Arkansas River Flow
As of 2026-07-29, the Arkansas River is flowing at a combined 43,386 cfs across 39 USGS streamgauges — 66% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 65,998 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Arkansas River was last observed at 43,386 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 86,056 acre-ft of water today; about 66% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 65,998 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-05-28 when daily discharge volume was observed at 1,992,683 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Arkansas River Near Muskogee reporting a streamflow rate of 15,200 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Arkansas River, with a gauge stage of 18.59 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 39 different streamgauging stations along the Arkansas River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 9,720 ft, the Arkansas River Near Leadville.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Arkansas River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Arkansas River
All 39 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Arkansas River Near Leadville
CO
USGS 07081200
|
12 | 4.36 | 0.0 | 23% | 1 | 1,030 | 9,720 |
|
Arkansas River Below Empire Gulch Near Malta
CO
USGS 07083710
|
48 | 2.72 | 0.0 | 38% | 41 | 2,010 | 9,287 |
|
Arkansas River At Granite
CO
USGS 07086000
|
162 | 1.38 | 30.7 | 34% | 37 | 2,910 | 8,929 |
|
Arkansas River Below Granite
CO
USGS 07087050
|
302 | 11.54 | 24.3 | 49% | 66 | 3,980 | 8,629 |
|
Arkansas River Near Nathrop
CO
USGS 07091200
|
326 | 3.79 | 20.3 | 46% | 146 | 5,070 | 7,377 |
|
Arkansas River At Salida
CO
USGS 07091500
|
278 | 2.87 | 33.7 | 40% | 100 | 5,080 | 7,062 |
|
Arkansas River Near Wellsville
CO
USGS 07093700
|
353 | 3.30 | 36.8 | 49% | 148 | 5,360 | 6,899 |
|
Arkansas River At Parkdale
CO
USGS 07094500
|
323 | 2.43 | 33.5 | 38% | 194 | 5,960 | 5,719 |
|
Arkansas River At Canon City
CO
USGS 07096000
|
269 | 5.51 | 58.2 | 40% | 121 | 6,290 | 5,352 |
|
Arkansas River At Portland
CO
USGS 07097000
|
173 | 0.90 | 76.4 | 28% | 49 | 4,270 | 5,039 |
|
Arkansas River Above Pueblo
CO
USGS 07099400
|
33 | 1.55 | -49.5 | 6% | 14 | 5,770 | 4,734 |
|
Arkansas River At Moffat Street At Pueblo
CO
USGS 07099970
|
50 | 7.61 | -19.8 | 8% | 13 | 6,310 | 4,646 |
|
Arkansas River Tributary Above Hwy 227 At Pueblo
CO
USGS 07099973
|
42 | 2.66 | 50.7 | 160% | 1 | 314 | 4,637 |
|
Arkansas River Near Avondale
CO
USGS 07109500
|
744 | 3.73 | 224.9 | 65% | 146 | 10,200 | 4,521 |
|
Arkansas River Near Nepesta
CO
USGS 07117000
|
70 | 12.62 | -10.4 | 14% | 1 | 5,890 | 4,392 |
|
Arkansas River At Catlin Dam
CO
USGS 07119700
|
202 | 10.67 | 129.6 | 41% | 0 | 29,100 | 4,255 |
|
Arkansas River At La Junta
CO
USGS 07123000
|
46 | 7.29 | 49.2 | 38% | 1 | 5,700 | 4,045 |
|
Arkansas River At Las Animas
CO
USGS 07124000
|
13 | 6.88 | 51.0 | 9% | 7 | 5,890 | 3,893 |
|
Arkansas River Below John Martin Reservoir
CO
USGS 07130500
|
40 | 1.23 | -17.3 | 6% | 0 | 1,930 | 3,752 |
|
Arkansas River At Lamar
CO
USGS 07133000
|
75 | 6.13 | 262.5 | 24% | 2 | 2,010 | 3,601 |
|
Arkansas River Near Granada
CO
USGS 07134180
|
21 | 5.15 | 58.2 | 6% | 0 | 3,910 | 3,470 |
|
Arkansas R Nr Coolidge
KS
USGS 07137500
|
130 | 3.28 | 2597.1 | 45% | 0 | 1,760 | 3,348 |
|
Arkansas R At Syracuse
KS
USGS 07138000
|
3 | 3.25 | 124.0 | 1% | 0 | 1,340 | 3,222 |
|
Arkansas R At Kendall
KS
USGS 07138020
|
1 | 4.76 | 13.8 | 1% | 0 | 1,190 | 3,135 |
|
Arkansas R At Deerfield
KS
USGS 07138070
|
· | 5.95 | · | 0% | 0 | 564 | 2,937 |
|
Arkansas R At Garden City
KS
USGS 07139000
|
· | 5.18 | · | 0% | 0 | 362 | 2,830 |
|
Arkansas R Nr Larned
KS
USGS 07141220
|
4 | 3.99 | -22.3 | 5% | 0 | 5,700 | 1,962 |
|
Arkansas R At Great Bend
KS
USGS 07141300
|
15 | 0.87 | -9.3 | 91% | 0 | 14,900 | 1,842 |
|
Arkansas R Nr Nickerson
KS
USGS 07142680
|
126 | 9.81 | -2.3 | 87% | 13 | 10,800 | 1,602 |
|
Arkansas R Nr Hutchinson
KS
USGS 07143330
|
159 | 2.45 | -1.9 | 67% | 22 | 20,200 | 1,470 |
|
Arkansas R Nr Maize
KS
USGS 07143375
|
215 | 5.05 | -4.9 | 80% | 0 | 49,300 | 1,326 |
|
Arkansas R At Wichita
KS
USGS 07144300
|
281 | 3.08 | -3.8 | 75% | 7 | 15,900 | 1,265 |
|
Arkansas R At Derby
KS
USGS 07144550
|
328 | 1.01 | -2.4 | 65% | 46 | 36,800 | 1,230 |
|
Arkansas R At Arkansas City
KS
USGS 07146500
|
1,180 | 4.10 | -4.1 | 129% | 78 | 68,100 | 1,059 |
|
Arkansas River At Ralston
OK
USGS 07152500
|
4,610 | 5.94 | -2.3 | 87% | 30 | 181,000 | 790 |
|
Arkansas River At Tulsa
OK
USGS 07164500
|
10,200 | 4.66 | -0.9 | 142% | 22 | 273,000 | 638 |
|
Arkansas River Near Haskell
OK
USGS 07165570
|
5,590 | 4.92 | -48.7 | 95% | 116 | 281,000 | 539 |
|
Arkansas River Near Muskogee
OK
USGS 07194500
|
15,200 | 18.59 | -22.5 | 196% | 26 | 668,000 | 492 |
|
Arkansas River At Ft. Smith
AR
USGS 07249455
|
12,100 | 11.61 | -54.2 | 90% | 4 | 571,000 | 454 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River, stretching for 1,469 miles across the central United States. The river has played a significant role in the history of the region, serving as a vital transportation route for Native Americans and early settlers. Today, the Arkansas River is a major source of irrigation for crops and a popular destination for recreational activities such as fishing and boating. The river is managed by a series of reservoirs and dams, including the John Martin Dam, the Kaw Dam, and the Keystone Dam. These structures help to regulate water flow and provide hydroelectric power. Despite its importance, the Arkansas River faces ongoing challenges, including pollution and water scarcity, which threaten the river's ecological health and the communities that depend on it.
Recreation along the Arkansas River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Arkansas River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Arkansas River
How is the Arkansas River flowing right now?
As of 2026-07-29, the Arkansas River is flowing at a combined 43,386 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 66% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Arkansas River running high or low right now?
Check the percent-of-normal figure on this page: above 100% means the river is running higher than its seasonal average for the date, below 100% means lower. The per-gauge table shows which reaches are highest and lowest.
Where does the data for the Arkansas River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.