River Report

Platte River river

13 streamgauges 26% of normal Last updated 2026-05-30
Aggregate flow
17,050cfs
% of normal
26%
Daily volume
33,818AF
Seasonal avg
66,431cfs

Total streamflow across the Platte River was last observed at 17,050 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 33,818 acre-ft of water today; about 26% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 66,431 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 R At Louisville Ne reporting a streamflow rate of 5,710 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Platte R Nr Ashland with a gauge stage of 14.35 ft. This river is monitored from 13 different streamgauging stations along the Platte River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 2,300 ft, the Platte River Near Overton.

Max discharge

Platte R At Louisville Ne

5,710cfs
Highest stage

Platte R Nr Ashland

14.35ft
Highest-elevation gauge

Platte River Near Overton

2,300ft
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 13 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 Overton NE
USGS 06768000
1,980 3.89 -11.8 81% 47 15,000 2,300
Platte R Mid Ch NE
USGS 06768035
1,520 5.23 -5.7 95% 33 9,260 2,261
Platte River Near Kearney NE
USGS 06770200
1,570 3.58 6.2 73% 0 23,600 2,138
Platte River Near Grand Island NE
USGS 06770500
927 3.86 7.0 47% 0 16,900 1,835
Platte River Near Duncan NE
USGS 06774000
875 4.03 50.4 28% 0 16,500 1,489
Platte River At North Bend NE
USGS 06796000
3,490 3.43 7.5 39% 134 61,700 1,269
Platte River Nr Leshara NE
USGS 06796500
2,280 3.92 3.8 36% 186 53,400 1,161
Platte R Nr Ashland NE
USGS 06801000
3,590 14.35 -9.3 31% 209 50,500 1,059
Platte R At Louisville Ne NE
USGS 06805500
5,710 3.43 -9.6 43% 391 155,000 1,017
Platte River Near Agency MO
USGS 06820500
1,520 8.90 -6.0 122% 0 54,900 844
Platte River At Sharps Station MO
USGS 06821190
1,500 7.37 -13.1 73% 22 34,100 761
Platte River Near Rockville WI
USGS 05414000
194 4.53 -2.5 166% 21 12,500 665
Platte River At Honor MI
USGS 04126740
163 1.42 -1.2 110% 91 569 606
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.