River Report

Platte River river

2 streamgauges 45% of normal Last updated 2026-06-19
Aggregate flow
18,930cfs
% of normal
45%
Daily volume
37,547AF
Seasonal avg
42,269cfs

Total streamflow across the Platte River was last observed at 18,930 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 37,547 acre-ft of water today; about 45% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 42,269 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-05-29 when daily discharge volume was observed at 281,920 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Platte River At Sharps Station reporting a streamflow rate of 2,700 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Platte River, with a gauge stage of 10.44 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Platte River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,138 ft, the Platte River Near Kearney.

Max discharge

Platte River At Sharps Station

2,700cfs
Highest stage

Platte River At Sharps Station

10.44ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Platte River Near Kearney

2,138ft
Aggregate trend

River streamflow levels

Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Platte 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 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)
Platte River Near Kearney NE
USGS 06770200
1,180 3.33 0.0 64% 0 23,600 2,138
Platte River At Sharps Station MO
USGS 06821190
2,700 10.44 -15.1 228% 22 34,100 761
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 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.

FAQ

About the Platte River

Where does the data for the 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.