Summary
Total streamflow across the
Columbia River
was last observed at
283,100
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
561,522
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
430,900 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2018-05-22 when daily discharge volume was observed at
1,735,000 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Columbia River Below Priest Rapids Dam
reporting a streamflow rate of 114,000 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Columbia River At International Boundary
with a gauge stage of 100.17 ft.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Columbia River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,300 ft, the
Columbia River At International Boundary.
River Details
| Last Updated | 2025-12-05 |
| Discharge Volume | 561,522 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
283,100.0 cfs
-119800.0 cfs (-29.73%) |
| Percent of Normal | 65.7% |
| Maximum |
1,735,000.0 cfs
2018-05-22 |
| Seasonal Avg | 430,900 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Columbia River At International Boundary
USGS 12399500 |
76500 cfs | 100.17 ft | -8.82 | |||||
|
Columbia River Below Priest Rapids Dam
USGS 12472800 |
114000 cfs | 14.84 ft | 12.87 | |||||
|
Columbia River At The Dalles
USGS 14105700 |
92600 cfs | 75.01 ft | -13.46 | |||||
|
Columbia River @ Beaver Army Terminal Nr Quincy
USGS 14246900 |
51500 cfs | 6.68 ft | -53.6 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven US states and a Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific.
The Columbia and its tributaries have been central to the region's culture and economy for thousands of years. They have been used for transportation since ancient times, linking the region's many cultural groups. The river system hosts many species of anadromous fish, which migrate between freshwater habitats and the saline waters of the Pacific Ocean. These fish—especially the salmon species—provided the core subsistence for native peoples.
In the late 18th century, a private American ship became the first non-indigenous vessel to enter the river; it was followed by a British explorer, who navigated past the Oregon Coast Range into the Willamette Valley. In the following decades, fur trading companies used the Columbia as a key transportation route. Overland explorers entered the Willamette Valley through the scenic but treacherous Columbia River Gorge, and pioneers began to settle the valley in increasing numbers. Steamships along the river linked communities and facilitated trade; the arrival of railroads in the late 19th century, many running along the river, supplemented these links.
Since the late 19th century, public and private sectors have heavily developed the river. To aid ship and barge navigation, locks have been built along the lower Columbia and its tributaries, and dredging has opened, maintained, and enlarged shipping channels. Since the early 20th century, dams have been built across the river for power generation, navigation, irrigation, and flood control. The 14 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia's main stem and many more on its tributaries produce more than 44 percent of total US hydroelectric generation. Production of nuclear power has taken place at two sites along the river. Plutonium for nuclear weapons was produced for decades at the Hanford Site, which is now the most contaminated nuclear site in the US. These developments have greatly altered river environments in the watershed, mainly through industrial pollution and barriers to fish migration.