Novato C A Novato water level

Name: Novato C A Novato 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, California, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.83ft Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:30 AM PDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 1.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Novato C A Novato, where the gauge shows 2.83 ft.

It is 10.17 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 10.17 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 2.75 ft – 2.83 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.52 ftJanuary 4, 1982

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 13.00 ft.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Major Flood Stage. Flood flows expand across floodplain on both sides of channel, with major roadway flooding and inundation of local businesses and homes.
15.60 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Water has flooded left bank floodplain (north side of creek).
13.00 ft: Minor Flood Stage. Water in creek reaches bridge structure and begins backwatering at 7th Street. NWS will issue a Flash Flood Warning if not yet already issued.
11.00 ft: Action Stage. Water is roughly 2 feet below backwater conditions at 7th Street bridge crossing downstream. NWS will issue a Flash Flood Watch if not yet already issued.
2.83 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.52 ft	January 4, 1982
2	13.60 ft	February 3, 1998
3	12.44 ft	February 17, 1986
4	11.94 ft	February 20, 1980
5	11.20 ft	January 26, 1983
6	11.01 ft	January 14, 1970
7	10.95 ft	January 9, 1995
8	10.90 ft	January 16, 1973
9	10.56 ft	January 16, 1978

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 87° 51° – Wind 7 mph

18 Sun 76° 54° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 67° 51° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 68° 51° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 68° 53° 0.24 in, 32% Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 69° 53° 0.09 in, 27% Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 76° 51° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:27 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 68%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Corte Madera C A RossRiver gauge	4.21 ft	Below flood stage	±0	10 mi
Lagunitas C A Samuel P Taylor State ParkRiver gauge	8.7 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Lagunitas Creek near Point Reyes StationRiver gauge, Lagunitas Creek	0.99 ft	Below flood stage	±0	11 mi
Olema C A Vedanta Bridge A OlemaRiver gauge	0.2 cfs	Low	−0.1 cfs	12 mi
Walker Creek near MarshallRiver gauge, Walker Creek	0.90 ft	Below flood stage	±0	14 mi
Sonoma C A Agua CalienteRiver gauge	0.9 cfs	Normal	+0.2 cfs	16 mi
Redwood C A Highway 1 Bridge A Muir BeachRiver gauge	0.99 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
Copeland C A Rohnert ParkRiver gauge	1.33 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	18 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Novato C A Novato?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 10.17 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 Novato C A Novato today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:30 AM PDT, the water level was 2.83 ft. Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Novato C A Novato rising or falling?

Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Novato C A Novato normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Novato C A Novato?

The highest level on record is 14.52 ft on January 4, 1982.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11459500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.10766, -122.57994 (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	2.83 ft	2026-10-20 10:30	Provisional
Flow	1.5 cfs	2026-10-20 10:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Novato C A Novato (usgs:11459500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/novato-c-a-novato

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