San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman water level

Name: San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman 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, San Joaquin River, California, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

48.82ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT (43 min ago)

Flow: 159 cfs
Water temperature: 63 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman is running below normal at 48.82 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 48.63 ft and 48.85 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The water temperature at the gauge is 63 °F.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Floating and fishing near San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 75° 49° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 69° 54° 0.67 in, 45% Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 72° 56° 0.07 in, 52% Wind 12 mph

23 Fri 75° 53° – Wind 12 mph

24 Sat 77° 51° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 82° 54° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 83° 55° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:18 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the San Joaquin River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
San Joaquin River below FriantRiver gauge, San Joaquin River	396 cfs	Normal	±0	73 mi
San Joaquin River near NewmanRiver gauge, San Joaquin River	48.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	0.2 mi
San Joaquin River near Crows LandingRiver gauge, San Joaquin River	294 cfs	Low	+2.0 cfs	6 mi
San Joaquin River near VernalisRiver gauge, San Joaquin River	9.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.58 ft	28 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
San Joaquin R A Fremont Ford BridgeRiver gauge	108 cfs	Normal	+4.0 cfs	3.6 mi
Mud Slough near GustineRiver gauge, Mud Slough	99.1 cfs	Normal	+19.0 cfs	7 mi
Salt Slough A Highway 165 near StevinsonRiver gauge, Salt Slough A Highway 165	94.4 cfs	Normal	+2.9 cfs	10 mi
Del Puerto Creek near PattersonRiver gauge, Del Puerto Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	16 mi
Tuolumne R A ModestoRiver gauge	38.02 ft	Below flood stage	−1.44 ft	19 mi
Stanislaus R A RiponRiver gauge	39.48 ft	Below flood stage	−1.04 ft	27 mi
Pacheco Creek near DunnevilleRiver gauge, Pacheco Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	34 mi

Questions and answers

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 San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT, the water level was 48.82 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:11273400 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.34719, -120.97614 (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	48.82 ft	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Flow	159 cfs	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional
Water temperature	63 °F	2026-10-21 09:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: San Joaquin River above Merced River near Newman (usgs:11273400). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/san-joaquin-river-above-merced-river-near-newman

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