Red River near Gainesville water level

Name: Red River near Gainesville 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, Red River, Oklahoma, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

6.23ft Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 10:00 PM CDT (2 hours ago)

Flow: 695 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 16.40 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 07:00 AM. Issued Saturday, October 17 at 08:43 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Red River near Gainesville is at 6.23 ft, in the normal range.

It is 18.77 ft below the flood stage of 25.00 ft.

It has risen 0.23 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 16.40 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 07:00 AM. There is still 18.77 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 4.56 ft and 6.42 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 42.05 ftJune 19, 2015
Forecast peak: 16.40 ftTuesday, October 20 at 07:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Red River near Gainesville

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

Flood stage here is 25.00 ft, 18.77 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

43.00 ft: Extensive flooding to depths of 18 feet occurs in agricultural lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads along and near the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Floodwaters reach the sides of the U.S. Interstate Highway I-35 Bridge about 1.5 feet higher than the low chord of the bridge. River levels are about 2 feet higher than the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
42.50 ft: Extensive flooding to depths of 17.5 feet occurs in agricultural lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads along and near the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Floodwaters reach the sides of the U.S. Interstate Highway I-35 Bridge about 1 foot higher than the low chord of the bridge. River levels are about 2.5 feet higher than the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
42.00 ft: Extensive flooding to depths of 17 feet occurs in agricultural lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads along and near the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Floodwaters reach the sides of the U.S. Interstate Highway I-35 Bridge about 0.5 feet higher than the low chord of the bridge. River levels are about 2 feet higher than the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
41.50 ft: Extensive flooding to depths of 16.5 feet occurs in agricultural lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads along and near the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Floodwaters reach the low chord of the U.S. Interstate Highway I-35 Bridge. River levels are about 1.5 feet higher than the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
41.00 ft: Extensive flooding to depths of 16 feet occurs in agricultural lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads along and near the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Floodwaters begin to approach the low chord of the U.S. Interstate Highway I-35 Bridge. River levels are about 1 foot higher than the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
40.00 ft: Extensive flooding of crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads occurs along the river in Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 15 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded. Floodwaters match the levels reached by the May 31...1987 flood crest.
39.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 14 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
38.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 13 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
37.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 12 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
36.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 11 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
35.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 10 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
34.00 ft: Crop and range lands... pecan groves... oil wells... and rural roads are flooded or isolated. Low-lying fields... upstream in western Love County in Oklahoma... and Cooke County in Texas... experience overflows several hours before the crest reaches the Interstate Highway I-35 crossing north of Gainesville. Sandpit operations are affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 9 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded.
6.23 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: 17 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	42.05 ft	June 19, 2015
2	40.08 ft	May 31, 1987
3	38.27 ft	May 4, 2025
4	37.10 ft	October 24, 1983
5	36.63 ft	June 13, 1995
6	36.03 ft	June 9, 1995
7	34.98 ft	May 31, 2015
8	34.52 ft	May 22, 2015
9	33.13 ft	May 5, 1990
10	31.69 ft	May 11, 2015

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:36 AM Sunset 06:52 PM Daylight 11 hr, 16 min First quarter 46%

Map

Other gauges on the Red River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Red River near BurkburnettRiver gauge, Red River	7.45 ft	Very high	+0.09 ft	83 mi
Red River near TerralRiver gauge, Red River	13.57 ft	Very high	+2.88 ft	46 mi
Red River near CourtneyRiver gauge, Red River	19.08 ft	Very high	+6.77 ft	24 mi
Red River at Denison Dam near DenisonRiver gauge, Red River	50.6 cfs	Very low	−1.0 cfs	35 mi
Red River at Arthur CityRiver gauge, Red River	3.94 ft	Below flood stage	+1.13 ft	96 mi
Red River near De KalbRiver gauge, Red River	7.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	142 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Moss Lake near GainesvilleLake, Moss Lake	714.69 ft	Very high	−0.02 ft	4.5 mi
Elm Fk Trinity River at GainesvilleRiver gauge, Elm Fk Trinity River	1.12 ft	Low	±0	7 mi
Elm Fk Trinity River at FM 1198 near MyraRiver gauge, Elm Fk Trinity River	16.07 ft	Very high	+12.88 ft	13 mi
Timber Creek near CollinsvilleRiver gauge, Timber Creek	2.67 ft	Very low	±0	17 mi
Range Creek near CollinsvilleRiver gauge, Range Creek	2.21 ft	Very low	±0	25 mi
Ray Roberts Lake near Pilot PointLake, Ray Roberts Lake	630.86 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	27 mi
Clear Creek near SangerRiver gauge, Clear Creek	6.01 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	27 mi
Elm Fk Trinity River at Greenbelt near Pilot PointRiver gauge, Elm Fk Trinity River	7.6 cfs	Low	±0	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Red River near Gainesville?

The official flood stage is 25.00 ft. The level is currently 18.77 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 Red River near Gainesville today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 10:00 PM CDT, the water level was 6.23 ft. Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Red River near Gainesville rising or falling?

Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Red River near Gainesville normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Red River near Gainesville?

The highest level on record is 42.05 ft on June 19, 2015.

Is Red River near Gainesville expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 16.40 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07316000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.72788, -97.16001 (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	6.23 ft	2026-10-18 03:00	Provisional
Flow	695 cfs	2026-10-18 03:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/15273?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Red River near Gainesville water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Red River near Gainesville (usgs:07316000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oklahoma/red-river-near-gainesville

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