White Salmon River level at Husum
Washington · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 14123500 — WHITE SALMON RIVER NEAR UNDERWOOD, WA · NWS forecast point UNDW1
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Too low for most boats — rocky and technical
At 432 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest 5% of the 106 years USGS has recorded for this date (1916–2026), at 73% of the 588 CFS median.
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Flow history at Husum
Daily values from USGS 14123500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for UNDW1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Husum
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 14.94 ft | 20,100 CFS | Feb 9, 1996 |
| 12.85 ft | 15,300 CFS | Jan 15, 1974 |
| 11.31 ft | 12,400 CFS | Feb 20, 1982 |
| 10.21 ft | 9,980 CFS | Dec 14, 1977 |
| 9.75 ft | 10,300 CFS | Dec 26, 1980 |
| 9.74 ft | 9,640 CFS | Dec 23, 1964 |
| 9.34 ft | 8,250 CFS | Dec 4, 1975 |
| 9.28 ft | 8,360 CFS | Jan 21, 1972 |
| 9.18 ft | 8,160 CFS | Dec 21, 1972 |
| 9.10 ft | 8,000 CFS | Jan 23, 1970 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About White Salmon River at Husum
USGS publishes this station as White Salmon River near Underwood, downstream of the Husum reach, and its daily record reaches back to November 1912. The published statistics span 1916 to 2026, about 106 years, which makes the seasonal comparison on this page one of the best supported on the site.
The February 1996 event is the one worth understanding. The instantaneous peak reached 45,200 CFS on 8 February while the daily mean for the following day was 15,400 CFS. A flood that is three times its own daily average came and went inside a day. The record low daily mean is 158 CFS, from January 1950, and the monthly medians run from 593 CFS in October to 1,510 in May.
White Salmon River at Husum — common questions
6 questions
Why is the peak flow so much higher than the record daily flow?
Because they measure different things. The annual peak of 45,200 CFS on 8 February 1996 is an instantaneous reading at the top of the crest. The record daily mean of 15,400 CFS is a 24 hour average. On a small, steep basin like this one the gap between the two tells you the flood passed quickly rather than sustained itself, and a gauge check an hour either side of the peak would have shown a very different river.
How long is the record here?
Long. The daily series begins on 1 November 1912 and USGS publishes statistics from 1916 to 2026, roughly 106 years, with 105 annual peaks on file. That is deeper history than most gauges on this site carry, so the normal this page compares against is a well established one rather than a short sample.
How well does the Sandy at Oxbow predict this gauge?
Reasonably, given 40.5 miles and a mountain range's worth of difference between them. On 27,258 shared days since 1912 the correlation is 0.743 and this gauge runs at a median of about two thirds of the Sandy's flow. Both drain the Cascades and both respond to the same Pacific systems, which is why the November to February pattern looks similar on each.
How fast can White Salmon River at Husum come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is White Salmon River at Husum high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 588 CFS, from 106 years of record (1916–2026). Today sits in the lowest 5% of those years, at 73% 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 14123500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for UNDW1 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.