Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara water level

Name: Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara 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 Ynez River, California, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

6.50ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM PDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara is at 6.50 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours.

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: 25.80 ftJanuary 25, 1969

Floating and fishing near Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.80 ft	January 25, 1969

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 75° 58° – Wind 17 mph

21 Wed 61° 53° 0.78 in, 76% Wind 16 mph

22 Thu 63° 53° 1.23 in, 92% Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 70° 52° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 75° 55° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 80° 60° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 84° 61° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:10 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 11 hr, 8 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Other gauges on the Santa Ynez River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Santa Ynez River above Gibraltar Dam near Santa BarbaraReservoir, Santa Ynez River	1,384.64 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	0.1 mi
Santa Ynez River below Los Laurls Canyon near Snta YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Santa Ynez River near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Santa Ynez River	6.50 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	18 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Gibraltar Dam Diversion Weir A Gibraltar DamRiver gauge	0.2 cfs	Low	±0	0.0 mi
Mission Creek near Mission St near Santa BarbaraRiver gauge, Mission Creek	3.45 ft	Below flood stage	±0	7 mi
Mission Creek below W Gutierrez St Branch A Santa BarbaraRiver gauge, Mission Creek	10.26 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi
San Jose Creek near GoletaRiver gauge, San Jose Creek	0.3 cfs	High	±0	8 mi
San Pedro C A GoletaRiver gauge	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	10 mi
Santa Cruz Creek near Santa YnezRiver gauge, Santa Cruz Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	14 mi
Carpinteria Creek near CarpinteriaRiver gauge, Carpinteria Creek	9.47 ft	Below flood stage	+0.25 ft	14 mi
Cachuma Lake and BradburyReservoir	742.34 ft	High		17 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 Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 10:00 PM PDT, the water level was 6.50 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara 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 Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara?

The highest level on record is 25.80 ft on January 25, 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:11123000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 34.52443, -119.68732 (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	6.50 ft	2026-10-21 05:00	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-21 04:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Santa Ynez River below Gibraltar Dam near Santa Barbara (usgs:11123000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/santa-ynez-river-below-gibraltar-dam-near-santa-barbara

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