Cowlitz River at Packwood, WA
River level and flood forecast · Lewis County
The river is 9.6 ft below flood stage (10.5 ft).
Forecast to hold near 0.9 ft through Mon, Oct 19, 5 PM.
Flow: 272 cubic feet per second (USGS).
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.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Cowlitz River at Packwood to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 12 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 11 ft |
| Flood stage | 10.5 ft |
| Action stage | 8.2 ft |
| Record crest (November 6, 2006) | 14.59 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 13 ftthe Cowlitz River will cause severe near record flooding from the upper reaches of the river downstream through Packwood...with dangerous inundation of residential and commercial areas...roads...and farms throughout the flood plain. Flooding will occur all along the river including headwaters...tributaries...and other streams within and near the Cowlitz River Basin.
- 12 ftthe Cowlitz River will cause major flooding from the upper reaches of the river downstream through Packwood...with dangerous flooding of roads including US Highway 12...pasture lands...and farms throughout the flood plain. Flood waters will inundate some residential and commercial areas. Flooding will occur all along the river including headwaters...tributaries...and other streams within and near the Cowlitz River Basin.
- 11 ftthe Cowlitz River will cause flooding from the upper reaches of the river downstream through Packwood...inundating roads...pasture lands...and some farms.
- 10.5 ftthe Cowlitz River will cause minor flooding from the upper reaches of the river downstream through Packwood...covering several roads along the river and nearby pasture lands.
- 10 ftthe Cowlitz River will spill over its banks into nearby low pasture lands from the upper reaches downstream through Packwood.
Highest crests on record
- 14.59 ft — November 6, 2006
- 13.73 ft — December 2, 1977
- 13.54 ft — November 23, 1959
- 13.23 ft — November 20, 1962
- 13 ft — December 21, 1933
Recent crests: 12.24 ft (December 10, 2025) · 11.52 ft (December 9, 2025) · 10.63 ft (November 12, 2021) · 10.75 ft (October 22, 2017) · 10.06 ft (November 25, 2014)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (PACW1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.