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

*** IMPORTANT ***  Week of June 16 - Website Data Outage - Due to a major computer upgrade the week of June 16, nearly all data on the CNRFC web site will not be updated. We anticipate the down time to be approximately 4 days. The latest deterministic hydrologic forecasts for official forecast points will continue to be available at the National Water Prediction Service during this time.
 | 

BEAR CREEK - MCKEE ROAD (MEEC1)
Latitude: 37.31º NLongitude: 120.44º WElevation: 187 Feet
Location: Merced County in CaliforniaBulletin Group: San JoaquinRiver Group: San Joaquin
Issuance Time: Jun 04 2025 at 8:25 AM PDTNext Issuance: Jun 05 2025 at 9:00 AM PDT
Action/Monitor: 17.0 FeetMinor Flood: 23.0 FeetModerate Flood: 24.6 FeetMajor Flood: 25.6 Feet

Bear Creek - McKee Road (MEEC1)River Forecast Plot

Combination chart with 4 data series.
Forecast Posted: 06/04/2025 at 8:13 AM PDT ● Graphic Created: 06/04/2025 at 8:25 AM PDT
The chart has 1 X axis displaying Time. Range: 2025-05-30 15:00:00 to 2025-06-09 15:00:00.
The chart has 2 Y axes displaying Precipitation (In.) and Precipitation (In.).
End of interactive chart.

Chart

Combination chart with 7 data series.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying Observation / Forecast Time (Pacific Local Time). Range: 2025-05-30 08:00:00 to 2025-06-09 08:00:00.
The chart has 2 Y axes displaying Stage (Feet) and Flow (Cubic Feet per Second).
End of interactive chart.
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
Gage owner logo

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
Month:  
Day:  
Year:  
Cycle:  
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
2024
2,390
14.80
Feb 8, 2024
2023
7,390
26.16
Jan 10, 2023
2022
580
8.01
Dec 28, 2021
2021
1,860
12.25
Jan 29, 2021
2020
2,310
13.51
Apr 6, 2020
 Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - November 1956 to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1956*
9,500
22.90
Dec 25, 1955
2006
7,711
24.65
Apr 4, 2006
1958
7,400
16.90
Mar 16, 1958
2023
7,390
26.16
Jan 10, 2023
1965
5,640
--
Jan 7, 1965
1973
5,542
17.35
Feb 11, 1973
1962
5,380
--
Feb 15, 1962
 * Possible backwater effect
Location Photographs
ESRI™ Locator Map
Flood Impacts
27.2 FeetOn 1/10/23, the 26.18 foot Flood of Record took water up to the top of the levee system at the north end of Morse Drive and Thurman Court. This levee system has since been raised to 27.2 feet.
26.18 FeetWater impacts the bottom of the M Street and G Street Bridges. Water escapes its banks at E South Bear Creek Drive between Glen Avenue and Cameron Lane.Flood of Record - 1/10/2023
24.65 Feet2nd highest crest from 4/4/2006.
24.0 FeetAt 24 feet, the water flows towards the low point of Cooper Drive, businesses begin to flood.
23.0 FeetThe beechwood subdivision and the trailer park along the southern end of Bear Creek Drive floods in addition to Applegate Park on the south side of Bear Creek Drive.
17.0 FeetStorm drains begin to back up. Street flooding occurs primarily north of Bear Creek Drive and east of M Street.
16.0 FeetSouth bike path along Bear Creek floods downstream of the G Street bridge.
Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast   (CAZ302)
Tonight: Clear. Lows in the upper 50s. Northwest winds up to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 90s. Northwest winds up to 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Clear. Lows in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night: Clear. Lows in the lower 60s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday through Wednesday: Clear. Highs in the upper 90s. Lows in the lower 60s.
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.