USGS Streamgage 11136800
Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA
Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA is USGS streamgage 11136800 in California, monitoring river discharge in hydrologic subbasin 18060007. It sits on the Cuyama River, alongside 2 other gauges Rivermatics tracks on the same river. It drains a watershed of about 886 square miles. Discharge records at this site go back to 1904. Typical flow runs near 0.4 cfs in July and 3.6 cfs in April, with the higher of the two arriving in April. Rivermatics issues a daily machine-learned flow outlook for this gauge, reaching 14 days ahead.
View live conditions & forecast →
Gauge details
- State
- California
- Drainage area
- 886 sq mi
- Gauge elevation
- 743 ft
- Subbasin (HUC-8)
- 18060007
- Coordinates
- 35.02191, -120.22845
- USGS site number
- 11136800
- Records begin
- 1904-03-12 (122 years)
- Rivermatics forecast
- 14-day flow outlook
14-day flow forecast
Based on observations through for Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA. Each day carries a median estimate and the band the model expects the flow to fall within — not a single number to plan against. Forecasts are re-issued daily; see the live screen for the current outlook.
| Date | Low p10 | Expected p50 | High p90 | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | ||
| 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
All values in cubic feet per second (cfs). Estimates only — do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision.
Typical flow by month
Long-term daily discharge percentiles from the USGS record (up to 67 years of data), averaged within each month. These describe the historical normal range — they are not a forecast and not today's reading.
| Month | Low p10 | Typical p50 | High p90 | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.7 | 49.9 | |
| February | 0 | 2.6 | 155.7 | |
| March | 0 | 5.1 | 197.7 | |
| April | 0 | 3.6 | 68.2 | |
| May | 0 | 1.6 | 18.3 | |
| June | 0 | 0.7 | 9.5 | |
| July | 0 | 0.4 | 4 | |
| August | 0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | |
| September | 0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | |
| October | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | |
| November | 0 | 0 | 2.6 | |
| December | 0 | 0.1 | 10.3 |
All values in cubic feet per second (cfs).
Common questions
- When does Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA normally run highest?
- March, on the long-term record. The median daily flow that month is about 5.1 cfs, against 0 cfs in October, the lowest month. These are historical normals for the date, not a forecast and not today's reading.
- What is a normal flow for Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA?
- It depends on the month. In January, half of days historically fall near 0.7 cfs, with the middle 80% of days between 0 and 49.9 cfs. The month-by-month table on this page gives the full range.
- How long has Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA been measured?
- Discharge records at USGS site 11136800 begin in 1904, about 122 years, covering roughly 9,130 days of published daily values. The long record is what makes the monthly percentiles on this page meaningful.
- Is there a flow forecast for Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA?
- Yes. Rivermatics trains a machine-learned model — a temporal-fusion transformer — on this basin's observed flows, weather, and snowpack, and issues a daily flow outlook reaching 14 days ahead: a median estimate inside a confidence band, not a single number to bet on. Every forecast is scored against days the model never trained on, and that track record is published on the live gauge screen. Open live conditions to see the current outlook.
- Where is Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA?
- The gauge sits at 35.02191, -120.22845, in California, in hydrologic subbasin 18060007, at an elevation of about 743 feet, draining roughly 886 square miles.
- Can I use Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA data for flood or safety decisions?
- No. Rivermatics provides estimates, not guarantees, and the readings and forecasts here may be delayed, inaccurate, or wrong. Do not use them for navigation or for any safety, rescue, or emergency decision. Check the National Weather Service and USGS directly, and use your own judgment.
Upstream and downstream on the Cuyama River
Every gauge Rivermatics tracks on this river, ordered by drainage area — upstream first. See the Cuyama River in full.
- Cuyama River near Ventucopa, CA 90 sq mi
- Cuyama River near New Cuyama, CA 739 sq mi
- Cuyama River below Buckhorn Cyn near Santa Maria, CA this page