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:

Apr 24 2024 at 7:53 AM PDT

Next Issuance:

Apr 25 2024 at 9:00 AM PDT

Monitor Stage: 5.5 Feet

Flood Stage: 6.0 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 USGS Data for this station location.

Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
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
2018	3,320	5.76	Apr 7, 2018
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

Impacts - E19 Information
5.5 Feet	Monitor stage. No flooding in reach from West Walker River Canyon through Antelope Valley CA, including Walker, Coleville, and Topaz CA.
6.0 Feet	Flood Stage. Minor flooding of lowlands, pasture, and rural roads in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville, and Topaz CA. Roughly similar to June 2019 and October 2021 crests.
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 CA. Out of banks flows may cause significant erosion of agricultural lands. Similar to the peak of June 2023.
6.8 Feet	Moderate flooding of lowlands, agricultural lands, yards, basements, and rural roads in the West Walker River Canyon and in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville, and Topaz CA. Flooding of structures limited, although some sandbagging necessary. Roughly similar, but slightly below June 2017 peak.
7.3 Feet	Major flooding in the West Walker River Canyon and in Antelope Valley including Walker, Coleville, and Topaz CA. Many buildings flooded and roads washed out. Major damage to agricultural lands. Extensive sandbagging required to protect property. Transportation affected. Damage to Highway 395 in the West Walker Canyon likely. Similar to the 4th highest peak flow in the 85 year gauge record.
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 agricultural land due to erosion and destroyed diversion dams, headgates, canals, and levees. Similar to the 2nd highest flood of record in November 1950, and only exceeded in January 1997.
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 West Walker River Canyon with the highway likely closed. Histoically this flow has been exceeded only once in January 1997.
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, businesses, homes, etc.
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.
10.5 Feet	Incredible flood disaster in excess of January 1997 event.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ073)

Tonight: Cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of showers after midnight. Snow level 8000 to 8500 feet. Snow accumulation up to 2 inches. Lows 27 to 37. West winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 54 to 64. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy in the evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers after midnight. Lows 28 to 38. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

Friday: Chance of showers in the morning, then snow showers likely with possible showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Snow level 7000 feet. Highs 46 to 56. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then clear after midnight. Snow level 6000 to 6500 feet. Lows 22 to 32. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

Saturday: Sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 53 to 63.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows 26 to 36.

Sunday through Wednesday: Clear. Highs 61 to 71. Lows 29 to 39.

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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