About this river
Potomac River is a 7.5 mile river near Valley Mill Kayak School in Maryland. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Potomac River near Wash, DC Little Falls Pump Sta (site 01646500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 8. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1930 to 2026
Potomac River typically runs highest in March, at a median 15,700 cfs, and lowest in September, at 2,295 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 426,000 cfs, in 1936.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9,260 | 5,250 to 15,700 | |
| February | 11,900 | 7,040 to 19,900 | |
| March | 15,700 | 10,100 to 26,100 | |
| April | 14,300 | 8,925 to 23,100 | |
| May | 11,200 | 6,720 to 18,500 | |
| June | 5,880 | 4,075 to 9,195 | |
| July | 3,610 | 2,380 to 5,920 | |
| August | 2,810 | 1,810 to 4,670 | |
| September | 2,295 | 1,440 to 4,155 | |
| October | 2,510 | 1,590 to 5,070 | |
| November | 3,645 | 2,305 to 8,010 | |
| December | 7,390 | 3,770 to 13,800 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 96 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Potomac River near Wash, DC Little Falls Pump Sta (site 01646500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Potomac River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
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