This flow information reflects conditions only at the time measurements were taken.
Flows marked "est" or "rough" are estimates based on other flow values, and may therefore be wildly inaccurate
(see Estimate Information).
In addition, release changes, rainfall or snowmelt can cause dramatic changes to all flows.
Therefore, actual flows may differ significantly from the ones listed here.
Flow colors: 15 frozen,
15 low,
15 okay,
15 high,
15 unknown.
The values that determine if a flow is marked "low", "okay" or
"high" are available on the Trigger Levels page.
Note: these colors give a general, catch-all classification for the flow at each location, as an aid to selecting potential runs.
However, flow ranges are very subjective, particularly with respect to craft type, so be sure to consult a guidebook before selecting a run.
Note also that a "low" or "high" classification means just that - "low" or "high".
Whether or not it also means "unrunnable" depends on how low or high, your craft type, and your skill level -
many rivers are routinely run at flows that are generally considered "low" or "high".
All flows are in 'cfs' (cubic feet per second) unless otherwise stated.
Other units are 'ft' (gauge height in feet) and 'in' (gauge height in inches).
Special symbols are 'ART' (gauge is Above Rating Table) and 'BRT' (gauge is Below Rating Table).
Flows marked are considered by some to be at or near optimum for at
least one run served by this flow site. The values used to determine which
flows are marked "optimum" are available on the Trigger Levels page.
Weather icons: sunny,
partly cloudy/foggy,
cloudy/foggy,
rain,
snow,
smoky,
windy,
unknown.
Note: these icons should give you a general idea of what the weather is like at each location - or will be like tomorrow if this report was generated after 4PM -
but there is no substitute for clicking on the icon and getting the full NOAA weather report.
Clicking on any brown, blue or red link yields additional information or functionality.
The River Name link (brown, first column) points to the corresponding Dreamflows Cross-Listing entry for this site.
The Flow Location link (blue, second column) points to the corresponding flow graph for this site.
The Estimate link (red, second column, if present) links to the river-levels page.
The Comments link (red, last column, if present) points to a corresponding bulletin board entry.
All flows marked "est" or "rough" are estimates - which means they may well be incorrect.
For this reason, don't undertake expensive or time-consuming trips based solely on the estimate (or if you do, accept the possibility of being skunked).
Always try to confirm the sanity of the estimate by means of rainfall, snowpack, similar flows in similar drainages, word of mouth, etc.
Note 1
Confidence information appearing in the Comments column of the report means Dreamflows calculated the flow using a statistically-derived model.
In that case, two things.
Firstly, that confidence information is theoretical - it's based on the available historical data, which may or may not cover the current water year type.
Secondly, a confidence of (say) 85% sounds wonderful, but don't forget that also means there's a 15% chance the actual flow will be outside the given range.
You can report the accuracy of an estimate by visiting the river-levels webpage.
Note 2
Reservoir calculations are based on storage change.
Though useful indicators of flow trends, they can at times be amazingly inaccurate, especially if the reservoir is large.
See the Dreamflows FAQ for details.
Note 3
When gauge height is available but river flow is not, where possible, Dreamflows converts gauge height to river flow using a rating table.
The rating table used is the most currently-available, but still usually out-of-date, so the reported flow will probably be inaccurate to some extent.
You can report the accuracy of an estimate by visiting the river-levels webpage.
Note 4
Good-faith projections by the operating utility are usually reliable, but even so the scheduled releases might not occur, or be different than projected.
Reasons for this include (but are not limited to) operational, health, safety and legal.
Note 5
Informal projections by the operating utility are usually fairly reliable, however they can (and sometimes do) change radically without notice.
It's good to take these predictions with a grain of salt.
The Dreamflows Bulletin Board
and the Dreamflows Notes page
report useful river information such as hazards, releases, access issues, etc.
A given posting may be on one but not the other, so be sure to visit both.
are considered by some to be at or near optimum for at
least one run served by this flow site. The values used to determine which
flows are marked "optimum" are available on the Trigger Levels page.
sunny,
partly cloudy/foggy,
cloudy/foggy,
rain,
snow,
smoky,
windy,
unknown.
Note: these icons should give you a general idea of what the weather is like at each location - or will be like tomorrow if this report was generated after 4PM -
but there is no substitute for clicking on the icon and getting the full NOAA weather report.
-
see the help page.