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River report

Arkansas River Flow Today

As of November 10, 2026 at 12:15 AM, the Arkansas River is flowing at 508 cfs at Canon City, CO — 133% of normal for the date and down 18% in 24 hours. 34 of 39 USGS gauges reported in the last 3 days; flows range from 0 to 3,930 cfs. ❤ Favorite

USGS gauges
39 34 reporting · upstream → down
Arkansas River Near Leadville: 61% of normalArkansas River At Granite: 77% of normalArkansas River At Salida: 69% of normalArkansas River Near Wellsville: 87% of normalArkansas River At Canon City: 133% of normalArkansas River At Portland: 128% of normalArkansas River Above Pueblo: 190% of normalArkansas River At Moffat Street At Pueblo: 189% of normalArkansas River Tributary Above Hwy 227 At Pueblo: 57% of normalArkansas River Near Avondale: 136% of normalArkansas River Near Nepesta: 163% of normalArkansas River At Catlin Dam: 193% of normalArkansas River At La Junta: 129% of normalArkansas River At Las Animas: 435% of normalArkansas River Below John Martin Reservoir: 228% of normalArkansas River At Lamar: 451% of normalArkansas River Near Granada: 659% of normalArkansas River Near Coolidge: 382% of normalArkansas River At Syracuse: 388% of normalArkansas River At Kendall: 306% of normalArkansas River At Deerfield: 0% of normalArkansas River At Garden City: 0% of normalArkansas River Near Larned: 0% of normalArkansas River At Great Bend: 27% of normalArkansas River Near Nickerson: 65% of normalArkansas River Near Hutchinson: 51% of normalArkansas River Near Maize: 38% of normalArkansas River At Wichita: 54% of normalArkansas River At Derby: 64% of normalArkansas River At Arkansas City: 101% of normalArkansas River At Ralston: 108% of normalArkansas River Near Haskell: 50% of normalArkansas River Near Muskogee: 27% of normalArkansas River At Fort Smith: 31% of normal
Typical gauge
94% of normal for the date
0%normal200%
Paddle runs
20 5 in range now
11 low5 in range
Updated
Nov 10, 12:15 AM
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River briefing · Nov 10, 2026

Arkansas River conditions today

Where the river is running versus normal, what’s rising or dropping, and what it means for a trip — built from the live USGS readings below.

At Canon City, the Arkansas River is running 508 cfs — 133% of normal, down 18% since yesterday. Along the river, 17 of 34 reporting gauges are below normal (the typical gauge is at 94% of normal).

In the last 24 hours the river is rising at Ralston (+265%) and Catlin Dam (+40%); dropping at Muskogee (-61%) and Las Animas (-21%).

Highest against normal: Granada at 659%. Lowest: Deerfield at 0%.

Paddlers: 5 of 16 runs on the Arkansas River with a live range are in range, 11 too low.

Headwaters to mouth

How the Arkansas River compares to normal

Every reporting gauge from the top of the river to the bottom: bar length is today’s flow, colour is percent of normal for the date.

Flow along the river, upstream to downstream

  1. Leadville9,720 ft 15 cfs61%
  2. Granite8,929 ft 88 cfs77%
  3. Salida7,062 ft 239 cfs69%
  4. Wellsville6,899 ft 345 cfs87%
  5. Canon City5,352 ft 508 cfs133%
  6. Portland5,039 ft 541 cfs128%
  7. Pueblo4,734 ft 444 cfs190%
  8. Pueblo4,646 ft 378 cfs189%
  9. Pueblo4,637 ft 13 cfs57%
  10. Avondale4,521 ft 616 cfs136%
  11. Nepesta4,392 ft 438 cfs163%
  12. Catlin Dam4,255 ft 226 cfs193%
  13. La Junta4,045 ft 46 cfs129%
  14. Las Animas3,893 ft 135 cfs435%
  15. John Martin Reservoir3,752 ft 2.5 cfs228%
  16. Lamar3,601 ft 90 cfs451%
  17. Granada3,470 ft 143 cfs659%
  18. Coolidge3,348 ft 195 cfs382%
  19. Syracuse3,222 ft 180 cfs388%
  20. Kendall3,135 ft 156 cfs306%
  21. Deerfield2,937 ft 0 cfs0%
  22. Garden City2,830 ft 0 cfs0%
  23. Larned1,962 ft 0 cfs0%
  24. Great Bend1,842 ft 3 cfs27%
  25. Nickerson1,602 ft 48 cfs65%
  26. Hutchinson1,470 ft 85 cfs51%
  27. Maize1,326 ft 67 cfs38%
  28. Wichita1,265 ft 120 cfs54%
  29. Derby1,230 ft 226 cfs64%
  30. Arkansas City1,059 ft 590 cfs101%
  31. Ralston790 ft 3,080 cfs108%
  32. Haskell539 ft 2,200 cfs50%
  33. Muskogee492 ft 1,640 cfs27%
  34. Fort Smith454 ft 3,930 cfs31%

Bar length uses a square-root scale so small headwater flows stay visible next to big downstream ones. Colour: <50% 50–90 90–110 110–150 150%+ of normal.

Where every gauge sits

One dot per Arkansas River streamgauge, placed by its own percent of normal. The line is the typical gauge (94%).

Typical gauge 94%
0%50%100% · normal150%200%+
Much below normal7Below normal10Near normal2Above normal4Much above normal11

Arkansas River flow report

39 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow % of normal 24h Gage height To flood stage Elevation
Arkansas River Near Leadville CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07081200 		15 cfs 61% +4% 4.45 ft 4.6 ft below 9,720 ft
Arkansas River Below Empire Gulch Near Malta CO
Last reported Sep 9 · USGS 07083710 		39 cfs · · 2.65 ft · 9,287 ft
Arkansas River At Granite CO
Nov 10, 12:45 AM · USGS 07086000 		88 cfs 77% -2% 2.30 ft · 8,929 ft
Arkansas River Below Granite CO
Last reported Oct 1 · USGS 07087050 		219 cfs · · 11.31 ft · 8,629 ft
Arkansas River Near Nathrop CO
Last reported Sep 30 · USGS 07091200 		277 cfs · · 3.65 ft · 7,377 ft
Arkansas River At Salida CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07091500 		239 cfs 69% -2% 2.80 ft · 7,062 ft
Arkansas River Near Wellsville CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07093700 		345 cfs 87% -1% 3.25 ft · 6,899 ft
Arkansas River At Parkdale CO
Last reported Sep 30 · USGS 07094500 		401 cfs · · 2.60 ft flood 9.0 ft 5,719 ft
Arkansas River At Canon City CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07096000 		508 cfs 133% -18% 5.96 ft 4.0 ft below 5,352 ft
Arkansas River At Portland CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07097000 		541 cfs 128% -7% 2.02 ft · 5,039 ft
Arkansas River Above Pueblo CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07099400 		444 cfs 190% 0% 3.12 ft 4.9 ft below 4,734 ft
Arkansas River At Moffat Street At Pueblo CO
Nov 10, 12:45 AM · USGS 07099970 		378 cfs 189% -1% 9.07 ft · 4,646 ft
Arkansas River Tributary Above Hwy 227 At Pueblo CO
Nov 10, 12:30 AM · USGS 07099973 		13 cfs 57% -5% 2.10 ft · 4,637 ft
Arkansas River Near Avondale CO
Nov 10, 12:45 AM · USGS 07109500 		616 cfs 136% +4% 3.55 ft 3.5 ft below 4,521 ft
Arkansas River Near Nepesta CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07117000 		438 cfs 163% -13% 13.21 ft · 4,392 ft
Arkansas River At Catlin Dam CO
Nov 10, 12:30 AM · USGS 07119700 		226 cfs 193% +40% 10.67 ft · 4,255 ft
Arkansas River At La Junta CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07123000 		46 cfs 129% -8% 7.27 ft · 4,045 ft
Arkansas River At Las Animas CO
Nov 10, 12:45 AM · USGS 07124000 		135 cfs 435% -21% 7.91 ft · 3,893 ft
Arkansas River Below John Martin Reservoir CO
Nov 10, 12:00 AM · USGS 07130500 		2.5 cfs 228% 0% 0.76 ft · 3,752 ft
Arkansas River At Lamar CO
Nov 10, 12:00 AM · USGS 07133000 		90 cfs 451% -18% 6.24 ft 4.8 ft below 3,601 ft
Arkansas River Near Granada CO
Nov 10, 12:15 AM · USGS 07134180 		143 cfs 659% -19% 6.21 ft · 3,470 ft
Arkansas River Near Coolidge KS
Nov 10, 1:15 AM · USGS 07137500 		195 cfs 382% -9% 3.56 ft 4.4 ft below 3,348 ft
Arkansas River At Syracuse KS
Nov 10, 1:15 AM · USGS 07138000 		180 cfs 388% -10% 5.15 ft 4.9 ft below 3,222 ft
Arkansas River At Kendall KS
Nov 10, 1:30 AM · USGS 07138020 		156 cfs 306% +1% 6.95 ft · 3,135 ft
Arkansas River At Deerfield KS
Nov 10, 1:45 AM · USGS 07138070 		0 cfs 0% · 5.96 ft · 2,937 ft
Arkansas River At Garden City KS
Nov 10, 1:30 AM · USGS 07139000 		0 cfs 0% · 5.18 ft 4.8 ft below 2,830 ft
Arkansas River Near Larned KS
Nov 10, 1:45 AM · USGS 07141220 		0 cfs 0% · 3.41 ft · 1,962 ft
Arkansas River At Great Bend KS
Nov 10, 1:30 AM · USGS 07141300 		3 cfs 27% 0% 0.59 ft 11.4 ft below 1,842 ft
Arkansas River Near Nickerson KS
Nov 10, 1:00 AM · USGS 07142680 		48 cfs 65% -1% 8.94 ft · 1,602 ft
Arkansas River Near Hutchinson KS
Nov 10, 1:30 AM · USGS 07143330 		85 cfs 51% 0% 1.92 ft 8.1 ft below 1,470 ft
Arkansas River Near Maize KS
Nov 10, 1:15 AM · USGS 07143375 		67 cfs 38% 0% 4.49 ft · 1,326 ft
Arkansas River At Wichita KS
Nov 10, 1:45 AM · USGS 07144300 		120 cfs 54% 0% 2.54 ft · 1,265 ft
Arkansas River At Derby KS
Nov 10, 2:00 AM · USGS 07144550 		226 cfs 64% -1% 0.74 ft 11.3 ft below 1,230 ft
Arkansas River At Arkansas City KS
Nov 10, 1:00 AM · USGS 07146500 		590 cfs 101% -2% 3.37 ft 7.6 ft below 1,059 ft
Arkansas River At Ralston OK
Nov 10, 1:00 AM · USGS 07152500 		3,080 cfs 108% +265% 5.26 ft 10.7 ft below 790 ft
Arkansas River At Tulsa OK
Last reported Aug 21 · USGS 07164500 		10,200 cfs · · 4.56 ft flood 18.0 ft 638 ft
Arkansas River Near Haskell OK
Nov 10, 1:00 AM · USGS 07165570 		2,200 cfs 50% +17% 3.95 ft 15.1 ft below 539 ft
Arkansas River Near Muskogee OK
Nov 10, 1:00 AM · USGS 07194500 		1,640 cfs 27% -61% 18.40 ft 9.6 ft below 492 ft
Arkansas River At Fort Smith AR
Nov 10, 1:15 AM · USGS 07249455 		3,930 cfs 31% · 11.18 ft · 454 ft

USGS provisional data. Readings are in each gauge’s local time; gauges silent for more than 3 days are marked “Last reported”. Tap any gauge for its hydrograph, forecast and history.

Whitewater & paddle

Paddle runs on the Arkansas River

5 of 20 runs are in range right now. Each run is checked against its runnable range using the gauge it is keyed to (or the nearest gauge on this river).

RunStatusFlow nowRunnable rangeClass
Falls Gulch
Gauge: Wellsville		 In range 345 cfs 227–553 cfs typical III–IV
Grape Creek Segment 3
Gauge: Canon City		 In range 508 cfs 302–588 cfs typical III–IV
Pass Creek
Gauge: Salida		 In range 239 cfs 167–481 cfs typical III–IV
Royal Gorge
Gauge: Canon City		 In range 508 cfs 200–3,200 cfs IV– TO IV
Western Edge Of Bent'S Old Fort National Historic Site To Eastern Edge Of Bent'S Old Fort National Historic Site
Gauge: La Junta		 In range 46 cfs 13–170 cfs typical III
Arkansas River Segment 1
Gauge: Leadville		 Too low 15 cfs 200–5,000 cfs III–IV
Arkansas River Segment 3
Gauge: Salida		 Too low 239 cfs 300–5,000 cfs III–IV
Browns Canyon (Fisherman's Bridge to Stone Bridge)
Gauge: Salida		 Too low 239 cfs 300–5,000 cfs III TO IV–
Buena Vista Whitewater Park
Gauge: Granite		 Too low 88 cfs 300–5,000 cfs II+ TO III+
Fractions
Gauge: Granite		 Too low 88 cfs 200–5,000 cfs III TO III+
Milk Run
Gauge: Granite		 Too low 88 cfs 400–5,000 cfs II+ TO III–
Numbers
Gauge: Granite		 Too low 88 cfs 300–3,500 cfs III+ TO IV+
Pine Creek (Granite to Numbers)
Gauge: Granite		 Too low 88 cfs 200–5,000 cfs III+ TO V–
Salida Town Run (Stone Bridge to Salida WW Park)
Gauge: Salida		 Too low 239 cfs 500–4,000 cfs II TO III
Salida Whitewater Park
Gauge: Salida		 Too low 239 cfs 300–1,500 cfs III– TO III+
Salida to Rincon
Gauge: Salida		 Too low 239 cfs 300–5,000 cfs II+ TO III
Arkansas River Segment 2
Gauge: Granite		 No live range · 200–5,000 cfs III–IV
Arkansas River Segment 4
Gauge: Parkdale		 No live range · 200–3,200 cfs III
Cottonwood Creek
Gauge: Parkdale		 No live range · 200–3,200 cfs III–IV
East Gulch
Gauge: Parkdale		 No live range · 200–3,200 cfs III–IV
Upstream storage

Dams & reservoirs on the Arkansas River

Releases from these dams shape the flow downstream. Tap one for its daily level and history.

Reservoir John Martin Reservoir At Caddoa Reservoir 3,806 acre-ft 100% of normal Reservoir John Martin Reservoir At Caddoa Reservoir 45,988 acre-ft 35% of normal Reservoir Pueblo Reservoir Near Pueblo Reservoir 156,143 acre-ft 85% of normal Reservoir Twin Lakes Reservoir 107,414 acre-ft 105% of normal Reservoir Turquoise Lake At Sugarloaf Dam Near Leadville Co Reservoir 69,668 acre-ft 103% of normal Reservoir Lee Creek At Lee Creek Reservoir Near Van Buren Reservoir 6 acre-ft 29% of normal Reservoir Mount Elbert Forebay Reservoir 3,813 acre-ft 44% of normal Reservoir Meredith Reservoir (content) Reservoir 11,551 acre-ft 49% of normal Dam · Arkansas Wilbur D Mills Lock And Dam 110,080 acre-ft capacity · built 1967 Dam · Arkansas Emmett Sanders Lock And Dam 70,400 acre-ft capacity · built 1968 Dam · Arkansas Col Charles D Maynard Lock And Dam 61,300 acre-ft capacity · built 1968 Dam · Arkansas Joe Hardin Lock And Dam 46,400 acre-ft capacity · built 1968 Dam · Arkansas River Clr Water Holding Pond Dike 1 1,550 acre-ft capacity · built 1979 Dam · Arkansas River Norrell Lock And Dam 1,510 acre-ft capacity · built 1967 Dam · Arkansas River Jones Lake Dam 160 acre-ft capacity · built 1967 Dam · Arkansas River Lake Lee Dam 83 acre-ft capacity · built 1952 Dam · Tributary Of Arkansas Area 7 Section 4 72 acre-ft capacity · built 1988 Dam · Arkansas River Hardin Lake Dam No 2 60 acre-ft capacity · built 1958
History

Arkansas River streamflow over time

Daily total flow across every monitored gauge on the river.

Maximum streamflow by year

About this river

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.

Around the river

Fishing near the Arkansas River

Frog BayouFishing accessLake Fort SmithFishing accessParis ReservoirFishing accessHorsehead CreekFishing accessLouemma LakeFishing accessCarol Ann Cross PondFishing access
FAQ

About the Arkansas River

How is the Arkansas River flowing right now?

As of November 10, 2026, the Arkansas River is flowing at 508 cfs at Canon City, CO, about 133% of normal for the date. Across its 39 USGS gauges, current flows range from 0 to 3,930 cfs. Every gauge’s live reading is in the table above.

Is the Arkansas River running high or low?

The typical gauge on the Arkansas River is at 94% of normal for the date. Above 100% means higher than the historical average for this calendar day; below 100% means lower. The profile above shows which reaches are high or low.

What is flood stage on the Arkansas River?

The National Weather Service sets flood stages for Leadville (9.0 ft), Parkdale (9.0 ft), Canon City (10.0 ft), Pueblo (8.0 ft), Avondale (7.0 ft), Lamar (11.0 ft), Coolidge (8.0 ft), Syracuse (10.0 ft), Garden City (10.0 ft), Great Bend (12.0 ft), Hutchinson (10.0 ft), Derby (12.0 ft), Arkansas City (11.0 ft), Ralston (16.0 ft), Tulsa (18.0 ft), Haskell (19.0 ft), Muskogee (28.0 ft), . The table shows how far each gauge is below its flood stage right now.

Is the Arkansas River runnable for paddling today?

5 of 20 paddle runs are in range right now. Each run in the paddle table is checked against its runnable range using its gauge's live flow.

Where does the data come from?

Discharge and gage height are from the USGS National Water Information System; flood stages from the National Weather Service. The history chart sums every monitored gauge on the river.

Can I get alerts for a gauge?

Yes — open any gauge from the table, favorite it in the Snoflo app and set a flow threshold.

More river levels

Rivers in Colorado & Kansas & Oklahoma & Arkansas

Colorado flow reportKansas flow reportOklahoma flow reportArkansas flow report All river levels
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