Little Blue River at Shelbyville water level

Name: Little Blue River at Shelbyville 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, Little Blue River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.32ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 06:45 PM EDT (46 min ago)

Flow: 25.9 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Little Blue River at Shelbyville, where the gauge shows 4.32 ft.

It is 3.18 ft below the flood stage of 7.50 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.30 ft – 4.36 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: 13.28 ftApril 6, 2025

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 7.50 ft.

What happens at each level

11.50 ft: Extensive flooding in progress affecting a few rural houses in low lying areas near the Little Blue River. In Shelbyville the only areas flooded were a small portion of the parking lot in Kennedy Park, part of East Washington Street next to the Armory and some soccer fields at Blue River Memorial Park next to I-74.
7.90 ft: Lowland flooding of farm fields. Water starting to cross CR 200N and Little Blue Road. CR 350N east of Little Blue Road has about 5 to 6 inches of water.
6.80 ft: Bankfull level. Lowest portions of local parks beginning to flood.
4.32 ft: Right now
0.28 ft: Bottom of stream bed below wire weight gage.

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	13.28 ft	April 6, 2025
2	12.94 ft	December 22, 2013
3	12.05 ft	April 4, 2018
4	11.48 ft	April 21, 2011
5	10.43 ft	February 8, 2019
6	9.09 ft	June 4, 2008
7	8.60 ft	December 29, 2015
8	8.60 ft	September 10, 2018
9	8.52 ft	February 25, 2018
10	8.49 ft	November 2, 2018

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 71° 39° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 70° 41° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 71° 42° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 71° 49° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 72° 49° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 74° 51° – Wind 7 mph

26 Mon 72° 53° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:59 AM Sunset 06:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 59 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Blue River at ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Big Blue River	4.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	0.8 mi
Sugar Creek near BoggstownRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	66.7 cfs	Normal	−17.3 cfs	10 mi
Flatrock River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Flatrock River	0.69 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	10 mi
Buck Creek at ActonRiver gauge, Buck Creek	1.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	14 mi
Sugar Creek at New PalestineRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	2.83 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	15 mi
Youngs Creek near EdinburghRiver gauge, Youngs Creek	1.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	15 mi
Haw Creek at HopeRiver gauge, Haw Creek	1.94 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	15 mi
Sugar Creek near EdinburghRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	3.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	17 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Little Blue River at Shelbyville?

The official flood stage is 7.50 ft. The level is currently 3.18 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 Little Blue River at Shelbyville today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 06:45 PM EDT, the water level was 4.32 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Little Blue River at Shelbyville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Little Blue River at Shelbyville normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Little Blue River at Shelbyville?

The highest level on record is 13.28 ft on April 6, 2025.

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:03361440 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.52559, -85.76329 (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	4.32 ft	2026-10-20 22:45	Provisional
Flow	25.9 cfs	2026-10-20 22:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Little Blue River at Shelbyville (usgs:03361440). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/little-blue-river-at-shelbyville

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