Calgary river flows - historical data
The City of Calgary collects data of river flows on the Bow and Elbow River. Information on this page provides a historical look at river flows.
Historical flow rates for the Bow and Elbow Rivers
The term 1-in-100 refers to the probability of flooding, meaning there is a one percent chance in any given year that it may flood to the level we saw in 2013.
Below are the annual return period (probability of occurring) flow rates.
| Return period (in years) | Probability of occurrence in any given year (%) | Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s) | Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s) | Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s) | Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Return period (in years):
2 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
50% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
74 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
74 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
208 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
271 |
|
Return period (in years):
5 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
20% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
167 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
377 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
489 |
|
Return period (in years):
10 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
10% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
262 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
595 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
745 |
|
Return period (in years):
20 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
5% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
268 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
745 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
895 |
|
Return period (in years):
50 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
2% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
303 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
1217 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
1367 |
|
Return period (in years):
100 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
1% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
369 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
1710 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
1860 |
|
Return period (in years):
200 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
0.5% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
690 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
150 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
2435 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
2585 |
|
Return period (in years):
500 |
Probability of occurrence in any given year (%):
0.2% |
Elbow River above Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
1240 |
Elbow River below Glenmore Dam (m3/s):
901 |
Bow River above Elbow River (m3/s):
3615 |
Bow River below Elbow River (m3/s):
4015 |
History of maximum flows
Bow River (above the Elbow River)
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Elbow River (below Glenmore Dam)
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Elbow River (above Glenmore Dam)
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