flood21.00 ft
Minor flood20.00 ft
Action16.00 ft
  1. 21.80 ftexpect major and widespread flooding in Philomath and Corvallis and rural areas along the lower Marys River. Grange Hall Road, Fern Road, Chapel Drive, and Bellfountain Road will likely be impassable. The flow at this level is about 15,000 cfs and has a 2 percent chance of happening in a given year (aka 50-year flood).
  2. 21.40 ftexpect major and widespread flooding in Philomath and Corvallis and rural areas along the lower Marys River. Grange Hall Road, Fern Road, Chapel Drive, and Bellfountain Road will likely be impassable. The flow at this level is about 10,900 cfs, which has a 10 percent chance of happening in a given year (aka 10-year flood).
  3. 21.25 ftexpect major and widespread flooding in Philomath and Corvallis and rural areas along the lower Marys River. Grange Hall Road, Fern Road, Chapel Drive, and Bellfountain Road will likely be flooded. The flow at this level is about 9,000 cfs and has a 20 percent chance of happening in a given year (aka 5-year flood)
  4. 21.00 ftexpect major and widespread flooding along the Marys River from Philomath to Corvallis, with numerous homes and farms affected. Several roads will likely be flooded, including Grange Hall Road, 13th Street / Fern Road, Chapel Drive, and Bellfountain Road.
  5. 20.80 ftexpect widespread flooding in Philomath, especially on the south side in the vicinity of Chapel drive and Grange Hall Road, in central Benton County, and portions of Corvallis.
  6. 20.70 ftexpect road flooding in Philomath, especially the south part of town in the vicinity of Chapel Drive, Fern Road, Grange Hall Road and Bellfountain Road. Portions of Highway 99W in Corvallis have historically been flooded at this level. If the Willamette River stage at Corvallis is at 28 ft or higher, expect additional flooding of county roads due to backing up of the Marys.
  7. 20.50 ftexpect flooding of some homes in the southern part of Corvallis to begin, especially when the Willamette is also running high. In south Corvallis, a trailer park and light industrial areas begin to flood. Flooding may begin in the vicinity of Chapel Drive and Grange Hall Road on the south side of Philomath. Problems with the sewers have historically begun in Philomath at this and higher stages.
  8. 20.00 ftexpect widespread low land and agricultural flooding. Numerous roads along the Marys are affected, and some structures near the river may begin to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 20, 2026.

Crest history

53 crests on NOAA’s list since 1938.

#DateStage
1January 19, 201221.53 ft
2November 25, 201621.21 ft
3December 18, 201521.10 ft
4December 30, 200521.07 ft
5December 3, 200721.03 ft
6January 3, 202221.02 ft
7December 19, 202521.01 ft
8December 21, 202120.95 ft
9January 15, 197420.91 ft
10December 6, 198120.90 ft
11December 16, 198220.89 ft
12December 25, 198020.86 ft
13December 28, 199820.85 ft
14December 14, 199520.80 ft
15December 21, 195520.80 ft
16February 7, 199620.80 ft
17January 21, 197220.80 ft
18December 22, 196420.72 ft
19December 28, 200520.69 ft
20January 16, 197120.68 ft
21March 31, 201220.62 ft
22December 15, 197720.61 ft
23June 28, 196520.60 ft
24November 20, 201220.55 ft
25December 22, 201420.53 ft

Most recent crests

  • December 19, 2025: 21.01 ft
  • January 3, 2022: 21.02 ft
  • December 21, 2021: 20.95 ft
  • April 8, 2019: 19.36 ft
  • November 25, 2016: 21.21 ft
  • December 18, 2015: 21.10 ft
  • December 22, 2014: 20.53 ft
  • November 20, 2012: 20.55 ft
  • March 31, 2012: 20.62 ft
  • March 15, 2012: 20.10 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.

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.