Canadian River at Purcell water level

Name: Canadian River at Purcell 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, Canadian River, Oklahoma, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.37ft Down 2.92 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 07:30 AM CDT (55 min ago)

Flow: 1,330 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 7.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM. Issued Saturday, October 17 at 07:59 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Canadian River at Purcell is at 5.37 ft, in the normal range.

It is 6.63 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

It has dropped 2.92 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 7.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 5.37 ft and 8.46 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.75 ftMay 29, 1987
Forecast peak: 7.30 ftSunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Canadian River at Purcell

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 12.00 ft, 6.63 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

16.00 ft: Record flooding to depths of 4 feet occurs over areas along and near the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to the areas south of Purcell and Lexington.
15.00 ft: Record fooding to depths of 3 feet occurs over areas along and near the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to the areas south of of Purcell and Lexington.
14.00 ft: Flooding to depths of 2 feet occurs over areas along and near the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to areas south of of Purcell and Lexington.
13.00 ft: Flooding to depths of a foot occurs over areas along and near the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to areas south of Purcell and Lexington.
12.00 ft: Shallow flooding of low-lying areas occurs near the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to areas south of Purcell and Lexington.
11.00 ft: Near bankfull levels occur along the river on the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to areas south of Purcell and Lexington.
10.00 ft: The river remains within its banks along the Cleveland-McClain County border from near Noble... to areas south of Purcell and Lexington.
5.37 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: > 95 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.75 ft	May 29, 1987
2	14.50 ft	May 19, 1982
3	14.42 ft	May 9, 1993
4	14.12 ft	August 22, 2007
5	14.00 ft	May 26, 1995
6	13.40 ft	June 10, 1995
7	13.30 ft	May 24, 2015
8	12.45 ft	May 8, 2015
9	11.88 ft	April 30, 2025
10	11.88 ft	June 5, 1995

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.47 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 40° – Wind 7 mph

18 Sun 62° 43° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 70° 45° – Wind 13 mph

20 Tue 72° 53° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 75° 55° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 79° 59° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 80° 61° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:52 PM Daylight 11 hr, 14 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the Canadian River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Canadian River at BridgeportRiver gauge, Canadian River	11.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.82 ft	66 mi
Canadian River near MustangRiver gauge, Canadian River	13.80 ft	Below flood stage	−4.07 ft	30 mi
Canadian River at NormanRiver gauge, Canadian River	87.81 ft	Below flood stage	−3.96 ft	15 mi
Canadian River at CalvinRiver gauge, Canadian River	10.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	63 mi
Canadian River near WhitefieldRiver gauge, Canadian River	80.8 cfs	Low	−239.2 cfs	120 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Walnut Creek at PurcellRiver gauge, Walnut Creek	51.8 cfs	Very high	−230.2 cfs	1.5 mi
North Criner Creek near CrinerRiver gauge, North Criner Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	±0	14 mi
Lake Thunderbird and NormanLake	1,036.99 ft	Low		16 mi
Little River below Lake Thunderbird near NormanRiver gauge, Little River	0.6 cfs	Normal	±0	16 mi
Washita River near Pauls ValleyRiver gauge, Washita River	9.11 ft	Below flood stage	+2.67 ft	19 mi
Washita River at AlexRiver gauge, Washita River	8.77 ft	Below flood stage	+1.58 ft	25 mi
Little River near TecumsehRiver gauge, Little River	3.92 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	26 mi
Shawnee Reservoir at ShawneeReservoir, Shawnee Reservoir	1,069.67 ft	Very low	+0.03 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Canadian River at Purcell?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 6.63 ft below it.

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 Canadian River at Purcell today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 07:30 AM CDT, the water level was 5.37 ft. Down 2.92 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Canadian River at Purcell rising or falling?

Down 2.92 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Canadian River at Purcell normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Canadian River at Purcell?

The highest level on record is 14.75 ft on May 29, 1987.

Is Canadian River at Purcell expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 7.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07229200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.01396, -97.34753 (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	5.37 ft	2026-10-18 12:30	Provisional
Flow	1,330 cfs	2026-10-18 12:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Canadian River at Purcell (usgs:07229200). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oklahoma/canadian-river-at-purcell

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