Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, WA
River level and flood forecast · Cowlitz County
The river is 14.3 ft below flood stage (48 ft).
Forecast to hold near 33.7 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 5 PM.
Flow: 4,040 cubic feet per second (USGS).
River camera
Watch the time-lapse
Camera by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most take a picture every hour, some every few minutes; many stop at night.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 8:20 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 Cowlitz River at Castle Rock to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 57 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 54 ft |
| Flood stage | 48 ft |
| Action stage | 46 ft |
| Record crest (February 8, 1996) | 55.76 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 57 ftexpect widespread and major flooding of homes and property just upstream and downstream of Castle Rock. Impacts include major flooding of the fairgrounds area west of Castle Rock, numerous road closures, and possible overtopping or weakening of portions of the levee protecting Castle Rock, especially sections downstream of the highway bridge.
- 54 ftexpect widespread flooding of residential and business areas, especially west of the river in the Four Corners area and along Hwy 411. Also expect widespread flooding of agricultural land. Levees have historically been threatened of overtopping at this and higher levels.
- 51 ftflooding of buildings and residential areas begins, especially west of the river along Hwy 411 and around Four Corners. Also expect widespread flooding of low-lying agricultural land.
- 48 ftexpect flooding of several roads and low-lying agricultural lands in areas not protected by levees.
Highest crests on record
- 55.76 ft — February 8, 1996
- 55.16 ft — November 30, 1995
- 54.7 ft — January 8, 2009
- 52.95 ft — May 18, 1980
- 52.45 ft — December 9, 2015
Recent crests: 48.08 ft (March 14, 2026) · 48.18 ft (December 9, 2025) · 49.01 ft (January 7, 2022) · 52.45 ft (December 9, 2015) · 54.7 ft (January 8, 2009)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamCowlitz River below Mayfield Dam, WA
- Toutle River at Tower Road near Silver Lake, WA
- South Fork Chehalis Rver near Wildwood, WA
- Columbia River at Port Westward near Clatskanie 5N, OR
- N Fk Toutle River below Sediment Retention Structure near Toutle, WA
- South Fork Newaukum River near Onalaska, WA
- Newaukum River near Chehalis, WA
- Chehalis River near Adna, WA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CASW1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.