River Report

Little Colorado River river

8 streamgauges 94% of normal Last updated 2026-05-21
Aggregate flow
209cfs
% of normal
94%
Daily volume
414AF
Seasonal avg
223cfs

Total streamflow across the Little Colorado River was last observed at 209 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 414 acre-ft of water today; about 94% of normal. Average streamflow for this time of year is 223 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2023-03-24 when daily discharge volume was observed at 18,255 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Little Colorado River Near Joseph City reporting a streamflow rate of 504 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Little Colorado River Near Winslow with a gauge stage of 10.64 ft. This river is monitored from 8 different streamgauging stations along the Little Colorado River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 8,296 ft, the Little Colorado River At Greer.

Highest stage

Little Colorado River Near Winslow

10.64ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Little Colorado River At Greer

8,296ft
Aggregate trend

River streamflow levels

Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Colorado River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.

Total streamflow

Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily

Per-gauge breakdown

Every streamgauge along the Little Colorado 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)
Little Colorado River At Greer AZ
USGS 09383400
1 1.43 -16.3 6% 0 615 8,296
Little Colorado River Ab Zion Res Nr St. Johns AZ
USGS 09386030
· 0.69 · 0% 0 590 5,567
Little Colorado River At Woodruff AZ
USGS 09394500
· 4.72 · 0% 0 25,000 5,141
Little Colorado River At Holbrook AZ
USGS 09397000
61 6.57 -28.6 691% 0 60,000 5,075
Little Colorado River Near Joseph City AZ
USGS 09397300
504 0.63 66.7 467% 1 6,020 5,040
Little Colorado River Near Winslow AZ
USGS 09400350
3 10.64 -12.1 35% 0 20,000 4,856
Little Colorado River Near Cameron AZ
USGS 09402000
· 1.64 · 0% 0 120,000 4,062
Little Colorado River Abv Mouth Nr Desert View AZ
USGS 09402300
206 5.24 -1.0 96% 178 7,550 2,768
Annual peaks

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

Profile

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

About this river

Little Colorado River

The Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River that flows through Arizona and New Mexico. Its length is approximately 338 miles and it has a drainage area of 22,500 square miles. The river was historically used by Native American tribes for irrigation and as a source of water. Today, it is utilized for recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, and camping. The river's hydrology has been impacted by the construction of several reservoirs and dams, including the Glen Canyon Dam which created Lake Powell. These structures have had both positive and negative effects on the river's ecology and surrounding communities. The Little Colorado River is also used for agricultural purposes, with some farmers utilizing its water for irrigation.

Around the river

Recreation along the Little Colorado River

Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.

Track the Little Colorado 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.

FAQ

About the Little Colorado River

Where does the data for the Little Colorado 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.