National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service

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Weather Forecast Office Portland, OR

Northwest River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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About this graph

Tabular Data (UTC)

Tabular Data (PDT)

Datum: NGVD29

Metadata

NOTE: Gauge reading affected by ocean tides.

NOTE: Forecasts for the Columbia River at Vancouver are issued routinely year-round.

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Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet)

Major Flood Stage:	25
Moderate Flood Stage:	20
Flood Stage:	16
Action Stage:	15
Low Stage (in feet):	1

Historic Crests
(1) 33.60 ft on 06/07/1894
(2) 31.00 ft on 06/13/1948
(3) 30.80 ft on 06/01/1948
(4) 27.70 ft on 12/25/1964
(5) 27.60 ft on 06/04/1956
Show More Historic Crests

(P): Preliminary values subject to further review.

Recent Crests
(1) 15.60 ft on 04/12/2019
(2) 17.60 ft on 03/30/2017
(3) 17.43 ft on 06/02/2011
(4) 12.32 ft on 11/26/1999
(5) 15.00 ft on 12/30/1998
Show More Recent Crests

(P): Preliminary values subject to further review.

Low Water Records
(1) -1.20 ft on 01/07/1937
(2) -1.10 ft on 11/08/1936
(3) -0.80 ft on 07/24/1989
(4) -0.80 ft on 07/30/1978
(5) -0.74 ft on 07/14/2001
Show More Low Water Records

For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov.

Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers

Zoom Level:16

	Gauge Location	Disclaimer
Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

If you notice any errors in the below information, please contact our Webmaster
34	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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	expect 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.
16.5	expect 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	expect flooding of some islands and low areas, with minor impacts for parks and trails along the river.
Photos (1) NOS gage house

About This Location

Latitude: 45.631389° N, Longitude: 122.696389° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84

River Stage Reference Frame	Gauge Height	Flood Stage	Uses
NWS stage	0 ft	16 ft	Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps
Vertical Datum	Elevation (gauge height = 0)	Elevation (gauge height = flood stage)	Elevation information source
NAVD88	Not Available	Not Available	Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps
NGVD 29	1.82	17.82	Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks
MSL	Not Available	Not Available	Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks
Other	Not Available	Not Available

Additional Information

Low Water Alerts are issued for stages below 1.0'.
This gage replaced VANW1 as the river forecast location for the Columbia River at Vancouver.
Real-time and archived data from Nat'l Ocean Service
10-day Forecast/Trend, Northwest River Forecast Center

Resources

Hydrologic Resources

Additional Resources

Collaborative Agencies

The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here.

NWS Information

National Weather Service
Portland Weather Forecast Office
5241 NE 122nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97230-1089
(503) 261-9246
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Page last modified: 2-Nov-2020 7:27 PM

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