Charles River Flow
As of 2026-08-02, the Charles River is flowing at a combined 305 cfs across 4 USGS streamgauges — 76% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 402 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Charles River was last observed at 305 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 606 acre-ft of water today; about 76% of normal. Average streamflow for this time of year is 402 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2024-01-14 when daily discharge volume was observed at 5,509 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Charles River At Dover reporting a streamflow rate of 112 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Charles River At Wellesley with a gauge stage of 2.91 ft. This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Charles River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 129 ft, the Charles River At Medway.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Charles River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Charles River
All 4 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Charles River At Medway
MA
USGS 01103280
|
52 | 1.13 | 2.9 | 200% | 0 | 1,420 | 129 |
|
Charles River At Dover
MA
USGS 01103500
|
112 | 0.97 | 0.0 | 136% | 4 | 1,830 | 93 |
|
Charles River At Wellesley
MA
USGS 01104200
|
62 | 2.91 | -4.0 | 80% | 1 | 1,350 | 67 |
|
Charles River At Waltham
MA
USGS 01104500
|
74 | 1.05 | -8.5 | 74% | 6 | 1,580 | 16 |
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
Charles River
The Charles River is a 80-mile long river in Massachusetts that runs from Hopkinton to Boston and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It has played an important role in the history of Massachusetts, serving as a source of water for early settlers and as a key transportation route for trade. Today, it is also used for recreation, with parks and walking trails lining its banks. The river is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which operates several dams and reservoirs along the river, including the Wachusett Reservoir and the Quabbin Reservoir. These reservoirs provide drinking water for Boston and surrounding communities. The river also supports agricultural activities such as cranberry farming, and is home to a variety of fish and wildlife species.
Track the Charles 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 Charles River
How is the Charles River flowing right now?
As of 2026-08-02, the Charles River is flowing at a combined 305 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 76% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Charles 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 Charles 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.