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

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KERN RIVER - KERNVILLE (KRVC1)
Latitude: 35.75º NLongitude: 118.42º WElevation: 2637 Feet
Location: Kern County in CaliforniaBulletin Group: San JoaquinRiver Group: Tulare
Issuance Time: Nov 15 2025 at 7:45 AM PSTNext Issuance: Nov 16 2025 at 9:00 AM PST
Action/Monitor: 12.5 FeetMinor Flood: 13.5 FeetModerate Flood: 17.0 FeetMajor Flood: 20.0 Feet
Please Note:Raw observed data may be unreliable due to gauge damage and river bank erosion sustained during the recent 2023 floods. This may increase forecast uncertainty.
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 Army Corps of Engineers.
View US Army Corps of Engineers Data for this station location.

Verification - Historical Graphical RVF
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To view other verification locations, use our Historical Graphical River Forecast Interface.
Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year
Peak Discharge (cfs)
Stage (feet)
Date
 Most Recent 5 Years
2025
2,729
6.13
May 12, 2025
2024
3,800
7.09
May 18, 2024
2023
41,400
17.77
Mar 10, 2023
2022 1,990 7.49 Dec 24, 2021
2021
787 6.17 May 8, 2021
 Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Jan 2010 to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1967
74,000
19.32
Dec 06, 1966
2023
41,400
17.77
Mar 10, 2023
1951
38,700
18.4
Nov 19, 1950
1956
29,400
16.2
Dec 23, 1955
1963 28,800 16.76 Feb 01, 1963
1969 26,900 14.0 Jan 25, 1969
Location Photographs
ESRI™ Locator Map
Flood Impacts
13.5 FeetKern River adjacent to Riverside Park begins to escape its banks, flooding the lower park sidewalk. This is Preliminary Flood Stage.
Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast   (CAZ332)
Today: Chance of rain in the morning, then rain likely early in the afternoon. Chance of rain late in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 50s. West winds up to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain in the evening, then rain likely after midnight. Lows in the lower 40s. West winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Monday: Rain. Highs in the lower 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph shifting to the southwest 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain. Lows in the upper 30s. West winds 5 to 15 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain in the morning. Highs in the upper 40s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.

Wednesday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 50s.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.

Thursday and Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. A 40 percent chance of rain. Highs in the lower 50s. Lows in the upper 30s.

Friday and Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Highs 51 to 57. Lows in the upper 30s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs 57 to 63.
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 Joaquin Valley-Hanford 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.