Salt River at Priest Road-Tempe, AZ
River level and flood forecast · Maricopa County
The river is 14.2 ft below flood stage (16 ft).
Forecast to rise to 3.2 ft Tue 4 AM, below the 16 ft flood stage.
Flow: 0 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 5:06 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Salt River at Priest Road-Tempe to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 20 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 18 ft |
| Flood stage | 16 ft |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
| Record crest (February 16, 1995) | 12.73 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 33 ftFlooding of adjacent area roadways and structures occurs. Airport runways are threatened.
- 29 ftWater reaches the top of the protective levee. Significant downstream flooding of areas adjacent to the river occurs.
- 20 ftMajor flooding begins.
- 18 ftModerate flooding begins.
- 17 ftMinor flooding in lowland areas occurs.
- 16 ftWater reaches bankfull and flood stage.
- 12.73 ftPeak flow on February 16, 1995 at 81400 cfs, highest since gage was installed in December 1993
- 7 ftAlert stage
Highest crests on record
- 12.73 ft — February 16, 1995
- 9.83 ft — February 12, 2005
- 7.27 ft — January 28, 2008
- 5.57 ft — April 13, 1998
- 4.73 ft — February 15, 2009
Recent crests: 4.73 ft (February 15, 2009) · 7.27 ft (January 28, 2008) · 4.33 ft (August 24, 2006) · 9.83 ft (February 12, 2005) · 3.52 ft (April 2, 2004)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamSalt River near Roosevelt, AZ
- Gila River near Maricopa, AZ
- Sycamore Creek near Ft McDowell, AZ
- Cave Creek near Cave Creek, AZ
- Verde River at Bartlett Lake, AZ
- Agua Fria River near Rock Springs, AZ
- Hassayampa River near Arlington, AZ
- Verde River above Horseshoe Dam, AZ
- Hassayampa River near Morristown, AZ
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SLPA3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.