CNRFC - Hydrology - River Guidance - Graphical RVF

Location:

WEST WALKER RIVER - BELOW LITTLE WALKER RIVER NEAR COLEVILLE (WWBC1)

Latitude: 38.38º N	Longitude: 119.45º W	Elevation: 6591 Feet
Location: Mono County in California		Bulletin Group: Eastern Sierra		River Group: Eastern Sierra

Issuance Time:

Mar 24 2025 at 7:46 AM PDT

Next Issuance:

Mar 24 2025 at 3:00 PM PDT

Action/Monitor: 5.5 Feet

Minor Flood: 6.0 Feet

Moderate Flood: 6.8 Feet

Major Flood: 7.3 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
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
2023	3,820	6.67	Jun 19, 2023
2022	3,030	6.05	Oct 25, 2021
2021	909	3.65	May 7, 2021
2020	1,300	4.19	Apr 29, 2020
2019	2,970	6.16	Jun 7, 2019
Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Apr 1938 to Present) - Ranked by Flow
1997*	12,300	10.11	Jan 02, 1997
1951*	6,220	8.10	Nov 20, 1950
1938*	5,800	--	Dec 11, 1937
1956*	5,180	7.41	Dec 23, 1955
1996*	4,610	6.55	May 16, 1996
* Numerous small gage location changes, some including datum changes, prior to Mar 1997.

Location Photographs
Upstream Photo	Gage House Photo	Downstream Photo

ESRI™ Locator Map

Flood Impacts
10.5 Feet	Incredible flood disaster with massive and uncertain impacts in excess of the January 1997 event.
10.0 Feet	Flood of record. Highway 395 in West Walker River Canyon closed for months. Massive destruction to infrastructure and economy including transportation, power, water, homes, businesses, etc. Area isolated. Near this flow in January 1997 a 6.5-mile stretch of Highway 395 completely scoured with debris from the canyon deposited in the town of Walker.
9.5 Feet	Near record flooding. Area cut off as most transportation routes into area destroyed or flooded. Massive destruction of infrastructure and economy including utilities, roads, business, homes, etc.
8.5 Feet	Flood disaster from Walker River Canyon through Antelope Valley. Widespread flood damage to roads, bridges, homes and structures along river. Severe damage to Highway 395 in W Walker River Canyon with the highway likely closed. Historically this flow has been exceeded only once in January 1997.
8.0 Feet	Flooding near disaster levels in the West Walker Canyon and in Antelope Valley. Numerous structures flooded and roads washed out. Sections of Highway 395 likely destroyed in West Walker Canyon. Major damage to agricutural land due to erosion and destroyed diversion dams, headgates, canals and levees. Similar to the 2nd highest flood of record in November of 1950, and only exceeded in January 1997.
7.3 Feet	Major flooding in the West Walker River Canyon and in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville and Topaz California. Many buildings flooded and roads washed out. Major damage to agricultural lands. Extensive sandbagging required to protect propery. Transportiation affected. Damage to Highway 395 in the West Walker Canyon likely. Similar to the 4th highest peak flow in the 85 year gage record.
6.8 Feet	Moderate flooding of lowlands, agricultural land, yards, basements and rural roads in the West Walker River Canyon and in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville and Topaz California. Flooding of structures limited although some sandbagging necessary Roughly similar, but slightly below the June 2017 peak.
6.5 Feet	Expanding minor flooding of lowlands, pastures and some rural roads between the West Walker River Canyon and Topaz Lake, including Walker Coleville and Topaz California. Out of bank flows may cause significant erosion of agricuturural lands. Similar to the peak of June 2023.
6.0 Feet	Flood stage. Minor flooding of lowlands pasture & rural roads in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville and Topaz California. Roughly similar to June 2019 and October 2021 crests.
5.5 Feet	Monitor Stage, No flooding in reach from West Walker River Canyon through Antelope Valley CA including Walker, Coleville, Topaz CA.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ073)

Today: Sunny. Highs 60 to 70. Light winds.

Tonight: Clear. Lows 30 to 40. Light winds.

Tuesday: Sunny. Highs 62 to 72. Light winds becoming south around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows 29 to 39. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning then clearing. Highs 59 to 69. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon. Ridge gusts up to 50 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows 31 to 41.

Thursday: Breezy. Partly cloudy. Chance of rain and snow. Highs 51 to 61.

Thursday Night: Brisk. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of snow in the evening. Lows 19 to 29.

Friday: Partly cloudy in the morning, then sunny with a slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs 46 to 56.

Friday Night and Saturday: Partly cloudy. Lows 17 to 27. Highs 47 to 57.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of snow after midnight. Lows 23 to 33.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and rain. Highs 49 to 59.

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 Reno 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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