Potomac River Flow
As of 2026-08-02, the Potomac River is flowing at a combined 6,098 cfs across 5 USGS streamgauges — 39% of normal for this time of year, versus a seasonal average of 15,758 cfs.
Total streamflow across the Potomac River was last observed at 6,098 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 12,095 acre-ft of water today; about 39% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 15,758 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2018-06-05 when daily discharge volume was observed at 498,100 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Potomac River Near Wash reporting a streamflow rate of 2,350 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Potomac River At Paw Paw with a gauge stage of 3.71 ft. This river is monitored from 5 different streamgauging stations along the Potomac River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 501 ft, the Potomac River At Paw Paw.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Potomac River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Potomac River
All 5 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Potomac River At Paw Paw
MD
USGS 01610000
|
588 | 3.71 | 1.0 | 72% | 325 | 62,600 | 501 |
|
Potomac River At Hancock
MD
USGS 01613000
|
723 | 2.99 | -4.9 | 72% | 378 | 88,100 | 396 |
|
Potomac River At Shepherdstown
WV
USGS 01618000
|
1,160 | 1.94 | -7.8 | 59% | 160 | 106,000 | 283 |
|
Potomac River At Point Of Rocks
MD
USGS 01638500
|
1,800 | 1.14 | -10.0 | 60% | 955 | 166,000 | 192 |
|
Potomac River Near Wash
MD
USGS 01646500
|
2,350 | 2.90 | -10.8 | 56% | 410 | 176,000 | 43 |
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
Recreation along the Potomac River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Potomac 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 Potomac River
How is the Potomac River flowing right now?
As of 2026-08-02, the Potomac River is flowing at a combined 6,098 cfs across its USGS streamgauges, about 39% of normal for this date. The live per-gauge breakdown and 24-hour trend are shown above.
Is the Potomac 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 Potomac 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.