Big Wood River below Magic Dam, ID
River level and flood forecast · Blaine County
The river is 7.2 ft below flood stage (9 ft).
Forecast to hold near 1.8 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 6 PM.
Flow: 1 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 1:07 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Big Wood River below Magic Dam to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Flood stage | 9 ft |
| Action stage | 8.5 ft |
| Record crest (April 26, 1952) | 15.68 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12 ftMajor flooding will occur near Shoshone in Lincoln County and in the city of Gooding in Gooding County. The flooding will come from both the Big Wood and Little Wood Rivers with water crossing over land from the Big Wood River into the Little Wood River. Highway 75 in Lincoln County will be flooded where it crosses the Big Wood River. The Big and Little Wood Rivers will flood Highway 46 in Gooding County.
- 11 ftWater will spill from the Big Wood River over land upstream from Shoshone and enter the Little Wood River causing flooding in Lincoln and Gooding Counties on the Little Wood River. Floodwater will also spill over portions of the Highway 75 and Highway 46 where they cross the Big Wood River in Lincoln and Gooding Counties.
- 10.5 ftWater will reach the level of Highway 75 in Lincoln County and Highway 46 in Gooding County. Water will reach a stage of 9.0 feet at the Highway 46 bridge about 24 hours after exceeding a stage of 10.5 feet just below Magic Reservoir. Water will also spill from the Big Wood Channel over land through Cottonwood Slough and enter the Little Wood River upstream from Shoshone. Water will pond behind the railroad embankment near Shoshone.
- 9.5 ftFloodwater will spread downstream from Magic Reservoir along the banks of the Big Wood River in Lincoln and Gooding Counties. Floodwater will be about 1 foot below the surface of Highway 75 and Highway 46. Water levels between 8.0 and 8.5 feet will occur at the Highway 46 bridge north of Gooding about 24 hours after discharge reaches 5300 cfs at Magic Reservoir, with minor flooding occurring upstream from the bridge. This will be similar to the flooding, which occurred in 2006.
- 9 ftFloodwater will spread downstream from Magic Reservoir along the banks of the Big Wood River in Lincoln and Gooding Counties. Floodwater will be about 1 foot below the surface of Highway 75 and Highway 46. Water levels between 8.0 and 8.5 feet will occur at the Highway 46 bridge north of Gooding about 24 hours after discharge reaches 4669 cfs at Magic Reservoir, with minor flooding occurring upstream from the bridge. This will be similar to the flooding, which occurred in 2006.
Highest crests on record
- 15.68 ft — April 26, 1952
- 13.31 ft — April 13, 1943
- 11.89 ft — March 31, 2017
- 11.55 ft — April 21, 1938
- 10.69 ft — May 31, 1983
Recent crests: 4.87 ft (July 20, 2022) · 4.66 ft (June 4, 2021) · 4.59 ft (August 10, 2020) · 7.9 ft (June 4, 2019) · 6.48 ft (May 28, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (BWMI1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.