Humboldt River Flow
As of 2026-07-26, the Humboldt River is flowing at a combined 44 cfs across 8 USGS streamgauges — 5% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 932 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Humboldt River was last observed at 44 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 87 acre-ft of water today; about 5% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 932 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-06-11 when daily discharge volume was observed at 22,830 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Humboldt R Nr Rye Patch reporting a streamflow rate of 25.3 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Humboldt River, with a gauge stage of 4.19 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 8 different streamgauging stations along the Humboldt River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 5,144 ft, the Humboldt R Nr Elko.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Humboldt River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Humboldt River
All 8 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Humboldt R Nr Elko
NV
USGS 10318500
|
2 | 0.82 | -9.8 | 20% | 1 | 2,410 | 5,144 |
|
Humboldt R Nr Carlin
NV
USGS 10321000
|
7 | 0.46 | -5.1 | 40% | 2 | 6,580 | 4,945 |
|
Humboldt R At Palisade
NV
USGS 10322500
|
10 | 0.63 | -11.1 | 26% | 4 | 4,170 | 4,839 |
|
Humboldt River At Old Us 40 Bridge
NV
USGS 10323425
|
1 | 1.66 | -46.4 | 4% | 0 | 4,580 | 4,627 |
|
Humboldt R At Battle Mountain
NV
USGS 10325000
|
· | 2.09 | · | 0% | 0 | 4,360 | 4,502 |
|
Humboldt R At Comus
NV
USGS 10327500
|
0 | 1.28 | 0.0 | 13% | 0 | 5,400 | 4,367 |
|
Humboldt R Nr Imlay
NV
USGS 10333000
|
· | 0.26 | · | 0% | 0 | 2,920 | 4,142 |
|
Humboldt R Nr Rye Patch
NV
USGS 10335000
|
25 | 4.19 | -3.8 | 9% | 0 | 2,420 | 4,087 |
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
Humboldt River
The Humboldt River is a 290-mile long river in northern Nevada that was named after the famous explorer, Alexander von Humboldt. The river has played a significant role in the history of the region, serving as a critical transportation route for settlers and gold miners during the 1800s. The river flows through the Great Basin and is fed by several smaller streams and tributaries. The Humboldt River is widely regarded as one of the driest rivers in the United States, with much of its water being used for irrigation and agriculture. The river is also home to several reservoirs and dams, such as the Rye Patch Dam and the Humboldt storage reservoir, which serve as vital sources of water for the surrounding communities. Recreational activities like fishing, rafting, and kayaking are also popular along the river.
Track the Humboldt 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 Humboldt River
How is the Humboldt River flowing right now?
As of 2026-07-26, the Humboldt River is flowing at a combined 44 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 5% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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.