CNRFC - Hydrology - River Guidance - Graphical RVF

Location:

SALINAS RIVER - SPRECKELS (SPRC1)

Latitude: 36.63º N	Longitude: 121.67º W	Elevation: 21 Feet
Location: Monterey County in California		Bulletin Group: Central Coast		River Group: Salinas/Pajaro

Issuance Time:

Jan 24 2025 at 12:55 PM PST

Next Issuance:

Jan 25 2025 at 9:00 AM PST

Action/Monitor: 20.0 Feet

Minor Flood: 23.0 Feet

Moderate Flood: 26.0 Feet

Major Flood: 28.0 Feet

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 US Geological Survey (USGS) Data for this station location.

Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
2023*	23,300	26.89	Mar 13, 2023
2022*	574	9.24	Dec 29, 2021
2021*	2,470	12.94	Jan 30, 2021
2020*	437	8.34	Apr 8, 2020
2019*	6,370	17.88	Feb 16, 2019
Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Oct 1929 to Present)** - Ranked by Flow
1995*	95,000	30.29	Mar 12, 1995
1969*	83,100	26.51	Feb 26, 1969
1938	75,000***	25.00	Feb 12, 1938
1983*	63,000	23.44	Mar 3, 1983
1978*	57,400	22.66	Feb 11, 1978
2023*	23,300	26.89	Mar 13, 2023
* Discharge affected by regulation or diversion
** Most recent continuous record back to Oct 1929 with segmented periods back to Jan 1900
*** Highest flow since regulation by Santa Margarita Lake began in 1941
**** No flow observed during the entire water year

Location Photographs
Upstream Photo	Gage House Photo	Downstream Photo

ESRI™ Locator Map

Flood Impacts
30.29 Feet	Flood of Record, March 12, 1995, 95,000 cfs. Disastrous flood damage to roads and agriculture land in the Salinas Valley. The city of Salinas in danger of being inundated, with the lowest portions of the city beginning to flood. Historical Note: at least 2,000 acres of agricultural land were permanently destroyed by erosion and soil deposition by this flood of record.
30.0 Feet	Disastrous floding within the reach of the gage. Major damage to Southern Pacific Railroad near Castroville and Spreckels. Castroville residences and businesses from Merritt Street toward the Salinas River inundated. Disastrous flooding to farm land in the Salinas Valley, including severe damage due to erosion and sediment deposition. At least 100,000 acres inundated. Travel in the Salinas Valley near impossible. Water/sewage treatment plants flooded.
29.0 Feet	Major flooding continues along the entire reach. Possible evacuations of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spreckels, and Castroville. All roads to Spreckels inundated, isolating the town. US 101 inundated just north of Soledad. Highway 1 south of Castroville near Nashua Road begins to flood.
28.0 Feet	Major flooding of agricultural land within the reach of the gages. Major flooding begins along lower portions of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spence, Spreckels and Castroville. Water/sewage treatment plants in danger of being flooded. Many secondary and some primary roads inundated making travel difficult in the Salinas Valley. Highway 156 and 68 inundated and closed. Major damage to wide expanses of agricultural land in the Salinas Valley with 40,000 acres inundated.
27.0 Feet	Moderate flooding continues along the reach. Approaches to river bridges within the reach begin to erode. Lower portions of Castroville begin to flood. Highway 156 near Castroville begins to flood. Flooding to Foster Road, 1 mile of Salinas.
26.0 Feet	Moderate flooding of agricultural land and lower portions of Soledad, Gonzales, Chualar, Spence and Spreckels. Primary and secondary roads begin to flood within the reach. Highway 68 begins to flood. Levees in danger of breaching along the reach. At least 20,000 acres of farm land inundated in the Salinas Valley.
24.0 Feet	Significant flooding of the lowest portions of agricultural land begins within the reach of the gage. River Road and Spreckels Boulevard begin to flood.
23.0 Feet	A few farm residences will begin to flood near the Salinas River along the reach of the gage. River Road will begin to flood near Spreckels.
19.0 Feet	Minor lowland flooding of agricultural land can be expected.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ528)

Rest of Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s. Northwest winds around 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain. Highs in the mid 50s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph and becoming west 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Rain likely. Lows in the upper 30s. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph.

Sunday: Rain likely in the morning, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 50s. Southeast winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. A chance of rain in the evening, then a slight chance of rain after midnight. Patchy fog and frost after midnight. Lows in the 30s. East winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Monday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.

Monday Night and Tuesday: Clear. Areas of frost. Lows in the 30s. Highs around 60.

Tuesday Night and Wednesday: Mostly clear except patchy fog. Lows in the mid 30s. Highs in the lower 60s.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. A slight chance of rain. Highs around 60.

Thursday Night and Friday: Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain. Lows in the lower 40s. Highs 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 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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