Major Flood
14 ft
Current Water Level
Gage Height
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Streamflow
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Last Reading
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FLOOD STAGES
Know the flood categories.
Flood stages defined by the National Weather Service. Gage height data from USGS Water Resources.
Moderate Flood
13 ft
Minor Flood
12 ft
Action Stage
10.5 ft
What Floods at Each Level
18.5 ft
Record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads... bridges and water systems throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of valley cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone...and rural water system impacts. Like record flood of January 24 1970.
18 ft
Near record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of Honey Lake Valley is cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Only exceeded by flood of January 24 1970.
17.5 ft
Near record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Severe damage to homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in valley difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly higher than floods of February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
17 ft
Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation very difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly less severe than floods of December 22 1964...February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
16.5 ft
Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways... bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Extensive transportation...power... phone and rural water system impacts. US Highway 395 and Highway 36 flooded. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
16 ft
Major flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways and bridges flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation impacts may be serious as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
15.5 ft
Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Flooding of homes...businesses and schools in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley...including Susanville. Extensive damage to transportation systems as roads...bridges and culverts are flooded or washed out. US Highway 395 is flooded. Major transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 flood.
15 ft
Major flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Major flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 and January 13 1980 floods.
14.5 ft
Major flooding in Susanville, Johnstonville, Leavitt Lake, Standish, and Litchfield areas in Honey Lake Valley. Susanville flooded from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street (Highway 36) on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation impacts, moderate impacts to power, phone, and rural water systems. Similar to 12/23/1955 flood.
14 ft
Major flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish...Litchfield. Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main St...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Top of K-rail flood wall on Carroll Street. Homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges in the Honey Lake Valley flooded. Serious transportation impacts. Impacts to power...phone and rural water systems begin. Similar to December 31 2005 and February 24 1958 floods.
13.5 ft
Moderate flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield.Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Cornell/River Street on north to Hood Street/Sunkist Drive on south. River up to bottom of Lassen Street bridge. Several homes along river have minor to moderate flooding. Many roads and bridges in Honey Lake Valley flood...moderate transportation impacts. Like December 2 2012...March 30 1974 and January 21 1969 floods.
13 ft
Moderate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Some homes along river have moderate flood affects...especially on Carroll Street. Significant lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges in these areas flood. Similar to flood of March 13 1983.
12.5 ft
Minor to moderate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Several homes along river affected...especially on Carroll Street. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges begin to flood in these areas.
12 ft
Flood Stage. Several homes on Carroll Street in Susanville begin to flood. Local flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive...especially below Piute Creek which enters river near Alexander Drive. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish... and Litchfield areas. Some rural roads affected by flooding.
11.5 ft
Localized minor to moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in the Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake... Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
11 ft
Local minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
10.5 ft
Those along river should begin careful monitoring of river and keep informed of forecast updates. Localized minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
Impact statements from the National Weather Service, describing what typically happens at each water level.
7-Day Water Level Chart
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Historic Crests
| Date | Stage | Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 1970 | 18.83 ft | 5,850 cfs |
| Jan 1, 1997 | 17.57 ft | 5,150 cfs |
| Feb 16, 1986 | 17.52 ft | 5,120 cfs |
About This Gauge
Get Flood Alerts for Susan River
StormCast monitors this gauge and sends a push notification to your phone when the water level crosses into a new flood category — even at 3 AM.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current water level of Susan River at Susanville?
The Susan River at Susanville gauge is maintained by USGS (site 10356500) and reports water levels every 15 minutes. Visit this page to see the latest reading updated live, or download StormCast to get push alerts when levels rise.
What is flood stage for Susan River at Susanville?
The NWS-defined flood stage for Susan River at Susanville is 12 feet. Action stage begins at 10.5 feet. Moderate flooding starts at 13 feet, and major flooding at 14 feet.
How do I get alerts when Susan River rises?
Download StormCast free on Google Play, go to River Gauges, and add Susan River at Susanville to your watchlist. StormCast will send a push notification to your phone whenever the water level crosses into a new NWS flood category.
Where is the Susan River at Susanville gauge located?
The gauge is located in Lassen County, California at coordinates 40.4136°N, 120.6642°W. USGS site number: 10356500. Data is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service.
More Resources
Source & Notes
Data provided by: CA Dept. of Water Resources, Observations courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey
- Stage may be affected by ice during winter months.
- Reported historic crests have been estimated using recent ratings due to previous channel, location and/or datum changes. CADWR observed crests can be found at: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/staInfo.html Please also see Additional Information tab at the bottom of this page.