Napa River near St Helena water level

Name: Napa River near St Helena 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, Napa River, California, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

0.47ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM PDT (29 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.49 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 05:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 07:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Napa River near St Helena, where the gauge shows 0.47 ft.

It is 17.53 ft below the flood stage of 18.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.49 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 05:00 PM. The 30-day range is 0.47 ft – 0.48 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 23.61 ftDecember 31, 2005
Forecast peak: 1.49 ftThursday, October 22 at 05:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 18.00 ft.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft: Disastrous Flooding. Widespread flooding across upper Napa Valley with travel essentially impossible.
23.61 ft: FLOOD OF RECORD. 12/31/2005 measured 23.61 ft. 18,300 cfs 07:45 PT
23.60 ft: The peak water level during the flood of 12/31/2005 measured 23.6 feet.
22.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Major flooding throughout the upper Napa Valley with most roads inundated, making travel extremely difficult and unsafe.
20.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Moderate flooding of the lower portions of Silverado Trail along the reach. Inundation of low lying residential areas along the east river bank in the vicinity of Pope Street Bridge. Secondary and many primary roads inundated; most major cross roads inundated and unsafe to pass.
18.00 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Minor flooding of low lying agricultural areas along river begins. Low lying rural residential areas immediately adjacent to the river and some secondary roads affected.
16.00 ft: Action Stage. WFO Monterey may issue a Flood Watch-based products to cover Napa Valley regional flood potential at this stage.
0.47 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: 10 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.61 ft	December 31, 2005
2	19.50 ft	February 27, 2019
3	19.20 ft	February 7, 2017
4	17.70 ft	January 1, 1997
5	17.47 ft	January 9, 1995
6	17.00 ft	January 22, 1997
7	16.87 ft	December 23, 2012
8	16.82 ft	October 24, 2021
9	16.79 ft	March 13, 1983
10	16.71 ft	January 9, 2023

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:24 AM Sunset 06:26 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Napa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Napa River near NapaRiver gauge, Napa River	1.96 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	13 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sonoma Creek A KenwoodRiver gauge	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	9 mi
Sonoma C A Agua CalienteRiver gauge	0.9 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	13 mi
Matanzas C A Santa RosaRiver gauge	155.16 ft	Below flood stage	±0	14 mi
Santa Rosa C A Santa RosaRiver gauge	23.24 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	15 mi
Colgan Creek near Santa RosaRiver gauge, Colgan Creek	97.69 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
Copeland C A Rohnert ParkRiver gauge	1.31 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	18 mi
Putah Creek near GuenocRiver gauge, Putah Creek	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	19 mi
Maacama Creek near KelloggRiver gauge, Maacama Creek	3.60 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	19 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Napa River near St Helena?

The official flood stage is 18.00 ft. The level is currently 17.53 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 Napa River near St Helena today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM PDT, the water level was 0.47 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Napa River near St Helena rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Napa River near St Helena normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Napa River near St Helena?

The highest level on record is 23.61 ft on December 31, 2005.

Is Napa River near St Helena expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 1.49 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 05:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11456000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.51126, -122.45578 (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	0.47 ft	2026-10-20 20:00	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-20 20:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Napa River near St Helena (usgs:11456000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/napa-river-near-st-helena

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