Lowe River above Horsetail Falls near Valdez, AK

River level and flood forecast · Valdez-Cordova County

Normal3.8 ftas of Tue 3 AM

The river is 10.2 ft below flood stage (14 ft).

Flow: 930 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

NWS forecast issued Mon, Jan 1, 12 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Get flood alerts for this river

An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Lowe River above Horsetail Falls near Valdez to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.

Flood stages

Moderate flood stage	15 ft
Flood stage	14 ft
Action stage	10 ft
Record crest (August 29, 2017)	13.5 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

15 ftThis water level has roughly a 4 percent chance of being reached in any given year.
14 ftThis water level has roughly a 10 percent chance of being reached in any given year.
11 ftThis water level is higher than the typical summertime high water levels, and has roughly a 50 percent chance of being reached in any given year.
10 ftEmergency Managers begin monitoring levees in the Apline Woods (Whispering Spruce) subdivision.

Highest crests on record

13.5 ft — August 29, 2017
12.62 ft — June 19, 2018
11.58 ft — August 7, 2016
11.44 ft — August 18, 2015
10.73 ft — June 28, 2019

Recent crests: 10.45 ft (September 1, 2020) · 10.73 ft (June 28, 2019) · 12.62 ft (June 19, 2018) · 13.5 ft (August 29, 2017) · 11.58 ft (August 7, 2016)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Valdez-Cordova County NWS gauge page USGS gauge 15226620

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (LHFA2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.