Colorado River level at Moab
Utah · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 09180500 — COLORADO RIVER NEAR CISCO, UT · NWS forecast point CLRU1
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Low and slow — expect to drag in the shallows
At 1,490 CFS, this gauge is running 43% of normal for mid-September — below the 3,440 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 107 years of record (1914–2026).
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Flood stages at Moab
National Weather Service categories for gauge CLRU1, WFO GJT. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 23.0 ft
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Moderate flood 21.0 ft
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Minor flood 19.0 ft
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Action 13.3 ft
- Right now 1.71 ft
NWS forecast: 1.78 ft by .
Flow history at Moab
Daily values from USGS 09180500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for CLRU1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Moab
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 21.52 ft | 66,100 CFS | Jun 3, 1914 |
| 20.70 ft | 70,300 CFS | May 27, 1984 |
| 19.70 ft | 76,800 CFS | Jun 9, 1917 |
| 19.23 ft | 61,900 CFS | Jun 27, 1983 |
| 18.92 ft | 64,200 CFS | Jun 9, 1957 |
| 18.84 ft | 64,400 CFS | May 15, 1941 |
| 17.32 ft | 65,000 CFS | Jun 1, 1928 |
| 17.18 ft | 57,200 CFS | Jun 9, 1952 |
| 17.04 ft | 51,900 CFS | Jun 18, 1995 |
| 16.70 ft | 59,600 CFS | May 27, 1929 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Colorado River at Moab
In Utah — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Moab Daily; beginner rule is under 10,000 CFS.
Colorado River at Moab — common questions
3 questions
Does rain upstream change Colorado River at Moab quickly?
Yes. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Colorado River at Moab high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 3,440 CFS, from 107 years of record (1914–2026). Today is 43% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 09180500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for CLRU1 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.