TidalMapPaint Branch near College Park, 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 01649190 sits on Paint Branch and reads everything draining 13 square miles of the Middle Potomac-Anacostia-Occoquan basin. Its datum sits 150 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2008, 19 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 Northeast Branch Anacostia River at Riverdale, MD at 73 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 18% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
Paint Branch runs a median of 7.6 cfs at this gauge across 19 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 12 cfs, and September the leanest at 3.7 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 745 cfs in 2014, and the lowest is 0.1 cfs in 2008.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.1 cfs | 120% |
| Feb | 11 cfs | 145% |
| Mar | 12 cfs | 158% |
| Apr | 12 cfs | 158% |
| May | 11 cfs | 145% |
| Jun | 7.6 cfs | 100% |
| Jul | 5.5 cfs | 72% |
| Aug | 4.3 cfs | 57% |
| Sep | 3.7 cfs | 49% |
| Oct | 4.0 cfs | 53% |
| Nov | 5.7 cfs | 74% |
| Dec | 8.1 cfs | 107% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2008 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
Paint Branch reaches flood stage at this gauge at 12 feet. NWS starts watching it at 9 feet. The highest crest on record is 8.8 feet, in August 2011.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 9 ft |
| Minor flooding | 12 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 14 ft |
| Major flooding | 22 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| August 2011 | 8.8 ft |
| May 2009 | 7.1 ft |
| September 2010 | 6.6 ft |
| June 2018 | 6.6 ft |
| April 2014 | 6 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CPPM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Paint Branch Tributary near Colesville, MD
- Sligo Creek near Takoma Park, MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River near Colesville, MD
- Northeast Branch Anacostia River at Riverdale, MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River at Brentwood, MD
- Beaverdam Creek near Cheverly, MD
- Patuxent River near Laurel, MD
- Turkey Branch near Rockville, MD
- Hawlings River near Sandy Spring, MD
- Patuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton MD
- Little Patuxent River at Guilford, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Savage, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01649190. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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