Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe, CA
River level and flood forecast · El Dorado County
The river is 7.3 ft below flood stage (10.5 ft).
Flow: 7 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 4 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 12.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 11.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 10.5 ft |
| Action stage | 9.5 ft |
| Record crest (December 31, 2005) | 13.09 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 13.5 ftDisastrous flooding all along Upper Truckee River with major damage to homes, businesses, roads and bridges. Similar to flood of Jan. 2, 1997. Approximately 5500 cfs with about a 1 in 75 chance of occurring any year.
- 12.5 ftMajor flooding along Upper Truckee River from Meyers to South Lake Tahoe with significant damage to roads, bridges, homes and businesses. Approx. 3000 cfs. About a 1 in 20 chance of occurring any year.
- 11.5 ftModerate flooding along Upper Truckee River in Meyers and South Lake Tahoe. About 2100 cfs. About a 1 in 10 chance of occurring any year.
- 10.5 ftFlood Stage, with minor flooding along Upper Truckee River. About 1450 cfs. About a 1 in 5 chance of occurring any year.
- 9.5 ftMonitor Stage, about 1000 cfs. No flooding. About a 1 in 3 chance of occurring any year.
Highest crests on record
- 13.09 ft — December 31, 2005
- 12.89 ft — March 8, 1986
- 12.78 ft — February 9, 2017
- 11.41 ft — April 7, 2018
- 11.05 ft — December 31, 2022
Recent crests: 9.18 ft (May 23, 2023) · 11.05 ft (December 31, 2022) · 11.41 ft (April 7, 2018) · 12.78 ft (February 9, 2017) · 10.98 ft (January 9, 2017)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (UTRC1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.