Missouri River at St. Charles water level

Name: Missouri River at St. Charles 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, Missouri River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

13.85ft Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 79,400 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.30 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 07:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:16 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Missouri River at St. Charles, where the gauge shows 13.85 ft.

It is 11.15 ft below the flood stage of 25.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.18 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.30 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 07:00 PM. There is still 11.15 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 13.56 ft – 13.87 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 40.11 ftJune 24, 1844
Lowest on record: 3.20 ftDecember 24, 1963
Forecast peak: 13.90 ftSunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 25.00 ft.

What happens at each level

42.20 ft: This is the approximate minimum level of protection provided by the Monarch levee protecting Chesterfield Valley. Since this gage is affected by Mississippi River backwater, the actual level of overtopping may be higher.
38.00 ft: Floor of the gage house.
37.00 ft: Residences north of St. Charles become cut off near this height.
36.00 ft: Major flooding begins. The levee at the Highway 370 bridge is overtopped.
35.00 ft: The levee at the Highway 370 bridge overtops near this height. Missouri State Route F northwest of Defiance along Femme Osage Creek will be closed near this height.
34.50 ft: Missouri Highway 94 near Route H will be closed in both directions near this height.
33.00 ft: Up to 7 non-Federal levees are overtopped. (USACE)
32.50 ft: The west end of Greens Bottom Road floods. This road connects Pittman Hill Road and Jungs Station Road south of 94.
32.00 ft: Near this height, Missouri Bottom Road begins flooding between Prouhet Farm Road and Aubuchon Road.
30.70 ft: Near this height, the base of the Lewis and Clark Boat House will begin flooding.
28.00 ft: Near this height, Aubuchon Road and Charbonier Road begin flooding between Teson Road and Riverwood Estates Boulevard.
27.00 ft: The Katy Trail begins flooding near this height along Hawning Road, about 2 miles north northeast of the Highway 370 bridge.
13.85 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 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.11 ft	June 24, 1844
2	40.04 ft	August 2, 1993
3	37.50 ft	October 7, 1986
4	37.30 ft	July 20, 1951
5	36.80 ft	June 7, 1903
6	36.60 ft	May 22, 1943
7	36.50 ft	April 29, 1944
8	36.50 ft	May 21, 1995
9	36.40 ft	April 26, 1973
10	35.91 ft	May 5, 2017

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.24 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 59° 41° – Wind 8 mph

18 Sun 64° 42° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 71° 41° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 73° 53° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 74° 53° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 77° 56° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 78° 57° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at GlasgowRiver gauge, Missouri River	14.66 ft	Below flood stage	−0.62 ft	131 mi
Missouri River at BoonvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.69 ft	123 mi
Missouri River at Jefferson CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.75 ft	93 mi
Missouri River at HermannRiver gauge, Missouri River	8.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.58 ft	52 mi
Missouri River at WashingtonRiver gauge, Missouri River	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	33 mi
Missouri River near LabadieRiver gauge, Missouri River	75,000 cfs	Normal	−800.0 cfs	25 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cowmire Creek at BridgetonRiver gauge, Cowmire Creek	0.9 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	2.6 mi
Fee Fee Creek near BridgetonRiver gauge, Fee Fee Creek	1.7 cfs	Normal	−3.9 cfs	4.3 mi
Creve Coeur Creek near Creve CoeurRiver gauge, Creve Coeur Creek	5.4 cfs	Normal	−1.3 cfs	7 mi
Dardenne Creek at Old Town St. PetersRiver gauge, Dardenne Creek	1.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	8 mi
Creve Coeur Creek at ChesterfieldRiver gauge, Creve Coeur Creek	0.6 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	10 mi
Denny Creek at LadueRiver gauge, Denny Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	11 mi
Mill Creek near FlorissantRiver gauge, Mill Creek	0.3 cfs	Normal	±0	11 mi
Caulks Creek at ChesterfieldRiver gauge, Caulks Creek	8.1 cfs	Normal	−1.7 cfs	11 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Missouri River at St. Charles?

The official flood stage is 25.00 ft. The level is currently 11.15 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 Missouri River at St. Charles today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT, the water level was 13.85 ft. Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at St. Charles rising or falling?

Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River at St. Charles normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Missouri River at St. Charles?

The highest level on record is 40.11 ft on June 24, 1844. The lowest is 3.20 ft on December 24, 1963.

Is Missouri River at St. Charles expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.30 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 07:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06935965 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.78719, -90.47181 (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	13.85 ft	2026-10-18 20:00	Provisional
Flow	79,400 cfs	2026-10-18 20:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at St. Charles (usgs:06935965). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/missouri-river-at-st-charles

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