High flows = summer fun!
Posted June 24, 2011 by Gregg Armstrong, Co-FounderHi there everyone,
As far as water content and flows goes, we have arrived. What we have been talking about for months is now in full motion. The melt is more than underway and we are feeling it on every river in the State.
This week the Tuolumne and Merced got up to 13k CFS (cubic feet per second); the North Stan, Kaweah, North Fork American and Middle Fork American all crested over 4k CFS! The South Fork held steady between 5k and 6k CFS.
Most rivers may have peaked during the past few days, but those with high elevation drainage like the Tuolumne, Merced, and Kaweah, will likely see more peak flows if temperatures rise to near 100 and stay there for several days.
Flows on all rivers will remain at “springtime flows” for the next 3-6 weeks depending on the river and weather. June has looked like May, and now July will look like June. We do not have many seasons when you can raft high flows in the middle of summer!
Below is the latest water content and flow predictions. As you can see from the chart, numbers remain impressive when it comes to the “Percent of Normal for this Date” in regard to water content. Generally speaking, one foot of snow is the equivalent of one inch of water. The fact that water content is 11″ on the average in Northern and Central California means we still have a blanket of snow 11 feet thick laying over the Sierra! That blanket represents a whole lot of future hooting and hollering through many big waves and drops for the next several months!
You can also visit our River Flows page to track the flow action in real-time.
Look for the next update a week from now prior to the July 4th weekend. Until then you can either dream of being on rivers like this at high flows, or you can get in your car and head up there and experience them first hand…
I recommend the latter.
Gregg Armstrong
Owner, All-Outdoors