San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz water level

Name: San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz 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

1.64ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM PDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 10.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz is at 1.64 ft, in the normal range.

It is 18.91 ft below the flood stage of 20.55 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.64 ft and 1.66 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Floating and fishing near San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 20.55 ft, 18.91 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

25.00 ft: 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 ft: 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 ft: 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.
18.00 ft: Action 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.
1.64 ft: Right now

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

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Soquel C A SoquelRiver gauge	2.44 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	4.2 mi
San Lorenzo R A Big TreesRiver gauge	3.15 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	4.3 mi
Aptos Creek near AptosRiver gauge, Aptos Creek	0.8 cfs	Low	±0	7 mi
Corralitos C A FreedomRiver gauge	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	15 mi
Pajaro R A WatsonvilleRiver gauge	3.5 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	17 mi
Salsipuedes Creek near WatsonvilleRiver gauge, Salsipuedes Creek	2.9 cfs	Very high	+0.3 cfs	17 mi
Saratoga C A SaratogaRiver gauge	0.8 cfs	Normal	±0	18 mi
Coyote Creek near MadroneRiver gauge, Coyote Creek	2.19 ft	Below flood stage	±0	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz?

The official flood stage is 20.55 ft. The level is currently 18.91 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 Santa Cruz today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM PDT, the water level was 1.64 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz rising or falling?

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

Is the level of San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz normal?

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

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11161000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.99078, -122.03191 (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	1.64 ft	2026-10-21 10:00	Provisional
Flow	10.2 cfs	2026-10-21 10:00	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/11812?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: San Lorenzo R A Santa Cruz (usgs:11161000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/san-lorenzo-r-a-santa-cruz

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