Thanks to relatively cool June temperatures, recent flow conditions on the North Fork Kern have been entirely consistent with those we experienced in the last three large snowpack years: 2011, 2017 & 2019. There was nothing extraordinary about river flows on June 15, 2023. The chart above was created with USGS flow data.
Noncommercial whitewater boaters are extremely sensitive to river conditions when choosing what sections of river to run, if any, given river conditions and their personal skill levels. We’ve had a fantastic safety record over the decades, but accidents can always happen — in high water years or low.