Merced River river
Total streamflow across the Merced River was last observed at 1,225 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 2,430 acre-ft of water today; about 24% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 5,055 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2023-05-22 when daily discharge volume was observed at 14,180 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Merced R A Pohono Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca reporting a streamflow rate of 743 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Merced River, with a gauge stage of 3.9 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Merced River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 4,029 ft, the Merced R A Happy Isles Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Merced River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Merced 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Merced R A Happy Isles Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca
CA
USGS 11264500
|
482 | 3.32 | -12.6 | 65% | 1 | 6,040 | 4,029 |
|
Merced R A Pohono Bridge Nr Yosemite Ca
CA
USGS 11266500
|
743 | 3.90 | -5.2 | 63% | 10 | 10,800 | 3,881 |
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
Merced River
The Merced River is a 145-mile long river that flows through the central valley of California. The river starts in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and flows into the San Joaquin Valley. The river has played an essential role in the history of the area, with Native American tribes using it for fishing and transportation. The river has also been dammed to provide hydroelectric power and water for agriculture. The New Exchequer Dam forms Lake McClure and the New Don Pedro Dam creates Lake Don Pedro, which are both important reservoirs on the river. Recreational activities such as fishing, rafting, and camping are popular along the river, particularly in the Yosemite Valley. The river also supports agricultural uses, with irrigation from the river water used to grow crops including almonds, grapes, and walnuts.
Recreation along the Merced River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Merced 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 Merced River
Where does the data for the Merced 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.