CNRFC - Hydrology - River Guidance - Graphical RVF

Location:

CARMEL RIVER - ROBLES DEL RIO (RDRC1)

Latitude: 36.47º N	Longitude: 121.73º W	Elevation: 269 Feet
Location: Monterey County in California		Bulletin Group: Central Coast		River Group: Salinas/Pajaro

Issuance Time:

Jan 09 2026 at 7:55 AM PST

Next Issuance:

Jan 09 2026 at 3:00 PM PST

Action/Monitor: 7.5 Feet

Minor Flood: 8.5 Feet

Moderate Flood: 11.0 Feet

Major Flood: 13.0 Feet

Plot Type:

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

Historical Stage/Flow Data
Note: Water Year 2025 is currently showing peak daily mean values. These will be updated to instantaneous peaks in the coming months.
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
2025	1,500	5.33	Feb 13, 2025
2024	3,530	7.40	Feb 5, 2024
2023	11,000	12.69	Jan 9, 2023
2022	1,250	5.37	Dec 23, 2021
2021	1,950	6.32	Jan 28, 2021
Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Aug 1957 to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1995	16,000	12.90	Mar 10, 1995
1998	14,700	11.08	Feb 03, 1998
2023	11,000	12.69	Jan 9, 2023
2017	10,900	10.55	Feb 21, 2017
1983	8,380	11.49	Feb 28, 1983
1956	7,100	10.50	Apr 02, 1958

Location Photographs
Upstream Photo	Gage House Photo	Downstream Photo

ESRI™ Locator Map

Flood Impacts
14.0 Feet	Disastrous flooding along the entire Carmel River. Approaches to all bridges along the entire Carmel River will be impassable. Many homes and businesses along the entire Carmel River experiencing severe flood damage with transportation difficult.
13.0 Feet	Major flooding can be expected along the entire Carmel River. Some levees along the lower Carmel River in danger of breaching. Many homes, businesses, and roads along the entire Carmel River will become inundated. Portions of Mission Fields and Rio Roads will be flooded.
12.9 Feet	Flood of Record: 03/10/1995
12.0 Feet	Widespread flood damage to low lying homes along the entire Carmel River. Levees protecting homes near Mission Fields are in danger of breaching. Homes near the Carmel Lagoon area begin to have substantial flooding.
11.0 Feet	Hacienda Carmel residential development levee is threatened. Moderate flooding of golf courses and low lying homes along the entire Carmel River. Homes in the Carmel Lagoon area begin to experience moderate flooding.
10.0 Feet	South side of Highway 1 bridge access becomes inundated and impassable. Many low lying homes threatened along the entire Carmel River. Low lying homes near Camp Steffani experience substantial flooding and homes near Schulte Road in danger of flooding. Homes surrounding the Carmel Lagoon area are in danger of flooding.
8.5 Feet	Low lying homes from Camp Steffani to below Robles del Rio will begin to flood. Old Odello Ranch near Carmel begins to flood. Homes along Paso Hondo and Dampierre Park subject to flooding.
7.5 Feet	Monitor Stage. Water levels are roughly 1 foot below primary breakout locations near Camp Steffani, Paso Hondo, and Dampierre Park.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ528)

Rest of Today: Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s to lower 60s. East winds around 5 mph and becoming north in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Areas of frost after midnight. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s. East winds around 5 mph.

Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower to mid 60s. East winds 5 to 10 mph and becoming northeast in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the 30s to mid 40s. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the 60s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the 30s to upper 40s.

Monday through Tuesday: Clear. Highs in the mid 60s to lower 70s. Lows in the 40s.

Tuesday Night through Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 40s to mid 50s. Highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s.

Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the lower to 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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