Gila River at Kelvin water level

Name: Gila River at Kelvin 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, Gila River, Arizona, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

7.30ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 AM MST (1 hour ago)

Flow: 73.7 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.15 ft by Friday, October 23 at 06:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 07:30 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Gila River at Kelvin is at 7.30 ft, in the normal range.

It is 19.70 ft below the flood stage of 27.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.15 ft by Friday, October 23 at 06:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 7.25 ft and 7.31 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 33.00 ftOctober 2, 1983
Forecast peak: 9.15 ftFriday, October 23 at 06:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Gila River at Kelvin

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

Flood stage here is 27.00 ft, 19.70 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

35.00 ft: Low lying areas of Winkleman and Hayden threatened. Highway 177 impacted between Winkleman and Kelvin. Copper Basin Railroad, which acts as a levee for Kearny, could begin to be overtopped or breached. Town of Florence downstream may be threatened.
31.00 ft: Residents on Riverside Road in Kelvin are isolated as road becomes flooded. Kearny airport, mobile home park and golf course begin to flood. Florence-Kelvin Highway Bridge impacted.
27.00 ft: Potential undermining of Highway 177 and Copper Basin Railroad due to bank erosion. Water reaches the dikes surrounding the Hayden Water Treatment Plant.
7.30 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	33.00 ft	October 2, 1983
2	31.55 ft	January 19, 1993
3	29.00 ft	January 9, 1993
4	25.30 ft	December 19, 1978
5	23.80 ft	December 23, 1965
6	22.29 ft	August 1, 2006
7	21.13 ft	January 6, 1995
8	20.40 ft	October 10, 1977
9	18.70 ft	December 20, 1967
10	14.63 ft	January 23, 2010

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 83° 65° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 91° 67° – Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 89° 72° 0.09 in, 66% Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 83° 67° 0.57 in, 89% Wind 16 mph

23 Fri 76° 63° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 80° 63° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 82° 66° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 06:33 AM Sunset 05:46 PM Daylight 11 hr, 13 min First quarter 68%

Map

Other gauges on the Gila River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Gila River near GilaRiver gauge, Gila River	1.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	141 mi
Gila River near RedrockRiver gauge, Gila River	4.26 ft	Below flood stage	±0	136 mi
Gila River below Blue Creek, near VirdenRiver gauge, Gila River	5.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	128 mi
Gila River at DuncanRiver gauge, Gila River	7.12 ft	Below flood stage	+0.31 ft	112 mi
Gila River near CliftonRiver gauge, Gila River	38.3 cfs	Normal	−6.0 cfs	97 mi
Gila River at Head of Safford Valley, near Solomon,River gauge, Gila River	7.93 ft	Below flood stage	+0.62 ft	88 mi
Gila River at CalvaRiver gauge, Gila River	2.76 ft	Below flood stage	+0.13 ft	44 mi
Gila River below Coolidge DamRiver gauge, Gila River	60.5 cfs	Normal	±0	26 mi
Gila River near MaricopaRiver gauge, Gila River	0.97 ft	Below flood stage	±0	60 mi
Gila River at Estrella Parkway, near GoodyearRiver gauge, Gila River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	84 mi
Gila River below Gillespie Dam, Az (Low-Flow Station)River gauge, Gila River	3.87 ft	No reference yet	−0.05 ft	104 mi
Gila River below Painted Rock DamRiver gauge, Gila River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	118 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Florence-Casa Grande Canal, near FlorenceCanal gauge, Florence-Casa Grande Canal	60.4 cfs	Normal	+58.9 cfs	16 mi
Pinto Creek above Haunted Canyon near MiamiRiver gauge, Pinto Creek	0.4 cfs	High	±0	21 mi
Pinto Creek below Haunted Canyon near MiamiRiver gauge, Pinto Creek	1.6 cfs	Very high	+0.4 cfs	22 mi
San Carlos Reservoir at Coolidge DamReservoir, San Carlos Reservoir	2,420.56 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	26 mi
Pinto Creek near MiamiRiver gauge, Pinto Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	−0.4 cfs	27 mi
Aravaipa Creek near MammothRiver gauge, Aravaipa Creek	0.33 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	27 mi
Pinal Creek at Inspiration Dam, near GlobeRiver gauge, Pinal Creek	0.4 cfs	Low	±0	33 mi
San Carlos River near PeridotRiver gauge, San Carlos River	3.18 ft	Below flood stage	+0.33 ft	33 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Gila River at Kelvin?

The official flood stage is 27.00 ft. The level is currently 19.70 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 Gila River at Kelvin today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:30 AM MST, the water level was 7.30 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Gila River at Kelvin rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Gila River at Kelvin normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Gila River at Kelvin?

The highest level on record is 33.00 ft on October 2, 1983.

Is Gila River at Kelvin expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.15 ft by Friday, October 23 at 06:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:09474000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 33.10286, -110.97652 (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	7.30 ft	2026-10-20 12:30	Provisional
Flow	73.7 cfs	2026-10-20 12:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Gila River at Kelvin (usgs:09474000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arizona/gila-river-at-kelvin

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