Arkansas River at Little Rock water level

Name: Arkansas River at Little Rock 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, Arkansas River, Arkansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

7.35ft Up 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.10 ft by Friday, October 23 at 07:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 08:26 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Arkansas River at Little Rock, where the gauge shows 7.35 ft.

It is 15.65 ft below the flood stage of 23.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.22 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.10 ft by Friday, October 23 at 07:00 AM. There is still 15.65 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 7.08 ft – 7.49 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 34.60 ftJune 17, 1833
Forecast peak: 7.40 ftTuesday, October 20 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 23.00 ft.

What happens at each level

34.60 ft: Flood of record, June 1833.
29.00 ft: Baring Cross, Dixie, and Eastgate areas of North Little Rock are affected.
27.00 ft: Shillcutt Bayou backwater flooding near 37th and 38th Streets west of State Highway 365. The County Farm Road area floods from backwater up the Little Maumelle River, several homes are impacted by access problems. The Arkansas River crested in May 8th 1990 at 27.7 feet.
26.00 ft: Fourche Dam Pike and the community south of the road begins flooding from backwater up Fourche Creek. Burns Park golf course partially flooded from backwater up Shillcutt Bayou.
25.00 ft: Areas on the North Little Rock side near White Oak and Shilcutt Bayous may be affected. Lower areas of Burns Park inundated by backwater.
24.00 ft: Homes on Gribble Street in the Crockett Addition may be affected. Riverfront Park inside the levee flooded. Beck Road, County Farm Road, and Isabell Lane will become inundated.
23.00 ft: Bankfull stage. Rebsamen Park Golf Course, Murray Park, and Riverfront Park partially flooded. Marine terminal and commercial facilities downstream of the Interstate 30 Bridge are affected.
21.00 ft: North Little Rock must close sewer system flood gates to prevent backwater flooding up sewers. Water will be encroaching on homes in Two Rivers Park area along the Arkansas River.
18.00 ft: Farmlands downstream of Little Rock are effected. The Bill Clark Presidential Park Wetlands are inundated. Portions of Burns Park, Cooks Landing, and the Arkansas River Trail on the North Little Rock side are inundated.
7.35 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: 9 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	34.60 ft	June 17, 1833
2	33.00 ft	April 20, 1927
3	32.60 ft	May 25, 1844
4	30.50 ft	June 13, 1877
5	30.45 ft	April 21, 1945
6	30.05 ft	May 27, 1943
7	29.71 ft	June 5, 2019
8	29.70 ft	August 1, 1866
9	29.60 ft	April 17, 1844
10	29.60 ft	March 22, 1858

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 75° 47° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 78° 51° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 83° 57° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 84° 58° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 83° 60° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 80° 58° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 81° 57° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:20 AM Sunset 06:29 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Arkansas River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar.River gauge, Arkansas River	17,400 cfs	Normal	−13,800.0 cfs	130 mi
Arkansas River at DardanelleRiver gauge, Arkansas River	4.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.48 ft	60 mi
Arkansas River near MorriltonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	9.65 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	37 mi
Arkansas River at Murray Dam near Little RockRiver gauge, Arkansas River	8,560 cfs	Normal	+8,086 cfs	6.0 mi
Arkansas River at Pine BluffRiver gauge, Arkansas River	31.32 ft	Normal	+0.17 ft	35 mi
Arkansas River at PendletonRiver gauge, Arkansas River	26.35 ft	Below flood stage	+0.34 ft	73 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fourche Creek at Univ. Avenue at Little RockRiver gauge, Fourche Creek	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	5.3 mi
Rock Creek at 36th Street at Little RockRiver gauge, Rock Creek	0.1 cfs	Very low	±0	5.5 mi
Saline River at BentonRiver gauge, Saline River	3.14 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	23 mi
Maumelle River below Bringle Creek near WyeRiver gauge, Maumelle River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	25 mi
Bringle Creek at MartindaleRiver gauge, Bringle Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	25 mi
Maumelle River near WyeRiver gauge, Maumelle River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	25 mi
Maumelle River at Williams JunctionRiver gauge, Maumelle River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	30 mi
Fourche La Fave River near HoustonRiver gauge, Fourche La Fave River	9.22 ft	Below flood stage	+0.33 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Arkansas River at Little Rock?

The official flood stage is 23.00 ft. The level is currently 15.65 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 Arkansas River at Little Rock today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT, the water level was 7.35 ft. Up 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Arkansas River at Little Rock rising or falling?

Up 0.22 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Arkansas River at Little Rock normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Arkansas River at Little Rock?

The highest level on record is 34.60 ft on June 17, 1833.

Is Arkansas River at Little Rock expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 7.10 ft by Friday, October 23 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07263500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.74933, -92.26670 (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	7.35 ft	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Arkansas River at Little Rock (usgs:07263500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arkansas/arkansas-river-at-little-rock

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