Huerfano River Flow
As of 2026-08-02, the Huerfano River is flowing at a combined 130 cfs across 4 USGS streamgauges — 173% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 75 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Huerfano River was last observed at 130 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 258 acre-ft of water today; about 173% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 75 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2015-10-01 when daily discharge volume was observed at 1,703 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Huerfano River At Badito reporting a streamflow rate of 84.60 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Huerfano River Near Boone with a gauge stage of 4.39 ft. This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Huerfano River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 8,202 ft, the Huerfano R At Manzanares Xing.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Huerfano River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Huerfano River
All 4 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Huerfano R At Manzanares Xing
CO
USGS 07111000
|
7 | 3.09 | 6.7 | 25% | 0 | 455 | 8,202 |
|
Huerfano River At Badito
CO
USGS 07112500
|
85 | 2.53 | 19574.4 | 427% | 0 | 1,060 | 6,428 |
|
Huerfano R Bl Huerf Valy Dam Nr Undercliffe
CO
USGS 07116000
|
0 | 0.00 | · | · | · | · | 4,909 |
|
Huerfano River Near Boone
CO
USGS 07116500
|
14 | 4.39 | -62.5 | 146% | 0 | 1,690 | 4,455 |
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
Huerfano River
The Huerfano River is a tributary of the Arkansas River, located in south-central Colorado. The river is approximately 70 miles long and has a drainage area of 1,470 square miles. Historically, the river was used by Native American tribes for hunting and fishing. In the early 20th century, the river was dammed to provide irrigation for agriculture. The Huerfano River Watershed Project was established in 1965 to address erosion and water quality issues. Specific reservoirs and dams on the river include Huerfano Lake, Huerfano Valley, and the Huerfano-Cucharas Project. The river supports recreational activities such as fishing, kayaking, and camping. It is also used for agriculture, providing irrigation for crops such as alfalfa, corn, and wheat.
Recreation along the Huerfano River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Huerfano 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 Huerfano River
How is the Huerfano River flowing right now?
As of 2026-08-02, the Huerfano River is flowing at a combined 130 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 173% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Huerfano 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 Huerfano 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.