Cache la Poudre River level at Fort Collins
Colorado · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 06752260 — CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER AT FORT COLLINS, CO · NWS forecast point POUC2
Reading taken · as of 13 min ago
Right around its normal summer float level
At 9.1 CFS, this gauge is inside the middle half of the 51 years USGS has recorded for this date (1975–2026), at 61% of the 15 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Fort Collins
National Weather Service categories for gauge POUC2, WFO BOU. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 12.0 ft
- 12.0 ft College Avenue (U.S. Highway 287) is overtopped north of the Cache La Poudre River Bridge and the flow is directed along East Vine past Redwood Street. Water inundates businesses along East Prospect Road and East Mulberry Street.
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Moderate flood 11.0 ft · 7,411 CFS
- 11.8 ft There is a 2 percent chance in any given year of reaching a flood of this magnitude.
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Minor flood 10.0 ft · 6,076 CFS
- 10.5 ft Water inundates businesses along the east side of North College Avenue, East Vine Drive, and East Lincoln Avenue. Structures flood on the south side of East Mulberry Street along the river. The river also begins to impact structures along East Prospect Road.
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Action 8.5 ft · 4,333 CFS
- 8.5 ft The Cache La Poudre River is out of its banks in and near Fort Collins. Water will flow onto bike paths in low lying areas.
- Right now 0.50 ft
Flow history at Fort Collins
Daily values from USGS 06752260, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for POUC2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Fort Collins
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 11.56 ft | 8,140 CFS | Sep 13, 2013 |
| 10.46 ft | 7,710 CFS | Apr 30, 1999 |
| 9.54 ft | 5,860 CFS | May 31, 2014 |
| 9.27 ft | 4,570 CFS | Jun 12, 2010 |
| 8.49 ft | 4,420 CFS | Jun 12, 2015 |
| 7.88 ft | 3,220 CFS | Jun 9, 2011 |
| 7.22 ft | 3,290 CFS | Jun 9, 1997 |
| 7.21 ft | 2,990 CFS | Jun 12, 2016 |
| 7.05 ft | 2,850 CFS | May 27, 2017 |
| 6.80 ft | 2,750 CFS | May 23, 2021 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins
In Colorado — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Poudre Canyon and the whitewater park; 2013 flood legacy.
Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins — common questions
3 questions
Does rain upstream change Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins 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 Cache la Poudre River at Fort Collins high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 15 CFS, from 51 years of record (1975–2026). Today sits inside the middle half of those years, at 61% of the median. 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 06752260 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for POUC2 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.