Washita River level at Foss
Oklahoma · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07324400 — Washita River near Foss, OK · NWS forecast point FBFO2
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 2.6 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest quarter of the 62 years USGS has recorded for this date (1962–2026), at 44% of the 6.0 CFS median.
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Flow history at Foss
Daily values from USGS 07324400, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for FBFO2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Foss
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 23.40 ft | — | May 1, 1959 |
| 22.02 ft | 5,540 CFS | May 23, 2015 |
| 21.56 ft | 1,350 CFS | Oct 3, 1986 |
| 21.24 ft | 2,990 CFS | Sep 15, 1996 |
| 20.40 ft | 14,000 CFS | Apr 19, 1957 |
| 20.01 ft | 1,360 CFS | Aug 2, 1995 |
| 19.74 ft | 3,010 CFS | Aug 26, 1969 |
| 19.67 ft | 2,280 CFS | May 7, 2007 |
| 19.36 ft | 2,060 CFS | May 26, 2019 |
| 19.18 ft | 1,480 CFS | Jun 11, 1983 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Washita River at Foss
A 1,526 square mile basin that typically carries about seven CFS. The published monthly medians here run from 6.2 CFS in September and October to 13 in June, and that is the entire seasonal range: on most days this station below Foss Reservoir is passing a trickle. The extremes are what the basin can do when it is not being held back, 4,900 CFS on 19 April 1957 and zero on 20 May 1956.
The stage record and the flow record disagree about which event was biggest, and the disagreement is instructive. The largest annual peak is 14,000 CFS at 20.4 feet in April 1957. The highest stage on the NWS crest list is 23.4 feet, from May 1959. And the May 2015 peak of 5,540 CFS, less than half the 1957 flow, crested higher at 22.02 feet. The same discharge does not produce the same stage here across seventy years.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Foss Reservoir. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Washita River at Foss — common questions
6 questions
Why is the typical flow so low for such a large drainage?
The station sits below Foss Reservoir, so the number is a release rather than runoff from 1,526 square miles. The published medians, 6.2 to 13 CFS across the year, describe the release pattern. The daily statistics window is 1962 to 2026, about 62 years, and the daily series itself opens in March 1956.
Are flood stages published for this gauge?
No. The NWS forecast point here has no action, minor, moderate or major stages defined, so the page shows no flood ladder. Twelve historical crests are on file, topped by 23.4 feet on 1 May 1959, 22.02 feet in May 2015 and 21.56 feet in October 1986.
What does the comparison with the North Fork Red mean?
Less than the correlation alone suggests. Over 14,268 shared days since October 1977 the two gauges correlate at 0.52, and this one runs at a median of about 23 times the North Fork Red at Altus Dam. A ratio that large means the two are operating at completely different scales, and a moderate correlation between them mostly reflects shared regional weather rather than any useful predictive link.
How do releases from Foss Reservoir 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 Washita River at Foss high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 6.0 CFS, from 62 years of record (1962–2026). Today sits in the lowest quarter of those years, at 44% 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 07324400 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for FBFO2 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.