Colorado River at Lees Ferry water level

Name: Colorado River at Lees Ferry 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, Colorado River, Arizona, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

8.10ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 PM MST (1 hour ago)

Flow: 7,970 cfs
Water temperature: 67 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Colorado River at Lees Ferry, where the gauge shows 8.10 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 7.07 ft – 8.14 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns. The water temperature at the gauge is 67 °F.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 31.50 ftJuly 7, 1884

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	31.50 ft	July 7, 1884
2	26.50 ft	June 18, 1921
3	21.15 ft	June 12, 1952
4	21.14 ft	June 12, 1957
5	20.51 ft	May 17, 1941
6	20.35 ft	July 1, 1927
7	13.84 ft	November 20, 2012
8	13.59 ft	March 6, 2008
9	13.55 ft	November 22, 2004
10	11.57 ft	July 7, 2011

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 72° 58° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 78° 53° 0.02 in Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 76° 56° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 80° 61° – Wind 16 mph

22 Thu 78° 62° 0.14 in, 73% Wind 22 mph

23 Fri 68° 56° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 69° 55° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 06:38 AM Sunset 05:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the Colorado River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Colorado River at PotashRiver gauge, Colorado River	3,350 cfs	Normal	−490.0 cfs	155 mi
Colorado River at Gypsum Canyon near HiteRiver gauge, Colorado River	29.28 ft	No reference yet	−0.84 ft	115 mi
Colorado River above Dirty Devil River near HiteRiver gauge, Colorado River	3,569.68 ft	Very low	−0.04 ft	97 mi
Colorado River near Grand CanyonRiver gauge, Colorado River	7,980 cfs	Normal	−250.0 cfs	60 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Paria River at Lees FerryRiver gauge, Paria River	9.6 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	0.7 mi
Lake Powell at Glen Canyon DamReservoir, Lake Powell	3,523.00 ft	Very low	+0.20 ft	8 mi
Lake PowellLake	3,520.31 ft	Very low		21 mi
Paria River near Kanab, UtahRiver gauge, Paria River	3.5 cfs	Normal	−0.2 cfs	24 mi

Questions and answers

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 Colorado River at Lees Ferry today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 PM MST, the water level was 8.10 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Colorado River at Lees Ferry rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Colorado River at Lees Ferry normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Colorado River at Lees Ferry?

The highest level on record is 31.50 ft on July 7, 1884.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09380000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 36.86433, -111.58787 (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	8.10 ft	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional
Flow	7,970 cfs	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional
Water temperature	67 °F	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Colorado River at Lees Ferry (usgs:09380000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arizona/colorado-river-at-lees-ferry

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