Merced River at Pohono Bridge, CA
River level and flood forecast · Mariposa County
The river is 9.0 ft below flood stage (10 ft).
Forecast to hold near 1.0 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 5 AM.
Flow: 16 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 7:45 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 Merced River at Pohono Bridge to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 20 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 12.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (January 3, 1997) | 23.43 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 23.45 ftFlood of record...1/3/97. $178 million damage to Yosemite Valley.
- 13.6 ftLift stations at Housekeeping Camp and Yosemite Creek flooded. Southside Drive at Chapel Meadow impassable.
- 12.5 ftNorthside Drive at Wosky Pond, El Capitan crossover, and Sentinel crossover are impassable to vehicles.
- 12 ftWater on road at Northside Drive, Southside Drive, El Capitan crossover, Sentinel crossover, and Highway 140 near Cookie Cliff.
- 11.4 ftWater begins to overtop road curbs on Northside Drive. Swinging Bridge overtops.
- 10 ftMerced River at Pohono Bridge begins to rise out of its banks. Flood Stage.
- 9.5 ftLower Pines and Housekeeping Camp begin flooding.
- 7 ftRIVER IS CLOSED TO RAFTERS AND FLOATATION DEVICES.
Highest crests on record
- 23.43 ft — January 3, 1997
- 21.52 ft — December 23, 1955
- 20.98 ft — November 19, 1950
- 20.1 ft — December 11, 1937
- 16.96 ft — December 23, 1964
Recent crests: 12.08 ft (May 22, 2023) · 8.05 ft (January 1, 2023) · 12.54 ft (May 16, 2005) · 9.56 ft (May 31, 2003) · 23.43 ft (January 3, 1997)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- Merced River at Happy Isles, CA
- Robinson Creek (CA) at Twin Lakes, CA
- Green Creek (CA) near Bridgeport, CA
- Deadman Creek (CA) at Big Springs, CA
- Buckeye Creek (CA) near Bridgeport, CA
- Virginia Creek (CA) near Bridgeport, CA
- Hot Creek at Flume Near Mammoth Lakes, CA
- West Walker River near Coleville (Upper Gage), CA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (POHC1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.