Little Patuxent River river
Total streamflow across the Little Patuxent River was last observed at 197 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 391 acre-ft of water today; about 191% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 103 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2024-01-10 when daily discharge volume was observed at 8,570 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Little Patuxent River At Savage reporting a streamflow rate of 138 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Little Patuxent River, with a gauge stage of 3.81 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Little Patuxent River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 267 ft, the Little Patuxent River At Guilford.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Patuxent River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Little Patuxent River
All 2 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 Patuxent River At Guilford
MD
USGS 01593500
|
59 | 2.68 | -48.5 | 202% | 2 | 7,160 | 267 |
|
Little Patuxent River At Savage
MD
USGS 01594000
|
138 | 3.81 | -55.8 | 158% | 6 | 11,900 | 126 |
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
Little Patuxent River
The Little Patuxent River is a 30-mile-long tributary of the Patuxent River located in central Maryland. The river was historically used for transportation and milling, and played a role in the Civil War during the Battle of Savage's Station. The river's hydrology is impacted by development and stormwater runoff, but efforts have been made to improve water quality through restoration projects. Additionally, it serves as a source of drinking water for the city of Laurel. There are two main reservoirs along the river, Brighton Dam and Triadelphia Reservoir, which provide drinking water and recreational opportunities such as fishing and boating. The river also supports agricultural land use, particularly in Howard and Montgomery counties.
Recreation along the Little Patuxent River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Little Patuxent 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 Little Patuxent River
Where does the data for the Little Patuxent 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.