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Weather Forecast Office Portland, OR

Northwest River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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Printable Image About this graph Tabular Data (UTC) Tabular Data (PDT) Datum: NAVD88 Metadata

NOTE: Forecasts for the Cowlitz River at Kelso are issued routinely year-round.

Default Hydrograph Scale to Flood Categories   Return to Area Map

Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 26.5 Moderate Flood Stage: 24.5 Flood Stage: 21.5 Action Stage: 19.5 Low Stage (in feet): -9999 Historic Crests (1) 29.50 ft on 02/09/1996 (2) 28.86 ft on 12/23/1933 (3) 27.00 ft on 11/30/1995 (4) 24.30 ft on 06/10/1948 (5) 24.20 ft on 12/09/2015 Show More Historic Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Recent Crests (1) 22.10 ft on 12/06/2023 (2) 24.00 ft on 01/07/2022 (P) (3) 21.90 ft on 11/13/2021 (P) (4) 22.40 ft on 12/11/2015 (5) 24.20 ft on 12/09/2015 Show More Recent Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Low Water Records Currently none available. For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov. Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers not showing? Why aren't the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers showing on the ESRI Map? Possible reasons: There are no FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers for the location which you are viewing on ESRI Maps. The FEMA Web Mapping Service (WMS) is down. Note: Your zoom level may have changed. ESRI's zoom levels must be between 14 and 16 to show National Flood Hazard layers.

Zoom Level:14 Legend FEMA Layer Gauge Location Disclaimer Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

If you notice any errors in the below information, please contact our Webmaster
28.5	major flooding in Kelso occurs, including residential and business areas. Numerous roads are flooded and closed, and levees may be subject to erosion and overtopping at this level.
26.5	some flooding of business and residential areas occurs in Kelso. Numerous road closures can be expected. The top of some levees are approached at this level.
24.5	flooding of a few residential areas in Kelso begins. Also expect widespread flooding of pasture land and low lying roads.
21.5	flooding of several low lying and secondary roads begins, including the Cowlitz Gardens neighborhood, along with flooding of pasture and lowland upstream of Kelso.
19.5	the river is at bankfull level.
Photos (1) NWS river gage at Kelso

About This Location

Latitude: 46.142500° N, Longitude: 122.916111° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 21.5 ft Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps Vertical Datum Elevation (gauge height = 0) Elevation (gauge height = flood stage) Elevation information source NAVD88 0.0 21.5 Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps NGVD 29 Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks MSL Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks Other Not Available Not Available

Additional Information

Vertical datum: Mean Sea Level, NAVD88 10-day Forecast/Trend, Northwest River Forecast Center

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary Text Table Temp & Precip Forecasts 3-Day Detailed Precip Forecast 10-Day Temp & Precip Outlook Lewis Dams - USGS data (scroll down to Lewis basin) Lower Columbia Reservoir and River conditions USACE DataQuery USGS WaterWatch Oregon USGS WaterWatch Washington USGS River Temperatures & Water Quality Oregon USGS River Temperatures & Water Quality Washington Oregon Water Resources Dept - Surface Water Data USGS Oregon river levels USGS Washington river levels

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management Snow Data NRCS SNOTEL data map interface USACE Portland District Reservoirs USBR PacNW Reservoirs Oregon Drought Information National Drought Information

Collaborative Agencies The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here. NWS Information National Weather Service Portland Weather Forecast Office 5241 NE 122nd Avenue Portland, OR 97230-1089 (503) 261-9246 Ask Questions/Webmaster Page last modified: 2-Nov-2020 7:27 PM Disclaimer Credits Glossary Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities