Little Colorado River
Streamflow, conditions and background by watershed segment. Data through November 1, 2026.
Data gaps and disparities
Found automatically in the gauge records behind this river, and notes from a reviewer who checked them against other sources. Gauges need at least 26 weeks of daily data to appear on the Flow tab.
Warnings (2)
- warning: gap Little Colorado River At Greer, AZ: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (9,373 days in all). Longest: Oct 1, 1982 to May 29, 2008 (9,373 days).
- warning: gap Little Colorado River Below Salado Springs, AZ: 1 gap of 60+ days inside the record (5,706 days in all). Longest: Dec 4, 1986 to Jul 18, 2002 (5,706 days).
Context (10)
Show 10 notes
- ended Discontinued gauges: 2 gauges have stopped reporting: Little Colorado R At Wenima, Nr Springerville, AZ (last 2013); Little Colorado River At Springerville, AZ (last 2013). Their segments rest on fewer gauges after those years.
- single gauge Little Colorado Headwaters: 53% of this segment's weeks rest on a single gauge; the segment value is that gauge in those weeks, and jumps when other gauges join or drop out.
- flatline Little Colorado R Abv Lyman Lake Nr St. Johns, AZ: 6 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 8.0 cfs for 61 days from Nov 1, 1947; 2.0 cfs for 35 days from Oct 4, 1981; 2.0 cfs for 32 days from Apr 7, 1947. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- zero run Little Colorado R Abv Lyman Lake Nr St. Johns, AZ: 1 run of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 89 days from Jul 16, 2025. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- flatline Little Colorado River At Greer, AZ: 4 runs of 30+ days at exactly the same flow: 6.0 cfs for 49 days from Jan 16, 1964; 5.5 cfs for 43 days from Dec 9, 1960; 5.0 cfs for 39 days from Jan 12, 1966. Usually an estimated period (ice, a broken gauge) rather than measured daily flow.
- spike Little Colorado River Below Salado Springs, AZ: 1 single-day flow far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 56 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 1,670 cfs on Jul 24, 2021. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Little Colorado River Below Salado Springs, AZ: 4 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 256 days from Nov 3, 2025; 169 days from Nov 5, 2022. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- spike Little Colorado Rvr Abv Zion Res. Nr St. Johns, AZ: 1 single-day flow far above the gauge's usual range (99th percentile 71 cfs) with no annual peak on record to confirm them: 2,710 cfs on Jul 24, 2021. Flash floods are common here, but these are unverified.
- zero run Little Colorado Rvr Abv Zion Res. Nr St. Johns, AZ: 27 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 704 days from Aug 16, 2008; 434 days from May 7, 2020. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
- zero run Little Colorado Rvr Blw Zion Res. Nr St Johns, AZ: 39 runs of 60+ days at zero flow; longest 706 days from Aug 14, 2008; 494 days from Mar 17, 2020. Usually real (a dry channel or no release), not missing data.
Values removed (0)
A reading is removed automatically only when it is impossible (for example, a daily mean above the highest flow USGS recorded that water year). Low and zero flows are never removed: rivers here really do dry up.
None.
Gauges
Each row is one physical gauge; "published by" lists every agency copy that was merged into it.
| Gauge | Segment | Published by | First | Last | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Colorado R At Wenima, Nr Springerville, AZ | Little Colorado Headwaters | usgs | 2008-08-11 | 2013-10-14 | 271 |
| Little Colorado River At Springerville, AZ | Little Colorado Headwaters | usgs | 2008-06-23 | 2013-10-14 | 278 |
| Little Colorado R Abv Lyman Lake Nr St. Johns, AZ | Little Colorado Headwaters | nwps, usgs | 1940-04-01 | 2026-10-26 | 4518 |
| Little Colorado River At Greer, AZ | Little Colorado Headwaters | nwps, usgs | 1960-08-01 | 2026-10-26 | 2118 |
| Little Colorado Rvr Abv Zion Res. Nr St. Johns, AZ | Upper Little Colorado | usgs | 1975-09-29 | 2026-10-26 | 2666 |
| Little Colorado Rvr Blw Zion Res. Nr St Johns, AZ | Upper Little Colorado | usgs | 1998-09-14 | 2026-10-26 | 1468 |
| Little Colorado River Below Salado Springs, AZ | Upper Little Colorado | nwps, usgs | 1985-03-04 | 2026-10-26 | 1358 |