Little Platte River river
Total streamflow across the Little Platte River was last observed at 33 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 65 acre-ft of water today; about 142% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 23 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2025-06-04 when daily discharge volume was observed at 1,960 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Little Platte River At Smithville reporting a streamflow rate of 32.6 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Little Platte River, with a gauge stage of 12.55 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Little Platte River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 921 ft, the Little Platte River Near Plattsburg.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Platte 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 Platte 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 Platte River Near Plattsburg
MO
USGS 06821080
|
0 | 7.66 | -24.5 | 4% | 0 | 7,950 | 921 |
|
Little Platte River At Smithville
MO
USGS 06821150
|
33 | 12.55 | 158.7 | 120% | 1 | 8,020 | 792 |
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 Platte River
The Little Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River located in Missouri. It flows for approximately 65 miles through Platte County and Clay County. The river has a long history, having been used by Native Americans and early settlers for transportation and agriculture. Today, the Little Platte River is primarily used for irrigation and as a source of drinking water for nearby communities. The Smithville Lake and the Little Platte Park Lake Reservoirs are two major dams located on the river, providing flood control and recreational activities such as fishing and boating. The river also supports a variety of wildlife, including several species of fish, birds, and mammals.
Recreation along the Little Platte River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Little Platte 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 Platte River
Where does the data for the Little Platte 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.