Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez water level

Name: Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez 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, Santa Cruz Creek, California, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

6.70ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 10:30 PM PDT (38 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The gauge at Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez reads 6.70 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 6.69 ft and 6.70 ft.

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

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.45 ftFebruary 24, 1969

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.45 ft	February 24, 1969

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 74° 48° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 61° 54° 0.82 in, 77% Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 66° 53° 1.84 in, 89% Wind 13 mph

23 Fri 73° 53° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 77° 56° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 82° 61° – Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 85° 63° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:11 AM Sunset 06:19 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cachuma Lake and BradburyReservoir	742.34 ft	High		4.2 mi
Hilton Canyon C 0.25 Mi below Bradbury Dam near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Hilton Canyon C 0.25 Mi	6.0 cfs	High	+0.2 cfs	4.4 mi
Santa Ynez River below Los Laurls Canyon near Snta YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	4.4 mi
Santa Ynez R A Highway 154 near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez R A Highway 154	11.09 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	7 mi
San Pedro C A GoletaRiver gauge	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	11 mi
San Jose Creek near GoletaRiver gauge, San Jose Creek	0.3 cfs	High	±0	11 mi
Alamo Pintado Creek near SolvangRiver gauge, Alamo Pintado Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	12 mi
Santa Ynez R A SolvangRiver gauge	16.8 cfs	High	−2.6 cfs	13 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 Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 10:30 PM PDT, the water level was 6.70 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez?

The highest level on record is 14.45 ft on February 24, 1969.

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:11124500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.59666, -119.90875 (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	6.70 ft	2026-10-21 05:30	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-21 05:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santa Cruz Creek near Santa Ynez (usgs:11124500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/santa-cruz-creek-near-santa-ynez

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