TidalMapPatuxent River near Laurel, 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 01592500 sits on the Patuxent River and reads everything draining 132 square miles of the Patuxent basin. Its datum sits 153 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1945, 82 years of it.
Where this gauge sits in the drainage
Two gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Patuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton MD, reading 79 square miles. This gauge adds the 53 square miles that drain in between. Downstream the next reading comes from Patuxent River near Bowie, MD at 348 square miles, so what passes this gauge is about 38% of the water measured there.
Normal flows here
The Patuxent River runs a median of 23 cfs at this gauge across 82 years of record. March is the fullest month at a median 91 cfs, and September the leanest at 21 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 13,000 cfs in 1972, and the lowest is 1.1 cfs in 1956.
| Month | Median flow | Share of annual median |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 cfs | 109% |
| Feb | 57 cfs | 248% |
| Mar | 91 cfs | 396% |
| Apr | 88 cfs | 380% |
| May | 52 cfs | 226% |
| Jun | 24 cfs | 104% |
| Jul | 23 cfs | 100% |
| Aug | 22 cfs | 96% |
| Sep | 21 cfs | 91% |
| Oct | 21 cfs | 91% |
| Nov | 21 cfs | 91% |
| Dec | 22 cfs | 96% |
Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1945 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 9.5 feet. NWS starts watching it at 8.5 feet. The highest crest on record is 25 feet, in June 1972.
| Category | Gage height |
|---|---|
| Action | 8.5 ft |
| Minor flooding | 9.5 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 13 ft |
| When | Crest |
|---|---|
| June 1972 | 25 ft |
| September 1975 | 19.8 ft |
| July 1956 | 18.9 ft |
| September 1971 | 18.5 ft |
| May 2014 | 14.8 ft |
Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LPRM2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.
Nearby river gauges
- Little Patuxent River at Guilford, MD
- Little Patuxent River at Savage, MD
- Paint Branch Tributary near Colesville, MD
- Paint Branch near College Park, MD
- Patuxent River below Brighton Dam near Brighton MD
- Hawlings River near Sandy Spring, MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River near Colesville, MD
- Northeast Branch Anacostia River at Riverdale, MD
- Patapsco River near Catonsville, MD
- Sligo Creek near Takoma Park, MD
- Northwest Branch Anacostia River at Brentwood, MD
- Patapsco River near Elkridge, MD
Live streamflow and gage height: USGS gauge 01592500. Percentile context computed against the gauge's period of record. Not for navigation.
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