TidalMapNorthwest Branch Anacostia River near Colesville, MD Water Level Today
NWS river forecast
| When | Stage | Flow |
|---|
Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.
Last 30 days
About this gauge
USGS gauge 01650500 sits on the Northwest Branch Anacostia River and reads everything draining 21 square miles of the Middle Potomac-Anacostia-Occoquan basin. Its datum sits 264 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1924, 88 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
No gauged site sits above this one on the mainstem, so this is the first published reading on the river. Downstream the next reading comes from Northwest Branch Anacostia River at Brentwood, MD at 51 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 41% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
The Northwest Branch Anacostia River runs a median of 12 cfs at this gauge across 88 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 20 cfs, and September the leanest at 6.5 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 2,370 cfs in 1972, and the lowest is 0.0 cfs in 1999.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 cfs | 125% |
| Feb | 18 cfs | 150% |
| Mar | 20 cfs | 167% |
| Apr | 19 cfs | 158% |
| May | 15 cfs | 125% |
| Jun | 12 cfs | 100% |
| Jul | 8.2 cfs | 68% |
| Aug | 7.1 cfs | 59% |
| Sep | 6.5 cfs | 54% |
| Oct | 7.6 cfs | 63% |
| Nov | 10 cfs | 83% |
| Dec | 14 cfs | 117% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1924 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The Northwest Branch Anacostia River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 9 feet. NWS starts watching it at 6 feet. The highest crest on record is 15.9 feet, in June 1972.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 6 ft |
| Minor flooding | 9 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 12 ft |
| Major flooding | 19 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| June 1972 | 15.9 ft |
| June 2006 | 13.6 ft |
| April 2014 | 12.3 ft |
| July 1975 | 12.2 ft |
| September 1979 | 11.5 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CLAM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Paint Branch Tributary near Colesville, MD
- Turkey Branch near Rockville, MD
- Paint Branch near College Park, MD
- Sligo Creek near Takoma Park, MD
- Hawlings River near Sandy Spring, MD
- Patuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River at Brentwood, MD
- Northeast Branch Anacostia River at Riverdale, MD
- Potomac River near Wash, Dc Little Falls Pump Sta
- Patuxent River near Laurel, MD
- Patuxent River near Unity, MD
- Beaverdam Creek near Cheverly, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01650500. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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