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

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EAST FORK CARSON RIVER - GARDNERVILLE (GRDN2)
Latitude: 38.85º NLongitude: 119.70º WElevation: 4988 Feet
Location: Douglas County in NevadaBulletin Group: Eastern SierraRiver Group: Eastern Sierra
Issuance Time: Apr 30 2025 at 8:07 AM PDTNext Issuance: May 01 2025 at 9:00 AM PDT
Action/Monitor: 13.0 FeetMinor Flood: 14.0 FeetModerate Flood: 15.5 FeetMajor Flood: 16.5 Feet

Please Note:
1) 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.

2) At extremely low river flows, the "Observed (Raw Data)" may show readings below the lower end of the available rating table, while the "Observed (Simulated)" will only show values at the bottom of the rating table, creating a potential discrepancy between the two readings.
Observed Data Credit
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Raw streamflow data is provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
View US Geological Survey (USGS) Data for this station location.

Verification - Historical Graphical RVF
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Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year
Peak Discharge (cfs)
Stage (feet)
Date
 Most Recent 5 Years
2024*
2,310
12.15
May 19, 2024
2023*
6,770
14.69
Dec 31, 2022
2022*
3,530
12.82
Oct 25, 2021
2021*
951
10.82
May 7, 2021
2020*
1,530
11.36
Apr 30, 2020
 Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Discontinuous 1890 to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1997*
20,300
13.00***
Jan 2, 1997
1956*
17,600
11.88***
Dec 23, 1955
1963*
13,400
10.45***
Feb 1, 1963
1951*
12,100
9.66***
Nov 21, 1950
 * Discharge affected to unknown degree by regulation or diversion
 ** Prior to May 1939, several gage locations and datums within 2 miles of present location.
 *** May 1939 to July 2001, gage location 300 ft downstream. Datum change with the difference +2.57 ft needing to be applied to all data in time range to convert to current datum.
 **** July 2001 to January 2012, gage location 900 feet downstream with the same datum.
Location Photographs
ESRI™ Locator Map
Flood Impacts
20.0 FeetRecord Flooding. All roads in and out of Carson Valley flooded. Large portion of Carson Valley under water. Extensive damage to homes businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles. Similar to the January 1997 event.
19.5 FeetNear Record Flooding. All roads in and out of Carson Valley flooded. Extensive damage to homes businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles. Approaching the January 1997 event.
19.0 FeetWidespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
18.5 FeetWidespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Potential for major bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
18.0 FeetWidespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Potential for massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
17.5 FeetMajor flooding in Carson valley with significant damage. The East Fork of the Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henningson Sloughs which flood portions of Minden/Gardnerville downtown areas, causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Major effects to transportation, communication, water and power systems.
17.0 FeetMajor flooding in Carson valley with significant damage. The East Fork of the Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henningson Sloughs which flood portions of Minden/Gardnerville near downtown, causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Major effects to transportation, communication, and water and power systems.
16.5 FeetMajor Flood Stage. Major flooding in Carson Valley with significant damage. East Fork of Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henninson Sloughs, which flood low portions of Minden/Gardnerville near downtown causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, including prolonged impacts to Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way, communication, and water and power systems significantly affected.
16.0 FeetModerate flood damage in Carson Valley. Some homes, business, schools, roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Genoa, and Washoe Tribe Reservation flood. Moderate flood impacts to transportation, communication, and water and power systems. Highway 395 closure north of Stephanie Way likely. Flood level similar to January 2017 event.
15.5 FeetModerate Flood Stage. Moderate flood damage in Carson Valley area. Flooding starts to impact homes, businesses, schools, transportation, communication, and water and power systems. Closure of Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way likely.
15.0 FeetMinor flooding in Carson Valley with some mobile home communities, outbuildings, many roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Washoe Tribe Reservation and Genoa flooded. Lane closures on Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way likely. Similar level to February 2017 flood.
14.5 FeetMinor flooding in Carson Valley with some outbuildings, roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Washoe Tribe Reservation and Genoa flooded. Highway 395 lane closures north of Stephanie Way possible if combined with high flows from the west fork. Similar to 12/31/2022 peak.
14.0 FeetMinor Flood Stage. Minor lowland flooding in Carson Valley. Low-lying roads, bridges, and drainage structures begin to sustain minor damage. Cottonwood Slough begins to flood Lampe Park. Flood prone areas include Washoe Tribe Reservation, Carson Valley Country Club, Glenwood Dr, Riverview Dr., Centerville Ln., NV Highway 88, Westwood Village, Rocky Slough, Waterloo and Mottsville Lanes. Possible impacts to south bound Highway 395 lanes north of Stephanie Way if combined with high flows from the West Fork.
13.5 FeetLowest portions of Carson Valley begin to have flood threat. The most flood prone areas include the Washoe Tribe Reservation, Carson Valley Country Club, Glenwood Drive, Riverview Drive, Centerville Road, NV Hwy 88, Westwood Village, Rocky Slough, Dresslerville Road, Waterloo and Mottsville Lanes.
13.0 FeetMonitor stage, near Bank full, no flooding occurring. Residents along the river should prepare for flooding if additional rises due to snowmelt and/or rainfall runoff occur. Flood prone areas include Washoe Tribe Reservation, Carson Valley Country Club, Glenwood Dr, Riverview Dr, Centerville Rd., NV Highway 88, Westwood Village, Rocky Slough, Dresslerville Rd, Waterloo and Mottsville Lanes.
Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast   (NVZ003)
Today: Sunny. Highs 71 to 76. Light winds becoming northeast around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Clear. Lows 44 to 49. Northeast winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs 75 to 80. Light winds becoming south around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then slight chance of showers after midnight. Lows 41 to 51. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the morning, then chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 61 to 66. Light winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of showers after midnight. Lows 39 to 44.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers. Highs 56 to 61.

Sunday Night and Monday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers. Lows 39 to 44. Highs 65 to 70.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming clear. Lows 42 to 47.

Tuesday through Wednesday: Clear. Highs 74 to 79. Lows 47 to 52.
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 Reno 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.