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| 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: | May 02 2025 at 7:42 AM PDT | Next Issuance: | May 03 2025 at 9:00 AM PDT |
| Action/Monitor: 20.0 Feet | Minor Flood: 23.0 Feet | Moderate Flood: 26.0 Feet | Major Flood: 28.0 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 | |
 | Raw streamflow data is provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS). |
Historical Stage/Flow Data |
|||
|
Water Year
|
Peak Discharge (cfs)
|
Stage (feet)
|
Date
|
| Most Recent 5 Years | |||
2024* |
3,270 |
16.18 |
Feb 6, 2024 |
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 |
| 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 | ||
| 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 Today: Sunny. Highs in the 60s. West winds 10 to 20 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 50. West winds 5 to 15 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Breezy. Highs in the mid 50s to lower 60s. West winds 10 to 20 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 40s. West winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph and becoming 5 to 15 mph after midnight. Sunday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the 60s. West winds 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 40s. Monday: Sunny. Highs in the lower to mid 70s. Monday Night and Tuesday: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 40s. Highs around 70. Tuesday Night: Mostly clear except patchy fog. Lows in the upper 40s. Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s. Wednesday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Patchy fog. Lows in the lower 50s. Thursday: Partly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Highs in the 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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