Cowlitz River near Kosmos water level

Name: Cowlitz River near Kosmos 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, Cowlitz River, Washington, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Flow

522cfs Up 69.0 cfs over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 03:30 AM PDT (51 min ago)

History

7 days

Flow Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The Cowlitz River near Kosmos is running far below normal at 522 cfs.

The median for mid-October is 1,295 cfs, based on 78 years of readings, so the flow is 773.0 cfs below typical.

It has risen 69.0 cfs over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 441 cfs and 533 cfs.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 78 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1,295 cfs773 cfs below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 757 cfs – 4,312 cfs8 years in 10 fall in this range (78 years of records)

Floating and fishing near Cowlitz River near Kosmos

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.19 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 65° 42° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 60° 44° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 68° 44° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 73° 49° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 60° 43° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 57° 39° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 68° 40° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:31 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 10 hr, 47 min First quarter 49%

Map

Other gauges on the Cowlitz River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cowlitz River at PackwoodRiver gauge, Cowlitz River	0.88 ft	Very low	−0.05 ft	23 mi
Cowlitz River at RandleRiver gauge, Cowlitz River	3.69 ft	Normal	±0	9 mi
Cowlitz River below Mayfield DamRiver gauge, Cowlitz River	10.67 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	24 mi
Cowlitz River at Castle RockRiver gauge, Cowlitz River	33.67 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	41 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cispus River above Yellowjacket Creek near RandleRiver gauge, Cispus River	12.87 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	13 mi
Tilton River above Bear Canyon Creek near CinebarRiver gauge, Tilton River	2.22 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	19 mi
Mineral Creek near MineralRiver gauge, Mineral Creek	18.9 cfs	Very low	+0.9 cfs	19 mi
Nisqually River near NationalRiver gauge, Nisqually River	4.15 ft	Normal	−0.11 ft	20 mi
Nf Toutle River below Srs near Kid ValleyRiver gauge, Nf Toutle River	143 cfs	Very low	+6.0 cfs	23 mi
Muddy River below Clear Creek near CougarRiver gauge, Muddy River	13.76 ft	Very low	±0	27 mi
Nisqually River at La GrandeRiver gauge, Nisqually River	4.23 ft	High	−0.01 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Cowlitz River near Kosmos in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1,295 cfs. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 757 cfs and 4,312 cfs, based on 78 years of records.

What is the water level of Cowlitz River near Kosmos today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:30 AM PDT, the flow was 522 cfs. Up 69.0 cfs over the last 24 hours.

Is Cowlitz River near Kosmos rising or falling?

Up 69.0 cfs over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cowlitz River near Kosmos normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 78 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:14233500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.46622, -122.10899 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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
Flow	522 cfs	2026-10-18 10:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cowlitz River near Kosmos (usgs:14233500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/cowlitz-river-near-kosmos

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