2025-01-07T12:00:00-07:00
* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 2 and 5 inches. Localized accumulations as high as 6 inches possible for the southern foothills and Palmer Divide. * WHERE...Denver metro and surrounding suburbs, the southern foothills, the Palmer Divide, and the I-70 corridor through the plains. * WHEN...From 11 PM this evening to noon MST Tuesday. Heaviest snow preceding the Tuesday morning commute. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the Tuesday morning commute.
TOTAL RIVER DISCHARGE
Total streamflow across the
Sultan River
was last observed at
1,645
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
3,263
acre-ft of water today; about 110%
of normal.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
1,493 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2020-02-02 when daily discharge volume was observed at
9,950 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Sultan River Below Powerplant Near Sultan
reporting a streamflow rate of 1,460 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Sultan River Below Diversion Dam Near Sultan
with a gauge stage of 26.27 ft.
This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Sultan River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 653 ft, the
Sultan River Below Diversion Dam Near Sultan.
The Sultan River is a 23-mile-long river in western Washington, United States. It flows from the Cascade Mountains to the Snohomish River. Historically, the river was used by Native Americans for fishing and transportation. In the early 1900s, the river was dammed to create hydroelectric power, leading to the construction of several reservoirs and dams along its course, including Spada Lake, Culmback Dam, and City of Everett Dam. These dams and reservoirs provide power to the region and supply water to cities and farms. The Sultan River is also popular for recreational activities such as fishing, kayaking, and hiking. The river and its surrounding areas are home to diverse wildlife and plant species.
| Last Updated | 2025-01-06 |
| Discharge Volume | 3,263 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
1,645.0 cfs
+36.0 cfs (+2.24%) |
| Percent of Normal | 110.21% |
| Maximum |
9,950.0 cfs
2020-02-02 |
| Seasonal Avg | 1,493 cfs |
YEAR OVER YEAR DISCHARGE (CFS)
Streamflow Conditions
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sultan River Below Diversion Dam Near Sultan
USGS 12137800 |
185 cfs | 26.27 ft | -2.12 | |||||
|
Sultan River Below Powerplant Near Sultan
USGS 12138160 |
1460 cfs | 7.08 ft | 2.82 |
History of the River
The Sultan River is a river in Snohomish County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a tributary of the Skykomish River, which it joins at the town of Sultan, Washington. The river is dammed in its upper third by Culmback Dam to form Spada Lake.
Both the Sultan River and the town of Sultan were named by prospectors for the chief of a Snohomish sub-tribe who lived on the Skykomish River in the 1870s. His name was Tsul-tad or Tseul-tud, which was anglicized by the miners into Sultan.The Sultan River's drainage basin was subjected to intense glaciation during the Pleistocene era. The river flows through a well-defined glacially carved trench. The upper South Fork Sultan River flows through a classic U-shaped valley cut by a glacier through Quartz diorite. The Sultan's river main tributaries—the North Fork, South Fork, Elk Creek, and Williamson Creek— flow through narrow valleys to converge in the lower Sultan basin where the valley floor is relatively broad. The Sultan River exits this basin by plunging abruptly into and through a narrow canyon.Pleistocene glaciers spread down the valleys of the Sultan River and its tributaries, merging in the lower basin. From there the ice pushed west through what is now the Pilchuck River valley. Today the two rivers are separated by the terminal moraine of an ice front that spread up the Pilchuck valley and impounded the Sultan River, creating a lake. This glacial lake eventually drained westward, creating a delta moraine. The postglacial Sultan River cut through the delta moraine, establishing its present course out of the lower Sultan basin.