CNRFC - Hydrology - River Guidance - Graphical RVF

Location:

PAJARO RIVER - CHITTENDEN (AROC1)

Latitude: 36.90º N	Longitude: 121.60º W	Elevation: 82 Feet
Location: Santa Cruz County in California		Bulletin Group: Central Coast		River Group: Salinas/Pajaro

Issuance Time:

Oct 07 2024 at 7:35 AM PDT

Next Issuance:

Oct 08 2024 at 9:00 AM PDT

Monitor Stage: 22.0 Feet

Flood Stage: 24.1 Feet

Please Note:

Provisional monitor and flood stages have been established along the Pajaro River due to observed impacts to the levee system from previous flood events.

Plot Type:

Please Note: Each individual timeseries plotted on the graphical river forecast can be toggled on and off by clicking the legend entry above. If the "Observed (Raw Data)" contains bad data and is toggled off, the plot will scale to the remaining timeseries.

Observed Data Credit
	Raw streamflow data is provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS). View USGS Data for this station location.

Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
2023	13,200	29.11	Mar 11, 2023
2022	1,150	11.57	Dec 28, 2021
2021	1,160	9.97	Jan 29, 2021
2020	1,070	9.60	Apr 6, 2020
2019	4,540	20.49	Feb 15, 2019
Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - February 1938* to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1998	25,100	33.73	Feb 3, 1998
1956	24,000	32.46	Dec 24, 1955
1958	23,500	33.11	Apr 3, 1958
1995	21,500	32.20	Mar 11, 1995
1969	17,800	23.90	Feb 25, 1969
2023	13,200	29.11	Mar 11, 2023
* Missing data during 1939, otherwise record complete

Location Photographs
Upstream Photo	Gage House Photo	Downstream Photo

ESRI™ Locator Map

Impacts - E19 Information
33.73 Feet	Stage and flow of record. 02/03/1998. 25,100 cfs
29.0 Feet	Levees protecting Watsonville and Pajaro at risk of failure. Flooding throughout the Pajaro Valley.
27.1 Feet	Major Flood Stage. Levees protecting Pajaro at risk of overtopping at lowest points or severely strained if sandbagged. Seepage likely throughout the levee system.
25.1 Feet	Water levels within 2 feet of top of levee protecting Pajaro.
24.1 Feet	Minor Flood Stage. Water levels within 3 feet of top of levee protecting Pajaro. Increased potential for seepage through levee at vulnerable locations.
22.0 Feet	Monitor Stage. Water beginning to rise onto levee slopes.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ529)

Rest of Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s. Light winds.

Tuesday: Sunny. Highs around 80. Light winds and becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Patchy dense fog after midnight. Lows in the mid 50s. Southeast winds around 5 mph in the evening and becoming light.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs around 80. Northwest winds around 5 mph and becoming west in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. Northwest winds around 5 mph in the evening and becoming light.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s.

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

Friday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 50s.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. A slight chance of rain. Highs in the mid 70s.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog. A slight chance of rain. Lows in the mid 50s.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Patchy fog. Highs in the mid 70s.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Patchy fog. Lows in the mid 50s.

Columbus Day: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Areas of fog. Highs in the mid 70s.

Product Disclaimer

This river graphic is not intended to serve as a substitute for official flood watches, warnings, advisories, or statements issued by the NWS San Francisco Bay Area-Monterey Weather Forecast Office. Observations are preliminary and subject to change. River levels identified as "forecast" should be consistent with those contained in official NWS products. River levels identified as "guidance" have significant uncertainty due to future weather or reservoir regulation and are provided for planning purposes only.

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Verification - Historical Graphical RVF
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