Puyallup River at Puyallup water level

Name: Puyallup River at Puyallup 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, Puyallup River, Washington, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

9.93ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 01:45 PM PDT (48 min ago)

Flow: 867 cfs

History

7 days

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.23 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 11:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 08:43 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Puyallup River at Puyallup reads 9.93 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.50 ft below the median of 10.43 ft for mid-October, based on 21 years of readings. It is 16.27 ft below the flood stage of 26.20 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.23 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 11:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 9.82 ft and 9.97 ft.

Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 10.43 ft0.50 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 9.10 ft – 13.55 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
Highest on record: 34.15 ftDecember 18, 1917
Forecast peak: 9.89 ftSunday, October 18 at 11:00 AM

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 26.20 ft, still 16.27 ft away.

What happens at each level

31.00 ft: the Puyallup will cause major flooding along the lower reaches of the river from Sumner downstream to the mouth. Swift waters will overtop levees and flood much of the Puyallup Valley. Erosion with the overtopping is likely to damage levees. The Sumner sewage treatment plant may be flooded. Flooding will occur all along the river including headwaters...tributaries...and other streams within and near the Puyallup River Basin.
30.00 ft: the Puyallup will flood the lower reaches of the river from Sumner downstream to the mouth...overtopping and possibly damaging some levees.
26.20 ft: the Puyallup River will flood low-lying and flood prone areas along the river from just downstream and west of the Meridian bridge in Puyallup...upstream to the east end of Sumner.
9.93 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.15 ft	December 18, 1917
2	32.03 ft	January 23, 1919
3	31.84 ft	December 22, 1915
4	31.20 ft	March 10, 1916
5	29.93 ft	December 30, 1917
6	29.77 ft	February 9, 1996
7	29.55 ft	January 8, 2009
8	29.12 ft	November 19, 1915
9	28.62 ft	November 7, 2006
10	28.12 ft	December 13, 1916

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 60° 38° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 64° 43° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 65° 42° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 68° 43° – Wind 3 mph

22 Thu 61° 45° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 59° 42° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 51° 42° 0.45 in, 37% Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Puyallup River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Puyallup River near ElectronRiver gauge, Puyallup River	3.21 ft	Normal	−0.17 ft	25 mi
Puyallup River near OrtingRiver gauge, Puyallup River	6.00 ft	High	−0.07 ft	13 mi
Puyallup River at AldertonRiver gauge, Puyallup River	407 cfs	Low	±0	4.9 mi
Puyallup River at E Main Bridge at PuyallupRiver gauge, Puyallup River	422 cfs	Low	−4.0 cfs	3.7 mi
Puyallup River at 5th St Bridge at PuyallupRiver gauge, Puyallup River	787 cfs	Low	−33.0 cfs	2.0 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
White River at 24th St E at DieringerRiver gauge, White River	41.18 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	4.7 mi
White River near SumnerRiver gauge, White River	59.56 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	4.9 mi
Lake Tapps Diversion at DieringerCanal gauge, Lake Tapps Diversion	5.76 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	5.1 mi
White River at PacificRiver gauge, White River	72.57 ft	High	−0.02 ft	5.5 mi
White River near AuburnRiver gauge, White River	82.30 ft	High	−0.07 ft	6.0 mi
North Fork Clover Creek near ParklandRiver gauge, North Fork Clover Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	7 mi
White River at Roegner Park near AuburnRiver gauge, White River	95.15 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	7 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Puyallup River at Puyallup?

The official flood stage is 26.20 ft. The level is currently 16.27 ft below it.

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

The median for mid-October is 10.43 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 9.10 ft and 13.55 ft, based on 21 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 Puyallup River at Puyallup today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:45 PM PDT, the water level was 9.93 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Puyallup River at Puyallup rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Puyallup River at Puyallup normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Puyallup River at Puyallup?

The highest level on record is 34.15 ft on December 18, 1917.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:12101500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.20843, -122.32707 (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	9.93 ft	2026-10-18 20:45	Provisional
Flow	867 cfs	2026-10-18 20:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Puyallup River at Puyallup (usgs:12101500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/puyallup-river-at-puyallup

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