How to read a river status
Every river on Flowcast gets one of five statuses (or “No current data”). Here is exactly what they mean, what they do not, and how to use them.
The statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fishable/Floatable | Flow is in a typical range for the date. Rivers are generally easiest to fish and float when they are near their normal flow, but this status says nothing about water clarity, hatches, hazards such as wood in the river, or dam releases. |
| High but doable | Flow is above normal for the date but not extreme. Expect faster, pushier water and fewer safe wading spots. Experience level and the specific stretch matter a lot. |
| Use caution | Flow is well above normal for the date. Water is likely fast and strong, wading is likely unsafe, and floating generally calls for experienced boaters. Check local reports and consider waiting. |
| Blown out | Flow is among the highest this gauge records for the date. Expect fast, high, probably discolored water that may carry debris. Most anglers and boaters will want to wait for it to drop, so check local reports. |
| Too low | Flow is far below normal for the date. Expect shallow riffles and slower water; some stretches may be hard to float and fish can be stressed by low flows. Check local reports for the specific stretch. |
| No current data | This gauge has not reported a recent reading, so Flowcast cannot score it right now. |
What “cfs” means
Flow is shown in cubic feet per second (cfs): the volume of water passing the gauge each second. One cfs is one cubic foot (about 7.5 gallons) of water per second. A bigger river has bigger numbers, so 3,000 cfs is ordinary on one river and a flood on another. That is why Flowcast compares each gauge with its own history instead of using one scale for every river.
What “percentile for the date” means
Flowcast takes every daily flow this gauge has recorded within ±7 days of today's calendar date, across all years on record, and finds where today's flow ranks. The 50th percentile is a typical flow for the date; the 90th percentile means today is higher than 90% of historical days; the 10th means lower than 90%. For example, Deschutes River near Madras is flowing at 3,790 cfs right now. For this date its middle half of historical daily flows runs from 3,830 to 4,570 cfs (median 4,160 cfs), and today's reading is at the 23rd percentile, so its status is “Fishable/Floatable”.
Trend arrows
▲ rising, ▼ falling or ● steady describes the change in flow over the last 24 hours. A change of 10% or more is shown as rising or falling.
Things the status cannot tell you
- Water clarity, temperature, hatches, fish presence or fishing regulations.
- Hazards such as logjams, closures or changed channels.
- Whether a particular boat, raft or kayak is suited to a specific stretch. A gauge measures one spot, and Flowcast has no sourced craft-specific cfs thresholds.
- Upcoming dam releases or rain. The trend arrow and 7-day chart only describe the past.
Regulated rivers and provisional data
Below dams and diversions flow reflects human decisions as well as weather, so “normal” means a managed normal. River pages flag gauges where Flowcast has recorded that regulation. USGS real-time numbers are provisional and can be revised after review.
Before you go
- Check current local reports, closures and weather.
- Check fishing regulations for the stretch you plan to fish: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- See National Weather Service river forecasts at water.noaa.gov.
- If you are unsure, wait or hire a local guide.
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