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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: | Jan 06 2026 at 8:48 AM PST | Next Issuance: | Jan 06 2026 at 3:00 PM PST |
| 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 |
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Note: Water Year 2025 is currently showing peak daily mean values. These will be updated to instantaneous peaks in the coming months. |
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|
Water Year
|
Peak Discharge (cfs)
|
Stage (feet)
|
Date
|
| Most Recent 5 Years | |||
2025* |
660 |
8.46 |
Feb 15, 2025 |
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 |
| 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 | |||
| *** Discharge affected to unknown degree by upstream levee failure | |||
| **** 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 late in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 60s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph and Becoming west in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the mid 40s. Light winds. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Areas of fog in the morning. Highs in the upper 50s. Northeast winds up to 5 mph increasing to northwest 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly clear. Lows near 40. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Thursday: Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Thursday Night: Mostly clear in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Areas of frost. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s. Friday through Saturday: Mostly clear. Highs in the 50s to upper 60s. Lows in the 30s to mid 40s. Saturday Night through Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the 30s to upper 40s. Highs in the 60s. Monday: Sunny. Highs in the 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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