Gila River river
Total streamflow across the Gila River was last observed at 385 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 763 acre-ft of water today; about 33% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 1,168 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2023-03-24 when daily discharge volume was observed at 62,832 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Gila River Below Coolidge Dam reporting a streamflow rate of 206 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Gila River Near Dome with a gauge stage of 14.17 ft. This river is monitored from 15 different streamgauging stations along the Gila River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 4,661 ft, the Gila River Near Gila.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Gila River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Gila River
All 15 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gila River Near Gila
NM
USGS 09430500
|
23 | 0.79 | -6.2 | 44% | 7 | 35,200 | 4,661 |
|
Gila River Near Redrock
NM
USGS 09431500
|
27 | 4.08 | -2.5 | 53% | 0 | 48,800 | 4,124 |
|
Gila River Below Blue Creek
NM
USGS 09432000
|
19 | 4.73 | 11.9 | 38% | 0 | 58,700 | 3,905 |
|
Gila River At Duncan
AZ
USGS 09439000
|
12 | 6.68 | -32.6 | 12% | 0 | 38,900 | 3,642 |
|
Gila River Near Clifton
AZ
USGS 09442000
|
15 | 2.07 | 0.0 | 43% | 2 | 57,000 | 3,354 |
|
Gila River At Head Of Safford Valley
AZ
USGS 09448500
|
22 | 6.04 | -2.2 | 24% | 6 | 132,000 | 3,074 |
|
Gila River At Calva
AZ
USGS 09466500
|
13 | 1.67 | 2.3 | 29% | 0 | 150,000 | 2,516 |
|
Gila River Below Coolidge Dam
AZ
USGS 09469500
|
206 | 1.56 | -1.0 | 68% | 0 | 150,000 | 2,309 |
|
Gila River At Kelvin
AZ
USGS 09474000
|
181 | 7.97 | 1.1 | 65% | 0 | 190,000 | 1,756 |
|
Gila River Near Maricopa
AZ
USGS 09479350
|
· | 0.97 | · | · | 1 | 92 | 1,133 |
|
Gila River At Estrella Parkway
AZ
USGS 09514100
|
· | 3.44 | · | 0% | 0 | 41,400 | 915 |
|
Gila R Blw Gillespie Dam
AZ
USGS 09519501
|
6 | 3.97 | 0.0 | 43% | 0 | 18,600 | 751 |
|
Gila River Below Painted Rock Dam
AZ
USGS 09519800
|
· | 0.94 | · | 0% | 0 | 3,610 | 537 |
|
Gila River Near Dateland
AZ
USGS 09520280
|
· | 2.59 | · | 0% | 0 | 2,700 | 367 |
|
Gila River Near Dome
AZ
USGS 09520500
|
6 | 14.17 | -2.3 | 7% | 0 | 200,000 | 160 |
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
Gila River
The Gila River is one of the longest rivers in the Southwestern United States, stretching approximately 649 miles from its source in New Mexico to its confluence with the Colorado River in Arizona. The river has been historically significant for Native American tribes, Spanish explorers, and American settlers. The Gila River also plays a vital role in providing water for agricultural irrigation, including supporting the Pima cotton industry. Several dams have been built along the river, including the Coolidge Dam, which forms the San Carlos Reservoir, and the Painted Rock Dam, which forms the Painted Rock Reservoir. These reservoirs provide water storage for irrigation, flood control, and recreational activities, including boating, fishing, and swimming. Despite its importance, the river faces many challenges, including water scarcity, drought, and pollution.
Track the Gila 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 Gila River
Where does the data for the Gila 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.