ALERT: November 15 update on the status of the nationwide data transmission error preventing stream gauge data collected at affected locations from being displayed on the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services (AHPS) webpages. As of 11/08/2018, The USGS has restored all impacted operational stream gauges to transmitting status. The status map of gauge outages from other agencies is here. The outage map will be updated each Thursday. We apologize for the service interruption and hope to have the data restored as soon as possible.

Weather Forecast Office San Francisco Bay Area, CA

California Nevada River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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NOTE: Graphical forecasts are not available for the San Lorenzo River (CA) at Santa Cruz. During times of high water, forecast crest information can be found in the text products.

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Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 25 Moderate Flood Stage: 23.33 Flood Stage: 20.6 Action Stage: 18 Low Stage (in feet): -9999 Historic Crests Currently none available. Recent Crests Currently none available. Low Water Records Currently none available.

Zoom Level:16 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

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25	Major Flooding. Flows are above the upper limits of the rating curve, but likely near 20,000cfs. More widespread flooding in the benchlands adjacent to the County buildings expected, although flows will still remain below levee top elevations.
23.33	Moderate Flooding. (~15,000 cfs) Salz Tanner/Tannery Arts Center and Central Home Supply will become more heavily flooded, as well as some low lying areas off of Ocean Street extension. Flooding of benchlands adjacent to the Santa Cruz County buildings, the Boardwalk, and Beach Flats near the river. Drainage problems and flooding along East Cliff Drive and Murray Street near the river. Major flooding at Paradise Park. NWS will issue a Flash Flood Warning, if not yet already issued.
20.55	Minor Flooding. At 20.55 feet, discharge is approximately 10,000 cfs. Minor flooding in Salz Tannery/Tannery Arts Center and Central Home Supply, and along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk trail beneath Highway 1. Benchlands next to the Santa Cruz County buildings may begin to flood, and problematic flooding and drainage issues may begin in the lowermost reaches of the river floodplain near the Boardwalk and Beach Flats area. Paradise Park begins to flood. NWS will issue an Urban/Small Stream Advisory.
18	Monitor Stage. Stage can rise rapidly on the San Lorenzo River, up to several feet per hour. Level is roughly equivalent to 15 feet stage at the Big Trees gage in Felton, which is 1.5 feet below the flood stage at the Big Trees gage for Paradise Park flooding. NWS may issue a Flash Flood Watch for Santa Cruz area flooding, if not yet already issued.

About This Location

Latitude: 36.990833° N, Longitude: 122.031111° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 20.6 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 Not Available Not Available 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   Current/Historical Observations: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data and Site Info for Santa Cruz

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary California Data Exchange Center Most Recent Scheduled Reservoir Releases USGS Real-time Data for California USGS - Western Region Geologic Information Inundation Mapping Locations

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management Flood Damage Costs/Fatalities in the US, 1903 - 2014 AHPS Web Brochure Snow Information

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