Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, WA
Southwest Washington · USGS gauge 14243000 · Updated Oct 24, 2:37 PM PDT · USGS data, provisional
All 2 Cowlitz River gauges in Washington
Reading time: Oct 24, 1:30 PM PDT · Provisional data
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.
- Vs. normal for this date
- 41st percentile
- Typical range (25th–75th)
- 3,260–6,740 cfs
- Median for this date
- 4,720 cfs
- 7-day low / high
- 3,880 / 4,150 cfs
Plain-language explanation
Cowlitz River at Castle Rock is flowing at 4,150 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Oct 24, 1:30 PM PDT. That is in the normal range for this time of year: lower than about 59% of the daily flows this gauge has recorded for this date (give or take 7 days) over 86 years of record (1926–2026).
The middle half of those historical flows runs from 3,260 to 6,740 cfs, with a median of 4,720 cfs; the lowest 10% of days are at or below 1,851 cfs and the highest 10% at or above 9,619 cfs.
Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (+1.5%). In the last 7 days it ranged from 3,880 to 4,150 cfs.
Why this status: Flow is within the range this gauge normally sees at this time of year (or the deviation is too small in absolute terms to matter).
Quick answers
Is the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock fishable today?
Flowcast's status for the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock is “Fishable/Floatable”: flow is 4,150 cfs, within the range this gauge normally sees at this time of year, at the 41st percentile for this date (as of Oct 24, 1:30 PM PDT). That describes flow only. It says nothing about water clarity, temperature, fish activity, access or fishing regulations.
What is the current flow of the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock?
4,150 cubic feet per second at USGS gauge 14243000 as of Oct 24, 1:30 PM PDT, provisional data.
Is the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock too high or too low right now?
Neither: it is inside the typical range for the date (3,260 to 6,740 cfs).
Is the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock rising or falling?
Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (+1.5%).
What is a normal flow for the Cowlitz River at Castle Rock in October?
For this date (give or take 7 days) the median is 4,720 cfs and the middle half of days runs 3,260 to 6,740 cfs, over 86 years of USGS record.
7-day trend
Hourly flow in cfs, Pacific time. The shaded band is the typical range (25th–75th percentile) for this date, shown when it falls within the chart.
| Day (Pacific) | Mean cfs | Percentile | Status that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Oct 18 | 4,024 | 46th | Fishable/Floatable |
| Mon Oct 19 | 4,086 | 46th | Fishable/Floatable |
| Tue Oct 20 | 3,948 | 41st | Fishable/Floatable |
| Wed Oct 21 | 3,997 | 41st | Fishable/Floatable |
| Thu Oct 22 | 4,093 | 43rd | Fishable/Floatable |
| Fri Oct 23 | 4,098 | 41st | Fishable/Floatable |
| Sat Oct 24 (so far) | 4,107 | 40th | Fishable/Floatable |
Seasonal context
Shaded band: 10th–90th percentile of daily flows through the year; dashed line: median. Log scale. Dot: today's flow. Based on 86 years of USGS daily data (1926–2026).
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Official resources
- USGS site page for gauge 14243000 (USGS: live readings, history, station details)
- Washington fishing regulations (WDFW)
- Emergency fishing rule changes (WDFW)
- WDFW fishing and stocking reports
- Southwest Washington fishing reports (WDFW)
Links go to the agencies' own websites and were checked as working. Flowcast does not summarize fishing or boating rules: regulations and closures change, and the agency pages are the authority.
About this gauge
- USGS site
- USGS-14243000
- USGS name
- Cowlitz River At Castle Rock, Wa
- Drainage area
- 2,238 sq mi
- Location
- 46.2748, -122.9146
- Record in this analysis
- 1926–2026
Nearby gauges
- Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake, WA Fishable/Floatable 469 cfs · about 5 mi away (straight line)
- Lewis River at Ariel, WA Fishable/Floatable 2,550 cfs · about 28 mi away (straight line)
- Chehalis River near Grand Mound, WA Fishable/Floatable 243 cfs · about 35 mi away (straight line)
- Nisqually River near National, WA Too low 133 cfs · about 51 mi away (straight line)
- Nehalem River near Foss, OR Too low 90.4 cfs · about 56 mi away (straight line)
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