San Lorenzo R A Big Trees water level

Name: San Lorenzo R A Big Trees 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, California, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.15ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 06:00 PM PDT (24 min ago)

Flow: 15.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.37 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 11:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 07:25 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at San Lorenzo R A Big Trees reads 3.15 ft, a normal level.

It is 13.35 ft below the flood stage of 16.50 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.37 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 11:00 PM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.12 ft and 3.16 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 24.54 ftJanuary 9, 2023
Forecast peak: 3.37 ftWednesday, October 21 at 11:00 PM

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.50 ft, still 13.35 ft away.

What happens at each level

21.76 ft: Major Flooding. At approximately 21.76 feet discharge in the San Lorenzo River is approximately 15,000 cfs. Major flooding in the Felton Grove neighborhood occurs at this stage, with roadways several feet deep and waters inundating the approaches to the Felton Covered Bridge. Felton Covered Bridge Park begins to experience widespread flooding at shallow depths. At 15,000 cfs, the City of Santa Cruz downstream will experience more serious flooding. The flood wave may take 2-3 hours to reach Santa Cruz.
19.50 ft: Moderate Flooding. The St. Bernard Street area in Paradise Park is under several feet of water, with below grade floodplain infrastructure several feet deeper. St. Augustine Avenue neighborhood in Paradise Park begins to flood. Flooding imminent or already occurring in the Felton Grove neighborhood. Ground stories, first floors, and garages flooded. Felton Covered Bridge Park begins to flood.
16.50 ft: Minor Flooding. Flooding is either imminent or already occurring in Paradise Park, with initial flooding in the St. Bernard Street area.
14.00 ft: Action Stage. Stage can rise rapidly on the San Lorenzo River, up to several feet per hour. Approximately 2.5 feet below flood levels in Paradise Park and approximately 5.5 feet below flood stage in Felton Grove.
3.15 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	24.54 ft	January 9, 2023
2	22.15 ft	December 31, 2022
3	21.83 ft	January 14, 2023
4	19.90 ft	March 10, 2023
5	16.90 ft	March 14, 2023
6	16.06 ft	December 13, 2021

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 72° 48° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 64° 54° 0.24 in, 29% Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 60° 51° 0.09 in, 53% Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 75° 51° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 78° 53° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 82° 58° – Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 85° 60° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
San Lorenzo R A Santa CruzRiver gauge	1.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	4.3 mi
Soquel C A SoquelRiver gauge	2.42 ft	Below flood stage	±0	7 mi
Aptos Creek near AptosRiver gauge, Aptos Creek	0.8 cfs	Low	±0	10 mi
Saratoga C A SaratogaRiver gauge	0.8 cfs	Normal	+0.1 cfs	15 mi
Corralitos C A FreedomRiver gauge	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	18 mi
Pajaro R A WatsonvilleRiver gauge	3.9 cfs	Normal	+2.4 cfs	20 mi
Pescadero Creek near PescaderoRiver gauge, Pescadero Creek	2.2 cfs	Normal	±0	21 mi
Salsipuedes Creek near WatsonvilleRiver gauge, Salsipuedes Creek	1.0 cfs	Very high	−1.2 cfs	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for San Lorenzo R A Big Trees?

The official flood stage is 16.50 ft. The level is currently 13.35 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 San Lorenzo R A Big Trees today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 06:00 PM PDT, the water level was 3.15 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is San Lorenzo R A Big Trees rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of San Lorenzo R A Big Trees normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at San Lorenzo R A Big Trees?

The highest level on record is 24.54 ft on January 9, 2023.

Is San Lorenzo R A Big Trees expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 3.37 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 11:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11160500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.04439, -122.07246 (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	3.15 ft	2026-10-21 01:00	Provisional
Flow	15.4 cfs	2026-10-21 01:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/11378?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="San Lorenzo R A Big Trees water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: San Lorenzo R A Big Trees (usgs:11160500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/san-lorenzo-r-a-big-trees

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