Cottonwood River river
Total streamflow across the Cottonwood River was last observed at 1,004 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,991 acre-ft of water today; about 18% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 5,545 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-05-22 when daily discharge volume was observed at 42,500 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm reporting a streamflow rate of 624 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Cottonwood River, with a gauge stage of 5.2 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Cottonwood River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,238 ft, the Cottonwood R Nr Florence.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Cottonwood River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Cottonwood River
All 3 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cottonwood R Nr Florence
KS
USGS 07180400
|
380 | 3.98 | 38.3 | 27% | 1 | 22,200 | 1,238 |
|
Cottonwood R Nr Plymouth
KS
USGS 07182250
|
242 | 3.93 | 7.3 | 8% | 5 | 25,500 | 1,128 |
|
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm
MN
USGS 05317000
|
624 | 5.20 | -3.5 | 62% | 17 | 18,700 | 800 |
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
Cottonwood River
The Cottonwood River is a 152-mile-long river in eastern Kansas, USA. It has been used by Native Americans for hundreds of years for hunting and fishing. The river flows through several counties and its basin is home to many small towns. The river's hydrology is influenced by rainfall and the presence of reservoirs and dams, such as the John Redmond Reservoir, Marion Reservoir, and Chase County Lake. These dams provide flood control, irrigation, and recreational opportunities for fishing, boating, and camping. The Cottonwood River is also an important source of water for agricultural uses such as crop irrigation and livestock watering. Despite occasional flooding, the river remains an important resource for the communities it serves.
Recreation along the Cottonwood River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Cottonwood 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 Cottonwood River
Where does the data for the Cottonwood 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.