Salinas River near Bradley water level

Name: Salinas River near Bradley water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Salinas River, California, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.56ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:30 AM PDT (46 min ago)

Flow: 46.1 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.57 ft by Monday, October 19 at 09:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 06:40 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Salinas River near Bradley, where the gauge shows 2.56 ft.

It is 11.44 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.57 ft by Monday, October 19 at 09:00 PM. The 30-day range is 2.56 ft – 2.64 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 23.44 ftMarch 11, 1995
Forecast peak: 2.58 ftThursday, October 22 at 01:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 14.00 ft.

What happens at each level

23.40 ft: FLOOD STAGE OF RECORD. March 11th, 1995, 120,000 cfs. Extensive flood damage to roads and agricultural land in the Salinas Valley. 100,000 arces inundated in the Salinas Valley with as least 2,000 acres permanently destroyed by erosion and sediment depostion.
23.00 ft: Disastrous flooding occurs across wide expanses of agricultural land in the Salinas Valley, including damage due to erosion and sediment deposition. At least 90,000 acres of farm land is inundated in the Salinas Valley. Salinas Valley travel is impossible. Some residences along the lower portions of Bradley, San Ardo, San Lucas, King City, Greenfield and Soledad are in danger of flooding.
22.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Major flooding occurs along the lower portions of Bradley, San Ardo, San Lucas, King City, Greenfield and Soledad. Most primary and secondary roads are flooded making travel in the Salinas Valley very difficult. Widespread flooding occurs at the San Ardo oil fields. Water and sewage treatment plants along the upper Salinas River are in danger of flooding. Major damage continues to a wide expanse of agricultural land in the Salinas Valley with at least 40,000 acres inundated.
20.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Moderate flooding occurs along the lower portions of Bradley, San Ardo, San Lucas, King City, Greenfield and Soledad. Many of the secondary roads and some of the primary roads along the Salinas River will flood. Major damage due to erosion and sediment deposition with 15,000 acres possibly inundated in the Salinas Valley. Major damage to agricultural land along the upper Salinas River is expected.
18.00 ft: Minor flooding begins at the San Ardo oil fields. Significant flooding of lowest portions of towns within the reach of the gage (from Bradley to Soledad). Flooding of secondary roads begins along the reach. Significant flooding of agricultural land within the reach. Minor damage due to erosion and sediment deposition.
16.00 ft: Minor flooding of agricultural land is expected. The lower portions of the San Ardo oil fields is close to flooding.
14.00 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Right bank overflows at gage. San Ardo oil fields in danger of flooding.
12.00 ft: Action Stage.
2.56 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.44 ft	March 11, 1995
2	20.34 ft	February 24, 1969
3	19.64 ft	January 10, 2023
4	19.63 ft	March 11, 2023
5	18.68 ft	February 10, 1978
6	17.30 ft	March 15, 2023
7	16.20 ft	December 7, 1966
8	15.28 ft	January 27, 1983
9	14.42 ft	January 14, 1993
10	14.35 ft	February 8, 1998

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Salinas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Salinas River near Santa MargaritaRiver gauge, Salinas River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	40 mi
Salinas River near King CityRiver gauge, Salinas River	4.34 ft	No reference yet		24 mi
Salinas River near ChualarRiver gauge, Salinas River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	57 mi
Salinas River near SpreckelsRiver gauge, Salinas River	2.81 ft	Below flood stage	±0	66 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Nacimiento River below Nacimiento Dam near BradleyRiver gauge, Nacimiento River	61.7 cfs	Low	±0	12 mi
Nacimiento Reservoir near BradleyReservoir, Nacimiento Reservoir	745.07 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	12 mi
Nacimiento River below Sapaque Creek near BrysonRiver gauge, Nacimiento River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	16 mi
Salinas R A Paso RoblesRiver gauge	11.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	23 mi
San Lorenzo Creek below Bitterwater Creek near King CityRiver gauge, San Lorenzo Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	26 mi
Los Gatos Creek above Nunez Canyon near CoalingaRiver gauge, Los Gatos Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	30 mi
Arroyo Seco near SoledadRiver gauge, Arroyo Seco	1.7 cfs	Low	+0.6 cfs	35 mi
Arroyo Seco near GreenfieldRiver gauge, Arroyo Seco	6.2 cfs	Normal	±0	40 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Salinas River near Bradley?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 11.44 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Salinas River near Bradley today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:30 AM PDT, the water level was 2.56 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Salinas River near Bradley rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Salinas River near Bradley normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Salinas River near Bradley?

The highest level on record is 23.44 ft on March 11, 1995.

Is Salinas River near Bradley expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.57 ft by Monday, October 19 at 09:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11150500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.93024, -120.86879 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	2.56 ft	2026-10-20 08:30	Provisional
Flow	46.1 cfs	2026-10-20 08:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Salinas River near Bradley (usgs:11150500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/salinas-river-near-bradley

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer