Gunnison River near Somerset, CO
River level and flood forecast · Gunnison County
Normal1.2 ftas of Mon 1:15 PM
The river is 6.8 ft below flood stage (8 ft).
Forecast to hold near 1.2 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 6 AM.
Flow: 50 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:22 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 11 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 9 ft |
| Flood stage | 8 ft |
| Action stage | 7 ft |
| Record crest (May 28, 1979) | 6.73 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12.4 ftWater will reach base of bridge on County Road 12 near Paonia Dam.
- 11 ftResidential flooding near the river in and around Somerset is possible.
- 10 ftFloodwaters will approach the base of the bridge in Somerset. Water will reach the gage house.
- 9 ftWater will inundate portions of Highway 133 near Paonia Dam.
- 8 ftSignificant flooding of agricultural lands is likely.
- 7 ftMinor to moderate low land flooding is likely adjacent to the river. Some bank erosion is also possible.
- 6 ftMinor agricultural and low land flooding can be expected downstream of the reach.
Highest crests on record
- 6.73 ft — May 28, 1979
- 6.56 ft — June 17, 1995
- 5.99 ft — May 22, 2005
- 5.83 ft — May 21, 2008
- 5.73 ft — May 17, 2023
Recent crests: 2.73 ft (May 15, 2026) · 4.15 ft (June 7, 2024) · 5.73 ft (May 17, 2023) · 4.06 ft (May 9, 2022) · 3.12 ft (June 4, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SOMC2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.