Patapsco River near Catonsville, 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 01589025 sits on the Patapsco River and reads everything draining 301 square miles of the Gunpowder-Patapsco basin. Its datum sits 66 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2011, 15 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
Two gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Patapsco River at Hollofield, MD, reading 285 square miles. This gauge adds the 16 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Patapsco River near Elkridge, MD at 312 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 96% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
The Patapsco River runs a median of 144 cfs at this gauge across 15 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 257 cfs, and September the leanest at 62 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 9,990 cfs in 2014, and the lowest is 18 cfs in 2023.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 170 cfs | 118% |
| Feb | 204 cfs | 142% |
| Mar | 257 cfs | 178% |
| Apr | 232 cfs | 161% |
| May | 214 cfs | 149% |
| Jun | 153 cfs | 106% |
| Jul | 86 cfs | 60% |
| Aug | 76 cfs | 53% |
| Sep | 62 cfs | 43% |
| Oct | 66 cfs | 46% |
| Nov | 87 cfs | 60% |
| Dec | 145 cfs | 101% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2011 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The Patapsco River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 20 feet. NWS starts watching it at 18 feet. The highest crest on record is 27.1 feet, in May 2018.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 18 ft |
| Minor flooding | 20 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 25 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| May 2018 | 27.1 ft |
| July 2016 | 27.1 ft |
| September 2011 | 25.2 ft |
| April 2014 | 23.8 ft |
| June 2018 | 22.2 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CTSM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Patapsco River near Elkridge, MD
- Dead Run near Catonsville, MD
- Patapsco River at Hollofield, MD
- Dead Run Tributary near Woodlawn, MD
- Dead Run at Woodlawn, MD
- Dead Run Tributary at Woodlawn, MD
- East Branch Herbert Run at Arbutus, MD
- Dead Run at Franklintown, MD
- Tributary to Dead Run Tributary at Woodlawn, MD
- Scotts Level Branch at Rockdale, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Guilford, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Savage, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01589025. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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