Skagit River near Mount Vernon, WA

North Cascades & Puget Sound · USGS gauge 12200500 · Updated Oct 24, 2:37 PM PDT · USGS data, provisional

All 2 Skagit River gauges in Washington

Fishable/Floatable6,940 cfs● steady (-8% in 24 h)

Reading time: Oct 24, 2:15 PM PDT · Provisional data

Flow is in a typical range for the date. Rivers are generally easiest to fish and float when they are near their normal flow, but this status says nothing about water clarity, hatches, hazards such as wood in the river, or dam releases.

Vs. normal for this date
16th percentile
Typical range (25th–75th)
8,320–17,100 cfs
Median for this date
11,900 cfs
7-day low / high
6,940 / 8,440 cfs

Plain-language explanation

Skagit River near Mount Vernon is flowing at 6,940 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Oct 24, 2:15 PM PDT. That is on the low side for this time of year: lower than about 84% of the daily flows this gauge has recorded for this date (give or take 7 days) over 87 years of record (1940–2026).

The middle half of those historical flows runs from 8,320 to 17,100 cfs, with a median of 11,900 cfs; the lowest 10% of days are at or below 6,196 cfs and the highest 10% at or above 24,840 cfs.

Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (-7.8%). In the last 7 days it ranged from 6,940 to 8,440 cfs.

Regulated flow: upstream dams or diversions influence this gauge, so the “normal range” above reflects managed flows and can differ from natural river behavior.

Why this status: Flow is within the range this gauge normally sees at this time of year (or the deviation is too small in absolute terms to matter).

Quick answers

Is the Skagit River near Mount Vernon fishable today?

Flowcast's status for the Skagit River near Mount Vernon is “Fishable/Floatable”: flow is 6,940 cfs, within the range this gauge normally sees at this time of year, at the 16th percentile for this date (as of Oct 24, 2:15 PM PDT). That describes flow only. It says nothing about water clarity, temperature, fish activity, access or fishing regulations.

What is the current flow of the Skagit River near Mount Vernon?

6,940 cubic feet per second at USGS gauge 12200500 as of Oct 24, 2:15 PM PDT, provisional data.

Is the Skagit River near Mount Vernon too high or too low right now?

Neither: it is inside the typical range for the date (8,320 to 17,100 cfs).

Is the Skagit River near Mount Vernon rising or falling?

Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (-7.8%).

What is a normal flow for the Skagit River near Mount Vernon in October?

For this date (give or take 7 days) the median is 11,900 cfs and the middle half of days runs 8,320 to 17,100 cfs, over 87 years of USGS record.

7-day trend

typical range for this date (25th-75th pct)6,7157,2027,6908,1788,665Sun 10/18Mon 10/19Tue 10/20Wed 10/21Thu 10/22Fri 10/23Sat 10/24

Hourly flow in cfs, Pacific time. The shaded band is the typical range (25th–75th percentile) for this date, shown when it falls within the chart.

Day (Pacific)Mean cfsPercentileStatus that day
Sun Oct 187,26025thFishable/Floatable
Mon Oct 197,14923rdFishable/Floatable
Tue Oct 207,45424thFishable/Floatable
Wed Oct 217,53524thFishable/Floatable
Thu Oct 227,73524thFishable/Floatable
Fri Oct 237,78423rdFishable/Floatable
Sat Oct 24 (so far)7,02817thFishable/Floatable

Seasonal context

1,0002,0005,00010,00020,00050,000100,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Shaded band: 10th–90th percentile of daily flows through the year; dashed line: median. Log scale. Dot: today's flow. Based on 87 years of USGS daily data (1940–2026).

Guide, outfitter or fly shop on this river? List your service on Flowcast (free early listings, launching).

Official resources

Agency notices that mention this river

  • “Cascade River to open seven days per week to fishing, and temporary closure implemented in a portion of the Skagit River” (WDFW emergency rules)

Copied from the WDFW emergency rules page as of Oct 24, 2:40 PM PDT. They match on the river's name only and may concern a different stretch. Open the page for the details.

Links go to the agencies' own websites and were checked as working. Flowcast does not summarize fishing or boating rules: regulations and closures change, and the agency pages are the authority.

About this gauge

USGS site
USGS-12200500
USGS name
Skagit River Near Mount Vernon, Wa
Drainage area
3,093 sq mi
Location
48.4448, -122.3354
Record in this analysis
1940–2026

Typical uses

steelheadsalmondrift boat

Notes: Lower Skagit; flows are partly regulated by upstream dams. (Hand-written general note, not from USGS data.)

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Readings are provisional and subject to revision. Flowcast statuses are automated comparisons with each gauge's own history, not safety ratings or fishing reports. Check local conditions, weather, regulations and closures before you go. Rivers can change quickly.

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