Little Sandy River Flow
As of 2026-08-05, the Little Sandy River is flowing at a combined 56 cfs across 2 USGS streamgauges — 35% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 159 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Little Sandy River was last observed at 56 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 111 acre-ft of water today; about 35% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 159 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2021-03-01 when daily discharge volume was observed at 10,141 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Little Sandy River At Grayson reporting a streamflow rate of 44.4 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Little Sandy River, with a gauge stage of 4.16 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Little Sandy River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 751 ft, the Little Sandy River Near Bull Run.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Sandy 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 Sandy 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 Sandy River Near Bull Run
OR
USGS 14141500
|
12 | 1.54 | -3.3 | 80% | 9 | 2,320 | 751 |
|
Little Sandy River At Grayson
KY
USGS 03216500
|
44 | 4.16 | -4.5 | 62% | 17 | 9,940 | 579 |
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 Sandy River
The Little Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River that runs through Kentucky, USA. The river is approximately 85 miles long and has a drainage basin of 719 square miles. It was named after the sandy banks that can be found along its course. The river has played an important role in the agricultural and recreational activities of the region, providing irrigation for farms and supporting fishing and boating activities. There are several reservoirs and dams along the river, including the Grayson Lake and the Cave Run Lake. The Grayson Lake was constructed in 1968 for flood control and provides recreational opportunities, such as fishing and boating. The Cave Run Lake, on the other hand, was built in 1973 and is primarily used for water supply and hydroelectric power generation.
Recreation along the Little Sandy River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Little Sandy 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 Sandy River
How is the Little Sandy River flowing right now?
As of 2026-08-05, the Little Sandy River is flowing at a combined 56 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 35% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Little Sandy 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 Little Sandy 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.