TidalMapPatuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton 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 01591610 sits on the Patuxent River and reads everything draining 79 square miles of the Patuxent basin. Its datum sits 303 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1981, 46 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Patuxent River near Unity, MD, reading 35 square miles. This gauge adds the 44 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Patuxent River near Laurel, MD at 132 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 60% of the water measured there. Water passing here goes on to Patuxent River near Bowie, MD.
Normal flows here
The Patuxent River runs a median of 58 cfs at this gauge across 46 years of record. April is the fullest month at a median 94 cfs, and September the leanest at 52 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 3,350 cfs in 2013, and the lowest is 2.1 cfs in 1983.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 cfs | 93% |
| Feb | 64 cfs | 110% |
| Mar | 91 cfs | 157% |
| Apr | 94 cfs | 162% |
| May | 74 cfs | 128% |
| Jun | 66 cfs | 114% |
| Jul | 65 cfs | 112% |
| Aug | 55 cfs | 95% |
| Sep | 52 cfs | 89% |
| Oct | 52 cfs | 90% |
| Nov | 56 cfs | 96% |
| Dec | 56 cfs | 97% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1981 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.
Flood stages and record crests
The Patuxent River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 9 feet. NWS starts watching it at 8 feet. The highest crest on record is 11.9 feet, in January 2013.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 8 ft |
| Minor flooding | 9 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| January 2013 | 11.9 ft |
| May 2014 | 11.4 ft |
| December 2003 | 11 ft |
| May 1989 | 10.3 ft |
| June 2015 | 9.2 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BGHM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Hawlings River near Sandy Spring, MD
- Patuxent River near Unity, MD
- Cattail Creek near Glenwood, MD
- Paint Branch Tributary near Colesville, MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River near Colesville, MD
- Turkey Branch near Rockville, MD
- Patuxent River near Laurel, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Guilford, MD
- Paint Branch near College Park, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Savage, MD
- Sligo Creek near Takoma Park, MD
- Patapsco River at Hollofield, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01591610. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
Open Patuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton MD on the live chart →
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