River Report

Colorado River Flow

36 streamgauges 53% of normal Last updated 2026-08-09

As of 2026-08-09, the Colorado River is flowing at a combined 43,580 cfs across 36 USGS streamgauges — 53% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 82,711 cfs.

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Aggregate flow

43,580cfs

% of normal

53%

Daily volume

86,440AF

Seasonal avg

82,711cfs

Total streamflow across the Colorado River was last observed at 43,580 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 86,440 acre-ft of water today; about 53% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 82,711 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 Above Diamond Creek Nr Peach Spring reporting a streamflow rate of 9,210 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.

Max discharge

Colorado River Above Diamond Creek Nr Peach Spring

9,210cfs

Highest stage

Colorado River Below Parker Dam

65.46ft

Highest-elevation gauge

Colorado R Below Baker Gulch

8,756ft

Aggregate trend

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

Premium feature

Decades of basin-wide flow context for the Colorado River.

See exactly how the Colorado River is performing — which gauges are stressed right now, and how this season ranks against every year on record.

Longitudinal river profile — gauges from headwaters to mouth, colored by % of normal
Flow percentile bands — this season vs. the historical envelope across every year on record

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Longitudinal profile

Where on the river is flow stressed right now?

Every monitored gauge along the Colorado River ordered headwaters → mouth (by elevation), with bars colored by current percent of normal. Red reaches are below normal; blue reaches are above. Spot drought-stressed sections at a glance.

Gauges from headwaters to mouth

Bar = current % of normal · ordered top-to-bottom by elevation

Flow percentile bands

How does this season compare to normal?

The shaded ribbon shows the 10th-90th percentile of aggregate river discharge across every year on record — the "normal range." The bold line is the current year. Above the dark band means above-normal flow; below means drier-than-normal.

Aggregate flow percentile envelope

10th · 25th · 50th · 75th · 90th percentile across all historical years

Per-gauge breakdown

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	16	4.05	0.0	53%	7	1,840	8,756
Colorado River Bl Shadow Mountain Reservoir CO USGS 09015000	42	1.60	0.0	101%	16	2,610	8,338
Colorado River Below Lake Granby CO USGS 09019000	168	4.30	1.2	213%	11	2,000	8,054
Colorado River Near Granby CO USGS 09019500	155	2.10	1.3	200%	20	2,430	7,968
Colorado River At Windy Gap CO USGS 09034250	193	4.05	-1.5	113%	36	4,820	7,789
Colorado River Near Kremmling CO USGS 09058000	813	5.08	-6.9	71%	180	9,500	7,356
Colorado River Near Dotsero CO USGS 09070500	968	2.33	-6.9	61%	456	16,800	6,113
Colorado River Below Glenwood Springs CO USGS 09085100	1,690	4.01	-4.0	75%	623	25,500	5,707
Colorado River Near Cameo CO USGS 09095500	1,640	3.66	27.1	69%	843	29,600	4,819
Colorado River Near Colorado-Utah State Line CO USGS 09163500	1,180	2.24	-1.7	37%	1,120	46,900	4,330
Colorado River Near Cisco UT USGS 09180500	1,270	1.58	4.1	36%	1,140	48,900	4,094
Colorado River At Potash UT USGS 09185600	1,210	4.54	2.5	43%	1,170	37,400	3,972
Colorado River At Lees Ferry AZ USGS 09380000	9,100	8.37	-1.2	61%	3,780	44,500	3,123
Colorado River Near Grand Canyon AZ USGS 09402500	8,030	6.45	0.8	68%	3,690	46,300	2,424
Colorado Rv Nr Gail TX USGS 08117995	·	-0.01	·	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	·	3.02	·	0%	0	3,340	2,038
Colorado Rv Abv Silver TX USGS 08123850	0	1.85	-28.6	23%	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	1	4.06	28.8	170%	0	8,960	1,619
Colorado Rv Nr Stacy TX USGS 08136700	4	4.10	0.0	72%	0	1,430	1,397
Colorado River Above Diamond Creek Nr Peach Spring AZ USGS 09404200	9,210	47.67	1.8	71%	4,160	47,500	1,339
Colorado Rv Nr San Saba TX USGS 08147000	96	2.22	-2.3	357%	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	1,010	15.04	101.2	382%	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	542	2.81	0.0	87%	132	55,800	317
Colorado Rv At Smithville TX USGS 08159500	587	1.74	-2.2	100%	89	74,000	290
Colorado River Below Palo Verde Dam CA USGS 09429100	4,400	1.03	-15.6	74%	737	17,300	272
Colorado Rv Abv La Grange TX USGS 08160400	121	3.22	-2.4	18%	80	102,000	225
Colorado Rv At Columbus TX USGS 08161000	365	9.67	-6.2	56%	118	147,000	172
Colorado River Below Laguna Dam CA USGS 09429600	385	3.26	1.3	85%	48	3,890	132
Colorado R Blw Yuma Main Canal Ww At Yuma CA USGS 09521100	493	8.41	·	46%	347	4,970	112
Colorado Rv At Wharton TX USGS 08162000	390	8.06	-6.0	130%	13	113,000	81
Colorado Rv Nr Bay City TX USGS 08162500	2,310	2.62	-19.0	100%	259	78,600	4
Colorado Rv Nr Wadsworth TX USGS 08162501	195	0.93	-90.0	29%	5	66,500	-1

Annual peaks

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

Profile

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

About this river

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.

Around the river

Recreation along the Colorado River

Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.

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Fishing

Wahweap Bay

Browse all fishing →

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Paddle runs

Browse all paddle runs →

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.

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FAQ

About the Colorado River

How is the Colorado River flowing right now?

As of 2026-08-09, the Colorado River is flowing at a combined 43,580 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 53% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.

Is the Colorado 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 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.