Is Oak Creek Going to Flood?
The live creek height at the National Weather Service gauge in Sedona, against the official flood thresholds — so you can see whether Oak Creek is low, rising, or into flooding.
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The live creek height at the National Weather Service gauge in Sedona, against the official flood thresholds — so you can see whether Oak Creek is low, rising, or into flooding.
Most of the year Oak Creek runs low and clear. But from July through September the monsoon can turn it into a flash flood in minutes — often from a storm upstream you can't even see from town. This page reads the live creek height at the National Weather Service gauge at Sedona and shows it against the official flood thresholds, so you can tell at a glance whether the creek is low, rising toward action stage, or into flooding.
Below flood stage
The river is below flood stage right now. Reading from 14 June at 23:45.
These are the official National Weather Service flood thresholds for this gauge. The row the current reading sits in is marked.
| Level | Stage | |
|---|---|---|
| Major flooding | 20 ft | |
| Moderate flooding | 17 ft | |
| Minor flooding | 14 ft | |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
The river is below all of these right now.
Below flood stage, 2.2 ft, forecast as of 15 June at 1:00.
Oak Creek's worst floods come from monsoon thunderstorms upstream, in Oak Creek Canyon and the high country toward Flagstaff. The creek can rise feet in under an hour while the sky over town looks fine. Never judge the creek by the weather where you're standing — judge it by the number on this page and by the official forecast.
On 22 March 2023 Oak Creek crested at about 16.4 feet — moderate flooding — and the city issued evacuation orders for low-lying areas along the creek. At that level the gauge's published impacts include flooding at riverside RV parks, resorts and homes, and minor damage to shops near the Tlaquepaque bridge.
Heavy monsoon runoff also closes SR-89A through Oak Creek Canyon and can shut Slide Rock State Park. When the canyon road closes, the only way to Flagstaff is the long way round (SR-179 south to I-17), adding 30–40 minutes.
Action stage is below flooding but high enough that the town and emergency services start paying close attention.
Minor flooding means some low-lying roads and land near the river start to go under.
Moderate flooding reaches more roads, property and low ground.
Major flooding is extensive — the most serious category this gauge reports.
These words describe the river, not what you should do. Decisions about closing flood gates or leaving home come from the town and emergency services — follow them.
Record crest: 20 ft on 18 February 1993.
City of Sedona — emergency alerts & Know Your Zone · Call 928-282-3100 · More information
In any flooding emergency, call 911. Sign up for zone-based evacuation alerts and find your zone at the city page; the number above is the Sedona Police non-emergency line. Never drive into water over a road — turn around, don't drown.
Reading from 15 June at 0:39. Data: NOAA National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) (water.noaa.gov, public domain). Official gauge page: water.noaa.gov.