Embarras River at Lawrenceville water level

Name: Embarras River at Lawrenceville water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Embarras River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

16.73ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 10:45 AM CDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 79.7 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The Embarras River at Lawrenceville is running below normal at 16.73 ft.

The median for mid-October is 17.52 ft, based on 23 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.79 ft below typical. It is 13.27 ft below the flood stage of 30.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 16.57 ft, a difference of +0.16 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 16.72 ft and 17.21 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 17.52 ft0.79 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 16.28 ft – 22.57 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (23 years of records)
Same day last year: 16.57 ft+0.16 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 16.72 ft – 17.21 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 16.50 ft – 33.68 ft
Highest on record: 42.61 ftJune 10, 2008

Floating and fishing near Embarras River at Lawrenceville

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 30.00 ft, 13.27 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

47.00 ft: Water overtops some levees in the area.
44.00 ft: 4th Street is inundated in Lawrenceville. 11-12 families evacuated.
43.00 ft: Old U.S. Route 50 is inundated from 3 miles west of Vincennes.
41.30 ft: 4th Street covered between State and Jefferson. The intersection between 4th and Cedar inundated. 3rd Street completely inundated.
41.00 ft: Old railroad grade north of Lawrenceville completely covered.
40.00 ft: 10th Street and parts of 3rd Street in Lawrenceville are inundated.
37.00 ft: The road across Poteet Bridge floods. Some houses are isolated.
36.00 ft: Billet-Vincennes River road is inundated.
33.00 ft: Kelly's Lake Lane, 1160N, is inundated.
30.00 ft: Minor agricultural flooding begins.
16.73 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 29 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	42.61 ft	June 10, 2008
2	41.61 ft	May 16, 2002
3	40.82 ft	April 30, 2011
4	40.73 ft	January 8, 2005
5	40.64 ft	May 8, 2017
6	40.29 ft	January 1, 2016
7	38.99 ft	April 27, 2013
8	38.95 ft	April 8, 2025
9	37.71 ft	January 16, 2020
10	37.22 ft	February 15, 2009

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.20 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 36° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 69° 39° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 71° 43° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 73° 49° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 75° 52° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 76° 54° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 76° 53° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:03 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 51%

Map

Other gauges on the Embarras River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Embarras River near CamargoRiver gauge, Embarras River	3.32 ft	Normal	−0.15 ft	79 mi
Embarras River at Ste. MarieRiver gauge, Embarras River	0.87 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	24 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Wabash River at Memorial Bridge at VincennesRiver gauge, Wabash River	4.83 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	8 mi
White River at HazletonRiver gauge, White River	2.25 ft	Below flood stage	+0.07 ft	17 mi
Wabash River at RivertonRiver gauge, Wabash River	5.31 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	21 mi
Busseron Creek near CarlisleRiver gauge, Busseron Creek	1.68 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	22 mi
Wabash River at Mount CarmelRiver gauge, Wabash River	4.12 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	23 mi
White River near EdwardsportRiver gauge, White River	4.88 ft	Below flood stage	+0.10 ft	23 mi
Patoka River near PrincetonRiver gauge, Patoka River	3.17 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	24 mi
North Fork Embarras River near OblongRiver gauge, North Fork Embarras River	2.14 ft	Normal	+0.08 ft	25 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Embarras River at Lawrenceville higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.16 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 16.57 ft.

What is flood stage for the Embarras River at Lawrenceville?

The official flood stage is 30.00 ft. The level is currently 13.27 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Embarras River at Lawrenceville in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 17.52 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 16.28 ft and 22.57 ft, based on 23 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Embarras River at Lawrenceville today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 10:45 AM CDT, the water level was 16.73 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Embarras River at Lawrenceville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Embarras River at Lawrenceville normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03346500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.72381, -87.66436 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	16.73 ft	2026-10-18 15:45	Provisional
Flow	79.7 cfs	2026-10-18 15:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Embarras River at Lawrenceville (usgs:03346500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/embarras-river-at-lawrenceville

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer