CNRFC - Hydrology - Observed River/Reservoir Conditions

End of River Group

SUSAN RIVER - SUSANVILLE (SUSC1)

Latitude: 40.41º N	Longitude: 120.66º W	Elevation: 4190 Feet
Location: Lassen County in California		Bulletin Group: Eastern Sierra		River Group: Eastern Sierra

Action/Monitor: 10.5 Feet

Minor Flood: 12.0 Feet

Moderate Flood: 13.0 Feet

Major Flood: 14.0 Feet

Plot Type:

Observed Data Credit
	Raw streamflow data is provided by the California Department of Water Resources. View California Department of Water Resources Data for this station location.

Historical Stage/Flow Data
Water Year	Peak Discharge (cfs)	Stage (feet)	Date
Most Recent 5 Years
2024*	961**	8.63	Feb 19, 2024
2023*	1,810**	11.05	Dec 30, 2022
2022*	1,520**	10.30	Oct 25, 2021
2021*	106**	4.70	Feb 12, 2021
2020*	194**	5.34	Apr 1, 2020
Historical High Stage/Flow Events (Period of Record - Discontinuous Jul 1951 to Present)**** - Ranked by Flow
1970*	5,850	8.89***	Jan 24, 1970
1997*	5,150**	11.75***	Jan 02, 1997
1986*	5,120	8.33***	Feb 17, 1986
1965*	5,100	7.30***	Dec 22, 1964
1982*	4,560	7.95***	Nov 23, 1981
* Discharge affected by regulation or diversion
** Estimated flow (Not Official)
*** USGS gage located 0.5 mile upstream at different datum.
**** Most recent record back to Jul 1951 (missing 1995 to 2000) with segmented periods back to Jun 1900

Location Photographs
Upstream Photo	Gage House Photo	Downstream Photo

ESRI™ Locator Map

Flood Impacts
18.5 Feet	Record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads... bridges and water systems throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of valley cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone...and rural water system impacts. Like record flood of January 24 1970.
18.0 Feet	Near record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Extensive damage to homes...businesses...schools...roads...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in and out of Honey Lake Valley is cut off as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Only exceeded by flood of January 24 1970.
17.5 Feet	Near record flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Severe damage to homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation in valley difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly higher than floods of February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
17.0 Feet	Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools... roadways...bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation very difficult as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded or washed out. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Slightly less severe than floods of December 22 1964...February 17 1986 and January 2 1997.
16.5 Feet	Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways... bridges and water systems flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Extensive transportation...power... phone and rural water system impacts. US Highway 395 and Highway 36 flooded. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
16.0 Feet	Major flooding from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Homes...businesses...schools...roadways and bridges flooded throughout Honey Lake Valley. Transportation impacts may be serious as US Highway 395 and Highway 36 are flooded. Extensive power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to November 23 1981 flood.
15.5 Feet	Major flood damage from Susanville to Honey Lake...including Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Flooding of homes...businesses and schools in flood plain throughout Honey Lake Valley...including Susanville. Extensive damage to transportation systems as roads...bridges and culverts are flooded or washed out. US Highway 395 is flooded. Major transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 flood.
15.0 Feet	Major flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Major flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation...power...phone and rural water system impacts. Similar to January 31 1963 and January 13 1980 floods.
14.5 Feet	Major flooding in Susanville, Johnstonville, Leavitt Lake, Standish, and Litchfield areas in Honey Lake Valley. Susanville flooded from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main Street (Highway 36) on north to railroad tracks on south. Serious flood impacts to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges throughout Honey Lake Valley. US Highway 395 flooded. Serious transportation impacts, moderate impacts to power, phone, and rural water systems. Similar to 12/23/1955 flood.
14.0 Feet	Major flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish...Litchfield. Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Main St...Highway 36...on north to railroad tracks on south. Top of K-rail flood wall on Carroll Street. Homes...businesses...schools...roads and bridges in the Honey Lake Valley flooded. Serious transportation impacts. Impacts to power...phone and rural water systems begin. Similar to December 31 2005 and February 24 1958 floods.
13.5 Feet	Moderate flooding in Susanville...Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield.Susanville floods from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive and from Cornell/River Street on north to Hood Street/Sunkist Drive on south. River up to bottom of Lassen Street bridge. Several homes along river have minor to moderate flooding. Many roads and bridges in Honey Lake Valley flood...moderate transportation impacts. Like December 2 2012...March 30 1974 and January 21 1969 floods.
13.0 Feet	Moderate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Some homes along river have moderate flood affects...especially on Carroll Street. Significant lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges in these areas flood. Similar to flood of March 13 1983.
12.5 Feet	Minor to moderate flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive. Several homes along river affected...especially on Carroll Street. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield areas. Rural roads and bridges begin to flood in these areas.
12.0 Feet	Flood Stage. Several homes on Carroll Street in Susanville begin to flood. Local flooding in Susanville from Lassen Street downstream along Riverside Drive...especially below Piute Creek which enters river near Alexander Drive. Moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish... and Litchfield areas. Some rural roads affected by flooding.
11.5 Feet	Localized minor to moderate lowland flooding below Susanville in the Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake... Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
11.0 Feet	Local minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johnstonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.
10.5 Feet	Those along river should begin careful monitoring of river and keep informed of forecast updates. Localized minor lowland flooding below Susanville in Johntonville...Leavitt Lake...Standish and Litchfield rural areas.

Official 7 Day National Weather Service Forecast (CAZ071)

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Patchy blowing dust in the evening. Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of showers after midnight. Snow level 5500 to 6000 feet. Snow accumulation up to 2 inches. Lows 27 to 37. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph in the evening.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Chance of showers in the morning, then chance of snow showers, slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Snow level 5500 feet rising to 6500 feet. Snow accumulation up to 1 inch. Highs 52 to 62. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows 27 to 37. Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.

Wednesday: Sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 59 to 69. Light winds becoming northwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming clear. Lows 29 to 39. Northwest winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light.

Thursday: Sunny in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 66 to 76.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy. Lows 38 to 48.

Friday: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. Highs 67 to 77.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers. Lows 39 to 49.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the morning, then chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs 59 to 69.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of showers in the evening. Lows 31 to 41.

Sunday: Partly cloudy. Highs 59 to 69.

Sunday Night and Monday: Clear. Lows 31 to 41. Highs 65 to 75.

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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