River Report

Pecatonica River river

4 streamgauges 55% of normal Last updated 2026-05-30
Aggregate flow
3,025cfs
% of normal
55%
Daily volume
6,000AF
Seasonal avg
5,512cfs

Total streamflow across the Pecatonica River was last observed at 3,025 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 6,000 acre-ft of water today; about 55% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 5,512 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-03-17 when daily discharge volume was observed at 47,050 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Pecatonica River Nr Shirland reporting a streamflow rate of 1,360 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Pecatonica River At Martintown with a gauge stage of 5.9 ft. This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Pecatonica River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 827 ft, the Pecatonica River At Darlington.

Max discharge

Pecatonica River Nr Shirland

1,360cfs
Highest stage

Pecatonica River At Martintown

5.9ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Pecatonica River At Darlington

827ft
Aggregate trend

River streamflow levels

Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Pecatonica 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 Pecatonica River

All 4 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)
Pecatonica River At Darlington WI
USGS 05432500
204 3.10 -3.3 97% 42 8,100 827
Pecatonica River At Martintown WI
USGS 05434500
699 5.90 -4.1 82% 299 16,000 804
Pecatonica River At Freeport IL
USGS 05435500
762 4.83 -3.1 71% 379 13,200 754
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland IL
USGS 05437050
1,360 5.40 -3.6 58% 667 18,000 718
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

Track the Pecatonica 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 Pecatonica River

Where does the data for the Pecatonica 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.