Puyallup River river
Total streamflow across the Puyallup River was last observed at 5,201 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 10,316 acre-ft of water today; about 70% of normal. River levels are low and may signify a drought. Average streamflow for this time of year is 7,469 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2025-12-09 when daily discharge volume was observed at 85,340 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Puyallup River At Puyallup reporting a streamflow rate of 2,820 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Puyallup River At Alderton with a gauge stage of 46.86 ft. This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Puyallup River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,641 ft, the Puyallup River Near Electron.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Puyallup River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Puyallup 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Puyallup River Near Electron
WA
USGS 12092000
|
574 | 3.92 | 0.0 | 86% | 58 | 16,000 | 1,641 |
|
Puyallup River Near Orting
WA
USGS 12093500
|
623 | 6.79 | 1.0 | 71% | 119 | 21,500 | 417 |
|
Puyallup River At Alderton
WA
USGS 12096500
|
1,240 | 46.86 | 1.6 | 70% | 272 | 41,600 | 69 |
|
Puyallup River At Puyallup
WA
USGS 12101500
|
2,820 | 12.21 | 1.1 | 67% | 719 | 57,000 | 24 |
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
Puyallup River
The Puyallup River is a 45-mile long river located in Pierce County, Washington. The river is known for its rich history as it was once home to the Puyallup Tribe who relied on the river for fishing and trade. Today, the river is used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and hiking. The river's hydrology is heavily influenced by Mount Rainier and its surrounding glaciers, causing the river to have high flows during the spring and low flows during the summer. Spanaway Lake and Lake Tapps are two reservoirs along the river that are used for hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, and flood control. The river is also important for agriculture as it provides irrigation to several farms in the area. However, the river faces challenges with water pollution and habitat degradation, leading to efforts to improve water quality and restore salmon populations.
Recreation along the Puyallup River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Puyallup 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 Puyallup River
Where does the data for the Puyallup 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.