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Kaskaskia River at Carlyle water level

River gauge, Kaskaskia River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

5.74ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
85.1 cfs
10 20 30 Highest onrecord 33.69 ft Minor floodstage 16.50 ft

History

51015ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18Minor flood stage51015ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Minor flood stage
51015ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Minor flood stage51015ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18Minor flood stage
1020ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage1020ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
1020ftJanMarMayJulSepNov20261020ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

Low water at Kaskaskia River at Carlyle: the gauge reads 5.74 ft, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.08 ft below the median of 5.82 ft for mid-October, based on 37 years of readings. It is 10.76 ft below the flood stage of 16.50 ft. A year ago it stood at 5.83 ft (−0.09 ft).

It is on the way up, by 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 5.66 ft – 5.89 ft.

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

Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
5.82 ft0.08 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
5.67 ft – 12.94 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (37 years of records)
Same day last year
5.83 ft−0.09 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
5.66 ft – 5.89 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
5.19 ft – 20.46 ft
Highest on record
33.69 ftMay 21, 1943

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 16.50 ft.

What happens at each level

32.79 ft
Heimann levee is overtopped.
31.80 ft
Santa Fe, Hanover, and Germantown levees begin overtopping near this height.
26.80 ft
Residential flooding in Bartelso begins and backwater begins to flood Germantown sanitary sewage facilities.
23.60 ft
Near this height, wastewater treatmeant ponds along the left bank are threatened by floodwaters.
21.30 ft
Cabins on the left bank below the gage begin flooding.
20.30 ft
Township roads downstream in Covington begin flooding near this height.
18.50 ft
Near this level, the Corps will call partners to alert them to these elevated flows anticipated at or above 5000 cfs.
17.80 ft
Near this height, the left bank below the dam near the tailwater gage begins flooding. Minor flooding of park grounds begins.
16.50 ft
Near this height, downstream agricultural fields begin flooding.
5.74 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: 21 %.

RankLevelDate
133.69 ftMay 21, 1943
231.17 ftJanuary 7, 1950
331.12 ftMay 10, 1961
430.80 ftMay 9, 1908
530.56 ftJuly 2, 1957
627.86 ftApril 4, 1945
727.72 ftApril 26, 1944
827.09 ftMay 29, 1948
927.01 ftFebruary 18, 1949
1026.75 ftJuly 3, 1960

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.16 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 44° – Wind 17 mph
18 Sun 65° 39° – Wind 11 mph
19 Mon 71° 41° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 73° 51° – Wind 5 mph
21 Wed 74° 50° – Wind 5 mph
22 Thu 77° 53° – Wind 5 mph
23 Fri 77° 53° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:10 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 48%

Map

Other gauges on the Kaskaskia River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Kaskaskia River below FicklinRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.45 ft Normal +0.18 ft 97 mi
Kaskaskia River at Cooks MillsRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 1.54 ft Low +0.01 ft 84 mi
Kaskaskia River at ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 6.42 ft Normal ±0 63 mi
Kaskaskia River near CowdenRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.26 ft Normal −0.10 ft 51 mi
Kaskaskia River at VandaliaRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.98 ft Normal ±0 28 mi
Kaskaskia River near Venedy StationRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 1.44 ft Low −0.16 ft 18 mi
Kaskaskia River at New AthensRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 68.73 ft Normal +0.18 ft 35 mi
Kaskaskia River near Red BudRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 68.72 ft Normal +0.18 ft 41 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Shoal Creek near BreeseRiver gauge, Shoal Creek 1.20 ft Low −0.03 ft 7 mi
Little Crooked Creek near New MindenRiver gauge, Little Crooked Creek 5.07 ft Normal −0.22 ft 12 mi
Shoal Creek near PierronRiver gauge, Shoal Creek 42.23 ft Low −0.10 ft 14 mi
East Fork Kaskaskia River near SandovalRiver gauge, East Fork Kaskaskia River 2.43 ft Normal ±0 15 mi
Hurricane Creek near Mulberry GroveRiver gauge, Hurricane Creek 3.57 ft Normal −0.03 ft 23 mi
Silver Creek near TroyRiver gauge, Silver Creek 4.15 ft Normal −0.59 ft 26 mi
Rayse Creek near WaltonvilleRiver gauge, Rayse Creek 1.22 ft Normal −0.03 ft 30 mi
Silver Creek near FreeburgRiver gauge, Silver Creek 1.26 ft Normal +0.21 ft 31 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle compare with last year?

It is 0.09 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 5.83 ft.

What is flood stage for the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle?

The official flood stage is 16.50 ft. The level is currently 10.76 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Kaskaskia River at Carlyle in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 5.82 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 5.67 ft and 12.94 ft, based on 37 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 Kaskaskia River at Carlyle today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT, the water level was 5.74 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Kaskaskia River at Carlyle rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Kaskaskia River at Carlyle normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 37 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:05593000 (Agency page)
Coordinates
38.61028, -89.35750 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 5.74 ft 2026-10-18 08:00 Provisional
Flow 85.1 cfs 2026-10-18 08:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kaskaskia River at Carlyle (usgs:05593000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/kaskaskia-river-at-carlyle

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