National Weather Service California Nevada River Forecast Center Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service



SALINAS RIVER - SPRECKELS (SPRC1)
Latitude: 36.63º NLongitude: 121.67º WElevation: 21 Feet
Location: Monterey County in CaliforniaBulletin Group: Central CoastRiver Group: Salinas/Pajaro
Issuance Time: Jul 01, 2025 at 8:06 AM PDT
Action/Monitor: 20.0 FeetMinor Flood: 23.0 FeetModerate Flood: 26.0 FeetMajor Flood: 28.0 Feet
Please Note:Ensemble forecasts produced by CNRFC only consider meteorological uncertainty and do not account for hydrologic uncertainty.
Threshold Exceedance Plot                  Product Information        CSV Ensemble Files (Data in kcfs):  Forecast Group  |  SPRC1

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Verification / Historical Plots
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Location Photographs

ESRI™ Locator Map
Flood Impacts
30.29 FeetFlood of Record, March 12, 1995, 95,000 cfs. Disastrous flood damage to roads and agriculture land in the Salinas Valley. The city of Salinas in danger of being inundated, with the lowest portions of the city beginning to flood. Historical Note: at least 2,000 acres of agricultural land were permanently destroyed by erosion and soil deposition by this flood of record.
30.0 FeetDisastrous floding within the reach of the gage. Major damage to Southern Pacific Railroad near Castroville and Spreckels. Castroville residences and businesses from Merritt Street toward the Salinas River inundated. Disastrous flooding to farm land in the Salinas Valley, including severe damage due to erosion and sediment deposition. At least 100,000 acres inundated. Travel in the Salinas Valley near impossible. Water/sewage treatment plants flooded.
29.0 FeetMajor flooding continues along the entire reach. Possible evacuations of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spreckels, and Castroville. All roads to Spreckels inundated, isolating the town. US 101 inundated just north of Soledad. Highway 1 south of Castroville near Nashua Road begins to flood.
28.0 FeetMajor flooding of agricultural land within the reach of the gages. Major flooding begins along lower portions of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spence, Spreckels and Castroville. Water/sewage treatment plants in danger of being flooded. Many secondary and some primary roads inundated making travel difficult in the Salinas Valley. Highway 156 and 68 inundated and closed. Major damage to wide expanses of agricultural land in the Salinas Valley with 40,000 acres inundated.
27.0 FeetModerate flooding continues along the reach. Approaches to river bridges within the reach begin to erode. Lower portions of Castroville begin to flood. Highway 156 near Castroville begins to flood. Flooding to Foster Road, 1 mile of Salinas.
26.0 FeetModerate flooding of agricultural land and lower portions of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spence and Spreckels. Primary and secondary roads begin to flood within the reach. Highway 68 begins to flood. Levees in danger of breaching along the reach. At least 20,000 acres of farm land inundated in the Salinas Valley.
24.0 FeetSignificant flooding of the lowest portions of agricultural land begins within the reach of the gage. River Road and Spreckels Boulevard begin to flood.
23.0 FeetA few farm residences will begin to flood near the Salinas River along the reach of the gage. River Road will begin to flood near Spreckels.
19.0 FeetMinor lowland flooding of agricultural land can be expected.
Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast   (CAZ528)
rest of Today: Sunny. Highs in the 70s to lower 80s. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph decreasing to around 5 mph after midnight.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the mid 60s to upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph decreasing to around 5 mph after midnight.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the 60s to mid 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph and Becoming west 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s.

Independence Day: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the 60s to mid 70s.

Friday Night through Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Lows around 50. Highs in the mid 60s to upper 70s.

Sunday through Monday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s to upper 70s. Lows in the lower 50s.