Colorado River river
Total streamflow across the Colorado River was last observed at 54,822 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 108,738 acre-ft of water today; about 47% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 116,698 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2017-08-29 when daily discharge volume was observed at 497,084 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Colorado River At Lees Ferry reporting a streamflow rate of 10,300 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Colorado River Below Parker Dam with a gauge stage of 65.46 ft. This river is monitored from 36 different streamgauging stations along the Colorado River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 8,756 ft, the Colorado R Below Baker Gulch.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Colorado River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Colorado River
All 36 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Colorado R Below Baker Gulch
CO
USGS 09010500
|
37 | 4.45 | -4.9 | 34% | 7 | 1,840 | 8,756 |
|
Colorado River Bl Shadow Mountain Reservoir
CO
USGS 09015000
|
51 | 1.62 | 3.4 | 41% | 16 | 2,610 | 8,338 |
|
Colorado River Below Lake Granby
CO
USGS 09019000
|
114 | 4.05 | -8.1 | 117% | 11 | 2,000 | 8,054 |
|
Colorado River Near Granby
CO
USGS 09019500
|
95 | 1.72 | 5.0 | 124% | 20 | 2,430 | 7,968 |
|
Colorado River At Windy Gap
CO
USGS 09034250
|
157 | 3.82 | 5.4 | 45% | 36 | 4,820 | 7,789 |
|
Colorado River Near Kremmling
CO
USGS 09058000
|
781 | 5.00 | -0.5 | 54% | 180 | 9,500 | 7,356 |
|
Colorado River Near Dotsero
CO
USGS 09070500
|
1,110 | 2.50 | -2.6 | 42% | 456 | 16,800 | 6,113 |
|
Colorado River Below Glenwood Springs
CO
USGS 09085100
|
1,770 | 4.07 | -4.8 | 44% | 623 | 25,500 | 5,707 |
|
Colorado River Near Cameo
CO
USGS 09095500
|
1,880 | 4.02 | -3.1 | 43% | 843 | 29,600 | 4,819 |
|
Colorado River Near Colorado-Utah State Line
CO
USGS 09163500
|
1,850 | 2.75 | -12.7 | 39% | 1,290 | 46,900 | 4,330 |
|
Colorado River Near Cisco
UT
USGS 09180500
|
2,050 | 2.05 | -8.1 | 34% | 1,400 | 48,900 | 4,094 |
|
Colorado River At Potash
UT
USGS 09185600
|
2,150 | 5.67 | -0.5 | 45% | 1,470 | 37,400 | 3,972 |
|
Colorado River At Lees Ferry
AZ
USGS 09380000
|
10,300 | 8.69 | -1.0 | 79% | 3,780 | 44,500 | 3,123 |
|
Colorado River Near Grand Canyon
AZ
USGS 09402500
|
8,860 | 6.85 | -0.2 | 81% | 3,690 | 46,300 | 2,424 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Gail
TX
USGS 08117995
|
· | 0.16 | · | 0% | 0 | 17,100 | 2,258 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Ira
TX
USGS 08119500
|
817 | 3.89 | · | · | · | · | 2,136 |
|
Colorado Rv At Colorado City
TX
USGS 08121000
|
· | 3.09 | · | 0% | 0 | 3,340 | 2,038 |
|
Colorado Rv Abv Silver
TX
USGS 08123850
|
· | 1.34 | · | 0% | 0 | 7,580 | 1,913 |
|
Colorado Rv At Robert Lee
TX
USGS 08124000
|
· | 0.83 | · | 0% | 0 | 140 | 1,781 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Ballinger
TX
USGS 08126380
|
0 | 4.04 | 0.0 | 16% | 0 | 8,960 | 1,619 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Stacy
TX
USGS 08136700
|
3 | 4.43 | -14.4 | 44% | 0 | 1,430 | 1,397 |
|
Colorado River Above Diamond Creek Nr Peach Spring
AZ
USGS 09404200
|
9,880 | 47.98 | -0.4 | 83% | 4,160 | 47,500 | 1,339 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr San Saba
TX
USGS 08147000
|
198 | 2.56 | -4.8 | 446% | 0 | 48,100 | 1,101 |
|
Colorado River Below Davis Dam
NV
USGS 09423000
|
5,050 | 7.46 | -3.8 | 82% | 2,480 | 46,200 | 512 |
|
Colorado Rv At Austin
TX
USGS 08158000
|
711 | 14.73 | -26.1 | 235% | 15 | 27,800 | 413 |
|
Colorado River Below Parker Dam
CA
USGS 09427520
|
2,300 | 65.46 | -30.1 | 62% | 911 | 42,400 | 366 |
|
Colorado Rv At Bastrop
TX
USGS 08159200
|
897 | 3.51 | 27.2 | 99% | 132 | 55,800 | 317 |
|
Colorado Rv At Smithville
TX
USGS 08159500
|
814 | 2.07 | 31.3 | 81% | 89 | 74,000 | 290 |
|
Colorado River Below Palo Verde Dam
CA
USGS 09429100
|
9,650 | 4.26 | 0.5 | 110% | 737 | 17,300 | 272 |
|
Colorado Rv Abv La Grange
TX
USGS 08160400
|
133 | 3.17 | -14.2 | 13% | 80 | 102,000 | 225 |
|
Colorado Rv At Columbus
TX
USGS 08161000
|
450 | 9.82 | -3.2 | 41% | 118 | 147,000 | 172 |
|
Colorado River Below Laguna Dam
CA
USGS 09429600
|
353 | 3.17 | -1.9 | 70% | 48 | 3,890 | 132 |
|
Colorado R Blw Yuma Main Canal Ww At Yuma
CA
USGS 09521100
|
666 | 8.97 | · | 76% | 347 | 4,970 | 112 |
|
Colorado Rv At Wharton
TX
USGS 08162000
|
408 | 8.11 | -20.0 | 74% | 13 | 113,000 | 81 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Bay City
TX
USGS 08162500
|
2,310 | 2.33 | -23.6 | 77% | 259 | 78,600 | 4 |
|
Colorado Rv Nr Wadsworth
TX
USGS 08162501
|
122 | 0.61 | -58.5 | 12% | 5 | 66,500 | -1 |
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
Colorado River
The Colorado River is a major river in the western United States, stretching approximately 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Gulf of California in Mexico. The river is known for its significant role in the history and settlement of the American West. The river supports a large agricultural and recreational industry, providing irrigation water to millions of acres of farmland and serving as a popular destination for rafting, kayaking, and fishing. The river's hydrology has been significantly altered by the construction of numerous dams and reservoirs, including the Hoover Dam and Lake Powell. These structures have helped to regulate water flow and provide hydroelectric power to the region, but have also caused ecological damage and contributed to the decline of several native fish species.
Recreation along the Colorado River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Colorado 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 Colorado River
Where does the data for the Colorado 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.