Rivers in Washington
Columbia River at Vancouver
Below flood stage
1.27ftStage
Observed Thu, Oct 1, 7:06 AM PDT
- Flood stage
- 16.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 4.67 ftThu, Oct 1, 9:00 PM PDT
- Record crest
- 33.60 ft1894
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 25.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 20.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 16.00 ft |
| Action | 15.00 ft |
- 34.00 ftexpect flooding of much of downtown Vancouver, along with major flooding along the Columbia River from Vancouver downstream to Woodland along the Washington side and Portland and Sauvie Island on the Oregon side. Some lower levees may be overtopped.
- 31.00 ftexpect major flooding. Overtopping of some lower levees is possible. Expect widespread inundation along the Columbia from Vancouver downstream to Woodland on the Washington side and Portland and Sauvie Island on the Oregon side. Tributary rivers will be backed up. Port operations and ship traffic will be affected.
- 30.00 ftexpect widespread flood inundation along the Columbia from Vancouver downstream to Woodland. Numerous islands and sloughs on the Columbia upstream and downstream of the I-5 bridge are flooded. Many industries along the river have historically ceased operations at this level.
- 27.00 ftexpect widespread flooding of low lying farmland, islands on the river, and sloughs in the Portland and Vancouver area. Historically, river traffic has been halted to prevent water from overtopping the lowest dikes along the river.
- 24.00 ftexpect numerous sloughs to begin flooding in the Portland and Vancouver area. Numerous islands on the Columbia river both upstream and downstream from the Interstate Bridge have historically begun to flood at this point. Also expect flooding of parks and lowland areas near the Sandy River confluence above this level.
- 20.00 ftexpect widespread flooding of unleveed lowland and agricultural land, along with flooding of the access road under the north end of the Interstate Bridge. Islands on the Columbia downstream from the Interstate Bridge are threatened above this level. Access to parks, trails, and some house-boat communities in and near Portland and Vancouver will be impacted.
- 18.00 ftexpect flooding of property and farmland not protected by levees to begin. The main areas impacted have historically been from Sauvies Island downstream to Woodland. Inundation of parks and trails along the Columbia in and near Vancouver and Portland will continue. Access to some floating home communities may be affected.
- 17.00 ftexpect flooding of some lowland access roads, parking areas, and trails on Sauvie Island, around Vancouver Lake, and other parks and trails along the Columbia in the Portland / Vancouver metro area. Access to some house-boat communities is impaired.
- 16.50 ftexpect flooding of several parks along the Columbia River in Clark and Multnomah Counties, including Capt William Clark Park in Washougal, areas around Vancouver Lake, and trails along the Columbia River. Low areas on Sauvie Island and Government Island are flooded. Boaters should be aware of faster currents and more debris than usual in the river.
- 16.00 ftexpect flooding of some islands and low areas, with minor impacts for parks and trails along the river.
Crest history
28 crests on NOAA’s list since 1894.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 7, 1894 | 33.60 ft |
| 2 | June 13, 1948 | 31.00 ft |
| 3 | June 1, 1948 | 30.80 ft |
| 4 | December 25, 1964 | 27.70 ft |
| 5 | June 4, 1956 | 27.60 ft |
| 6 | February 9, 1996 | 27.20 ft |
| 7 | June 19, 1933 | 26.30 ft |
| 8 | May 31, 1928 | 26.20 ft |
| 9 | June 12, 1921 | 26.00 ft |
| 10 | June 26, 1950 | 25.90 ft |
| 11 | June 16, 1903 | 25.60 ft |
| 12 | January 19, 1965 | 25.44 ft |
| 13 | June 3, 1916 | 25.30 ft |
| 14 | June 22, 1917 | 25.30 ft |
| 15 | June 13, 1913 | 25.20 ft |
| 16 | January 3, 1997 | 22.55 ft |
| 17 | June 12, 1972 | 21.50 ft |
| 18 | June 22, 1974 | 21.10 ft |
| 19 | January 24, 1970 | 19.54 ft |
| 20 | June 5, 1997 | 19.03 ft |
| 21 | December 1, 1995 | 18.50 ft |
| 22 | March 30, 2017 | 17.60 ft |
| 23 | April 27, 1996 | 17.50 ft |
| 24 | June 2, 2011 | 17.43 ft |
| 25 | February 2, 1997 | 16.80 ft |
Most recent crests
- April 12, 2019: 15.60 ft
- March 30, 2017: 17.60 ft
- June 2, 2011: 17.43 ft
- November 26, 1999: 12.32 ft
- December 30, 1998: 15.00 ft
- June 5, 1997: 19.03 ft
- February 2, 1997: 16.80 ft
- January 3, 1997: 22.55 ft
- April 27, 1996: 17.50 ft
- February 9, 1996: 27.20 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
- UpstreamColumbia River at Bonneville Dam
- DownstreamColumbia River at St. Helens
- Willamette River at Portland
- Fanno Creek at 56th Ave - Portland
- Johnson Creek at Milwaukie
- Tryon Creek at Lake Oswego
- Johnson Creek at Sycamore
- Fairview Creek at Glisan St near Gresham
- Kellogg Creek at Milwaukie
- Kelley Creek at 159th Ave near Portland
What this means
Forecasts by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Gauge reading affected by ocean tides.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service.