Salmon River at Gustavus water level

Name: Salmon River at Gustavus 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, Salmon River, Alaska, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

11.03ft Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 08:15 PM AKDT (44 min ago)

Flow: 387 cfs
Water temperature: 44 °F

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 15.06 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 10:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 12:24 PM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Salmon River at Gustavus, where the gauge shows 11.03 ft.

It is 4.47 ft below the flood stage of 15.50 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.38 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 15.06 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 10:00 PM. The 30-day range is 11.03 ft – 15.66 ft.

The water temperature at the gauge is 44 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 17.26 ftDecember 2, 2020
Forecast peak: 15.06 ftTuesday, October 20 at 10:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 15.50 ft.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Most roads within the Wilson and Rink Creek corridor will sustain significant damage and will be impassable in places with 4 feet or more of water over the roads. Flooding will cause widespread damage to private properties in the area.
16.50 ft: The Wilson and Rink Creek corridor will have 1-3 feet of water over the road to become impassable in places and structures will begin to flood. Power may be cut off from Chase Drive out to Rink Creek.
15.50 ft: Water will begin to flow over Wilson and Rink Creek roads and ditches will be full. Roads will be soft in places and travel across these areas will be difficult.
11.03 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	17.26 ft	December 2, 2020
2	16.69 ft	January 22, 2022
3	16.69 ft	October 15, 2018
4	16.58 ft	October 27, 2017
5	16.28 ft	August 13, 2021
6	15.96 ft	January 30, 2024
7	15.89 ft	October 6, 2019
8	15.86 ft	September 13, 2016
9	15.50 ft	October 1, 2022
10	14.86 ft	December 4, 2024

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.67 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 47° 42° 0.91 in, 100% Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 48° 42° 0.68 in, 100% Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 45° 42° 0.63 in, 95% Wind 16 mph

20 Tue 50° 42° 2.14 in, 100% Wind 26 mph

21 Wed 43° 39° 1.29 in, 100% Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 44° 36° 0.50 in, 88% Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 46° 27° – Wind 3 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:49 AM Sunset 05:48 PM Daylight 9 hr, 59 min First quarter 56%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mendenhall River at Brotherhood Branch at Auke BayRiver gauge, Mendenhall River	10.72 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	42 mi
Mendenhall River below Montana Creek near Auke BayRiver gauge, Mendenhall River	1.82 ft	No reference yet	−0.69 ft	42 mi
Antler River below Antler Lake near Auke BayRiver gauge, Antler River	31.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.40 ft	46 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Salmon River at Gustavus?

The official flood stage is 15.50 ft. The level is currently 4.47 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 Salmon River at Gustavus today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 08:15 PM AKDT, the water level was 11.03 ft. Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Salmon River at Gustavus rising or falling?

Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Salmon River at Gustavus normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Salmon River at Gustavus?

The highest level on record is 17.26 ft on December 2, 2020.

Is Salmon River at Gustavus expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 15.06 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 10:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:15057596 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 58.44500, -135.74000 (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	11.03 ft	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional
Flow	387 cfs	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional
Water temperature	44 °F	2026-10-19 04:15	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/7408?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Salmon River at Gustavus water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Salmon River at Gustavus (usgs:15057596). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/alaska/salmon-river-at-gustavus

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