Truckee R A Tahoe City water level

Name: Truckee R A Tahoe City 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

2.56ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 PM PDT (18 min ago)

Flow: 78.7 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Truckee R A Tahoe City reads 2.56 ft, a normal level.

It is 5.44 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.54 ft and 2.56 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: 9.59 ftJanuary 2, 1997

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.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 8.00 ft, still 5.44 ft away.

What happens at each level

9.50 ft: Major Flood Stage. Major flooding between Tahoe City and Alpine Meadows mipacting homes, bridges, businesses and infrastructure. near maximum reservoir release from Lake Tahoe. Most recent date of maximum full lake release was January 1997.
9.00 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Moderate flooding between Tahoe City and Alpine Meadows impacting low bridges, landscapes and a few buildings.
8.00 ft: Flood Stage; Minor flooding between Tahoe City and Alpoine Meadows. Some inundation of low lying properties incluidng crawlspaces. River level approaching lowest bridges where trapped debris could cause additional impacts. Extended portions of the bike path are flooded. Flow very similar to April 2018 and slightly below high flow releases in April 2017.
7.00 ft: Monitor Stage. Bike path and low lying areas along the river flood between Tahoe City and Alpine Meadows
6.60 ft: Lowest portions of the bike path begin to flood.
2.56 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	9.59 ft	January 2, 1997
2	9.32 ft	June 19, 1969
3	8.84 ft	March 13, 1986
4	8.47 ft	December 26, 1983
5	8.45 ft	May 21, 1996
6	8.25 ft	April 26, 2017
7	7.98 ft	April 10, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 11 hr Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ward Creek at Highway 89 near Tahoe PinesRiver gauge, Ward Creek	5.13 ft	Below flood stage	±0	2.5 mi
Blackwood Creek near Tahoe CityRiver gauge, Blackwood Creek	7.61 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	4.2 mi
General Creek near Meeks BayRiver gauge, General Creek	0.91 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi
Truckee River near TruckeeRiver gauge, Truckee River	1.63 ft	Below flood stage	±0	10 mi
Donner Creek at Highway 89 near TruckeeRiver gauge, Donner Creek	3.21 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	11 mi
Third Creek near Crystal BayRiver gauge, Third Creek	2.6 cfs	Normal	+0.1 cfs	12 mi
Incline Creek near Crystal BayRiver gauge, Incline Creek	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	12 mi
Donner C A Donner Lake near TruckeeRiver gauge, Donner C A Donner Lake	3.53 ft	Below flood stage	−0.33 ft	12 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Truckee R A Tahoe City?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 5.44 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 Truckee R A Tahoe City today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 PM PDT, the water level was 2.56 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Truckee R A Tahoe City rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Truckee R A Tahoe City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Truckee R A Tahoe City?

The highest level on record is 9.59 ft on January 2, 1997.

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:10337500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.16627, -120.14434 (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	2.56 ft	2026-10-20 22:45	Provisional
Flow	78.7 cfs	2026-10-20 22:45	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/13575?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Truckee R A Tahoe City water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Truckee R A Tahoe City (usgs:10337500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/truckee-r-a-tahoe-city

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