Putah Creek level at Winters
California · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 11454000 — PUTAH C NR WINTERS CA
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 393 CFS, this gauge is running 89% of normal for mid-September — close to the 441 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 66 years of record (1960–2026).
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Flow history at Winters
Daily values from USGS 11454000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes. Provisional.
About Putah Creek at Winters
In California, below Lake Berryessa. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Berryessa. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Putah Creek at Winters — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake Berryessa affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Putah Creek at Winters high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 441 CFS, from 66 years of record (1960–2026). Today is 89% 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 11454000 every 15 to 60 minutes. This page refreshes from USGS when you open it, and the reading is provisional until USGS reviews it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.