Pajaro River at Watsonville CA
USGS Site No: 11159500 • Pajaro River • Santa Cruz County, CA
Pajaro River at Watsonville CA on the Pajaro River is currently at 37 cfs (Very High — 95th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 12.81 ft.
Reading from
Historical Percentile Comparison
Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for October 28 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.
| Percentile | Label | CFS Threshold | Today's Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | Very Low threshold | 0 | |
| 25th | Low threshold | 1 | |
| 50th (Median) | Normal (median) | 1 | |
| 75th | High threshold | 10 | |
| 95th | Very High threshold | 0 |
30-Day Hydrograph
Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.
30-Day Flow History
| Date | Discharge (CFS) | Gage Ht (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 41 | — |
| May 27, 2026 | 35 | — |
| May 26, 2026 | 36 | — |
| May 25, 2026 | 38 | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 38 | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 36 | — |
| May 22, 2026 | 34 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | 34 | — |
| May 20, 2026 | 37 | — |
| May 19, 2026 | 39 | — |
| May 18, 2026 | 41 | — |
| May 17, 2026 | 43 | — |
| May 16, 2026 | 44 | — |
| May 15, 2026 | 47 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | 93 | — |
| Apr 19, 2026 | 98 | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | 102 | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 106 | — |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 112 | — |
| Apr 15, 2026 | 119 | — |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 134 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 173 | — |
| Apr 12, 2026 | 141 | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | 78 | — |
| Apr 10, 2026 | 68 | — |
| Apr 9, 2026 | 66 | — |
| Apr 8, 2026 | 67 | — |
| Apr 7, 2026 | 69 | — |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 68 | — |
| Apr 5, 2026 | 72 | — |
Station Information
- USGS Site No
- 11159500
- State
- CA
- County
- Santa Cruz County
- Coordinates
- 36.9056, -121.7519
- Drainage Area
- 1,272 mi²
- Datum (ft)
- 2.0
- HUC Code
- 18060002
Flood Stage Thresholds
- Action Stage
- 27.5 ft
- Flood Stage
- 31.0 ft
- Moderate Flood
- 34.5 ft
Currently 18.19 ft below flood stage.
Recent Extremes
- Max discharge
-
2,090 cfsFeb 20, 2026
- Min discharge
-
1 cfsOct 23, 2025
- Days at flood stage
- 0
Computed from the local daily-values archive.
Nearby Gauges
-
Salsipuedes C near Watsonville CAVery High1.3 mi · 1 cfs
-
Corralitos C at Freedom CAHigh2.6 mi · 2 cfs
-
Pajaro River at Chittenden CAVery High8.5 mi · 38 cfs
-
Aptos C near Aptos CAUnknown10.8 mi · 0 cfs
-
Soquel C at Soquel CAHigh12.7 mi · 13 cfs