Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake, WA
Southwest Washington · USGS gauge 14242580 · Updated Oct 24, 2:37 PM PDT · USGS data, provisional
Reading time: Oct 24, 1:45 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
- 25th percentile
- Typical range (25th–75th)
- 468–1,432 cfs
- Median for this date
- 701 cfs
- 7-day low / high
- 284 / 482 cfs
Plain-language explanation
Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake is flowing at 469 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Oct 24, 1:45 PM PDT. That is in the normal range for this time of year: lower than about 75% of the daily flows this gauge has recorded for this date (give or take 7 days) over 46 years of record (1981–2026).
The middle half of those historical flows runs from 468 to 1,432 cfs, with a median of 701 cfs; the lowest 10% of days are at or below 362 cfs and the highest 10% at or above 2,509 cfs.
Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (-1.5%). In the last 7 days it ranged from 284 to 482 cfs.
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 Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake fishable today?
Flowcast's status for the Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake is “Fishable/Floatable”: flow is 469 cfs, within the range this gauge normally sees at this time of year, at the 25th percentile for this date (as of Oct 24, 1:45 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 Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake?
469 cubic feet per second at USGS gauge 14242580 as of Oct 24, 1:45 PM PDT, provisional data.
Is the Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake too high or too low right now?
Neither: it is inside the typical range for the date (468 to 1,432 cfs).
Is the Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake rising or falling?
Over the last 24 hours the flow has been steady (-1.5%).
What is a normal flow for the Toutle River at Tower Road, near Silver Lake in October?
For this date (give or take 7 days) the median is 701 cfs and the middle half of days runs 468 to 1,432 cfs, over 46 years of USGS record.
7-day trend
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 cfs | Percentile | Status that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Oct 18 | 306 | 5th | Too low |
| Mon Oct 19 | 301 | 4th | Too low |
| Tue Oct 20 | 294 | 2nd | Too low |
| Wed Oct 21 | 373 | 15th | Fishable/Floatable |
| Thu Oct 22 | 465 | 27th | Fishable/Floatable |
| Fri Oct 23 | 470 | 27th | Fishable/Floatable |
| Sat Oct 24 (so far) | 460 | 24th | Fishable/Floatable |
Seasonal context
Shaded band: 10th–90th percentile of daily flows through the year; dashed line: median. Log scale. Dot: today's flow. Based on 46 years of USGS daily data (1981–2026).
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Official resources
- USGS site page for gauge 14242580 (USGS: live readings, history, station details)
- Washington fishing regulations (WDFW)
- Emergency fishing rule changes (WDFW)
- WDFW fishing and stocking reports
- Southwest Washington fishing reports (WDFW)
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-14242580
- USGS name
- Toutle River At Tower Road Near Silver Lake, Wa
- Drainage area
- 496 sq mi
- Location
- 46.3350, -122.8408
- Record in this analysis
- 1981–2026
Typical uses
Notes: Carries heavy sediment from the Mt. St. Helens area; can turn muddy quickly after rain. (Hand-written general note, not from USGS data.)
Nearby gauges
- Cowlitz River at Castle Rock, WA Fishable/Floatable 4,150 cfs · about 5 mi away (straight line)
- Lewis River at Ariel, WA Fishable/Floatable 2,550 cfs · about 30 mi away (straight line)
- Chehalis River near Grand Mound, WA Fishable/Floatable 243 cfs · about 32 mi away (straight line)
- Nisqually River near National, WA Too low 133 cfs · about 46 mi away (straight line)
- Cowlitz River at Packwood, WA Too low 242 cfs · about 59 mi away (straight line)
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