Yahara River river
Total streamflow across the Yahara River was last observed at 973 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 1,930 acre-ft of water today; about 72% of normal. Average streamflow for this time of year is 1,351 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-03-15 when daily discharge volume was observed at 6,960 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Yahara River Near Fulton reporting a streamflow rate of 373 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Yahara River At State Hwy 113 At Madison with a gauge stage of 9.85 ft. This river is monitored from 6 different streamgauging stations along the Yahara River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 875 ft, the Yahara River At Windsor.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Yahara River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Yahara River
All 6 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)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Yahara River At Windsor
WI
USGS 05427718
|
26 | 1.20 | -1.2 | 90% | 2 | 1,090 | 875 |
|
Yahara River At East Main Street At Madison
WI
USGS 05428500
|
79 | 5.24 | -30.7 | 41% | 3 | 746 | 852 |
|
Yahara River At State Hwy 113 At Madison
WI
USGS 05427850
|
58 | 9.85 | -41.4 | 62% | 0 | 1,600 | 846 |
|
Yahara River At Mc Farland
WI
USGS 05429500
|
140 | 4.10 | -49.3 | 43% | 0 | 890 | 846 |
|
Yahara River At Forton St. Bridge At Stoughton
WI
USGS 05429700
|
297 | 6.81 | 8.4 | 88% | 0 | 1,330 | 840 |
|
Yahara River Near Fulton
WI
USGS 05430175
|
373 | 4.51 | 5.4 | 74% | 16 | 3,280 | 797 |
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
Yahara River
The Yahara River is a 65-mile long tributary of the Rock River in southern Wisconsin. The name “Yahara” is a Native American word meaning “sparkling waters”. The river is an important source of water supply for the city of Madison and provides a habitat for many fish and wildlife species. The Yahara River has several reservoirs and dams. The most well-known of these is Lake Mendota, which is the largest of the four lakes that the Yahara River flows through. Other reservoirs include Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa, and Lake Kegonsa. These reservoirs provide recreational opportunities for the local community, including fishing, boating, and swimming. The Yahara River also has agricultural uses, as it passes through many farms in the region. However, the river has experienced water quality issues due to agricultural runoff and urbanization.
Recreation along the Yahara River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Yahara 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 Yahara River
Where does the data for the Yahara 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.