River Gauge Readings (Full Observed Series)

Every observed stage and flow reading at every NWS river gauge, at each gauge's own reporting interval (usually 15 minutes, 5 at some): stage in feet and flow in cubic feet per second.

NOAA NWPSInfrastructure data ERCOT market CAISO market NYISO market PJM market SPP market MISO market ISO-NE market

Query with the agent

Native record

river gauge x observed reading

15-minute publication cadence

Evidence

Observed market data

Published observations from the named source

Time basis

Point-in-time records

UTC · observed_at

Overview

This is the complete observed record; the 15-minute gauge snapshots keep only the latest reading at each snapshot and miss readings from gauges that transmit in batches. Flow is the physical driver of hydroelectric output, and a gauge upstream of a dam leads the plant by the river's travel time. Stage is relative to each gauge's own datum and is not comparable between gauges; flow is. Source: NOAA National Water Prediction Service.

Query contract

Keep one row per (lid, observed_at); take argMax(value, ingested_at) where a reading was loaded twice.

Analysis rules

Compare flow_cfs across gauges, never stage_ft: stage is relative to each gauge's own datum.
Reporting intervals differ by gauge; resample to a common step before comparing gauges.

Interpretation

A gauge near a plant is not necessarily on the plant's river. Name the gauge and the distance rather than asserting the plant's inflow.
Readings are provisional and can be revised by the operating agency.

Access

Query from your own tools

Use the guarded HTTP endpoint directly, or connect an MCP client and load the dataset contract with describe_data before calling query_data.

ERCOT MCP CAISO MCP NYISO MCP PJM MCP SPP MCP MISO MCP ISO-NE MCP BPA MCP API reference

HTTP endpoint

POST /api/v1/datasets/nwps_observations/query

Schema5

Column

Type

lidLowCardinality(String)

observed_atDateTime64(6, 'UTC')

stage_ftNullable(Float64)

flow_cfsNullable(Float64)

ingested_atDateTime64(6, 'UTC')

Sample data

lid	observed_at	stage_ft	flow_cfs	ingested_at
BNEM5	2026-09-19 17:45:00.000000	1.83	∅	2026-09-19 17:35:53.957283
PILM5	2026-09-19 17:45:00.000000	1.52	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:06.664609
RCOM5	2026-09-19 17:45:00.000000	1.93	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:41.042682
PVHC1	2026-09-19 17:36:00.000000	6.03	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:29.537807
NAGN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	-0.85	∅	2026-09-19 17:42:56.319863
NADV2	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	2.16	∅	2026-09-19 17:42:56.319863
NELN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	-0.33	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:08.848408
NNRN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	3.18	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:20.329670
NSFN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	6.44	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:20.329670
PKCN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	5.19	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:06.664609
POIN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	0.15	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:18.426324
PCKN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	-0.38	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:54.742681
PGHN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	1.67	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:54.742681
PGBN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	9.14	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:54.742681
NTAN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	-0.24	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:20.329670
OIBN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	1.75	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:32.157220
OKRS1	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	4.57	∅	2026-09-19 17:43:32.157220
PSUV2	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	1.41	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:29.537807
PWET2	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	0	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:29.537807
QUCN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	0.42	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:29.537807
RBDN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	1.28	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:29.537807
WMWN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	7.1	∅	2026-09-19 17:48:30.680019
WOOM2	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	235.9	∅	2026-09-19 17:48:30.680019
WRPN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	15.46	∅	2026-09-19 17:48:30.680019
RCLN7	2026-09-19 17:35:00.000000	3.34	∅	2026-09-19 17:44:41.042682

Coverage

100.0% complete0 gap days31 days with data

Show coverage history

Coverage: 100.0%Days with data: 31Gaps: 0

2026

gaplessmore

Related infrastructure data

Related infrastructure data
Dataset	Description
River Forecasts (Official Hydrographs)NOAA NWPS · hourly (as issued)	The official River Forecast Center hydrograph at every NWS forecast point, one row per issuance and valid time: forecast stage in feet and flow in cubic feet per second, typically six-hourly steps several days ahead. Every issuance is kept, so the latest issued_at at or before a moment is the forecast as it stood then, and comparing issuances shows how a crest forecast moved. Flow forecast at a gauge upstream of a dam is a forecast of the plant's water; a crest above flood stage is a forecast of riverside exposure. Source: NOAA National Water Prediction Service.
River Gauge Registry (Flood Thresholds)NOAA NWPS · daily	The reference record for every NWS river gauge, refreshed daily: whether its flood thresholds are rated on stage or flow, the action, minor, moderate, and major thresholds, the low-water line, the USGS site number where USGS runs the gauge, whether it is an official forecast point, and the county, state, and River Forecast Center. Join it to the gauge snapshots on lid to express a reading as distance from flood stage, and use the USGS site number to reach 15-minute discharge history. Source: NOAA National Water Prediction Service.
River Gauges (Stage, Flow, Flood Status)NOAA NWPS · 15-minute snapshot	Every river gauge the National Weather Service tracks, about 12,900 nationwide, snapshotted every 15 minutes: the latest observed stage in feet, flow in cubic feet per second, the NWS flood category (normal, action, minor, moderate, major, or low water), and, at the roughly one gauge in five that is a forecast point, the crest of the official River Forecast Center forecast with its time and flood category. Streamflow is the physical driver of hydroelectric output, low water and warm rivers constrain thermal-plant cooling, and a river at flood stage marks substation and line exposure, so the gauges are a grid signal wherever a market has hydro or riverside infrastructure. Stage is measured against each gauge's own datum and is not comparable between gauges; flow is. Source: NOAA National Water Prediction Service.
BPA Anemometer TowersBPA · daily	BPA's anemometer towers with coordinates, elevation and sensor heights, active and retired.