Rockcastle River at Billows water level

Name: Rockcastle River at Billows 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, Rockcastle River, Kentucky, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.34ft Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT (13 min ago)

Flow: 57.6 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Rockcastle River at Billows, where the gauge shows 1.34 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.18 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.34 ft – 1.84 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: 47.17 ftDecember 9, 1978

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

What happens at each level

47.17 ft: Flooding will exceed highest stage on record.
1.34 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	47.17 ft	December 9, 1978
2	45.48 ft	June 29, 1947
3	45.15 ft	March 1, 2021
4	43.85 ft	February 28, 1962
5	43.20 ft	March 13, 1975
6	42.26 ft	May 8, 1984
7	42.25 ft	January 11, 1974
8	41.63 ft	March 23, 1952
9	40.00 ft	January 1, 1913
10	39.77 ft	October 18, 1989

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.17 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 70° 37° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 71° 42° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 72° 42° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 72° 46° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 72° 44° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 74° 46° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 73° 47° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:49 AM Sunset 06:56 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 60%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Buck Creek near ShopvilleRiver gauge, Buck Creek	11.9 cfs	Normal	−3.9 cfs	10 mi
Lynn Camp Creek at CorbinRiver gauge, Lynn Camp Creek	3.9 cfs	Low	−0.9 cfs	19 mi
Cumberland River at Cumberland FallsRiver gauge, Cumberland River	274 cfs	Normal	−27.0 cfs	23 mi
Goose Creek at ManchesterRiver gauge, Goose Creek	12.7 cfs	Normal	−2.6 cfs	30 mi
Green River near McKinneyRiver gauge, Green River	3.8 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	30 mi
Cumberland River at WilliamsburgRiver gauge, Cumberland River	2.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	31 mi
Cumberland River at BarbourvilleRiver gauge, Cumberland River	1.56 ft	Below flood stage	±0	31 mi
Sturgeon Creek at CressmontRiver gauge, Sturgeon Creek	4.9 cfs	Normal	−1.9 cfs	35 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 Rockcastle River at Billows today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT, the water level was 1.34 ft. Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rockcastle River at Billows rising or falling?

Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rockcastle River at Billows 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 Rockcastle River at Billows?

The highest level on record is 47.17 ft on December 9, 1978.

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:03406500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.17120, -84.29605 (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	1.34 ft	2026-10-19 16:30	Provisional
Flow	57.6 cfs	2026-10-19 16:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rockcastle River at Billows (usgs:03406500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kentucky/rockcastle-river-at-billows

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