Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak water level

Name: Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak 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, Prairie River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

15.32ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 24.3 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak is running below normal at 15.32 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 15.32 ft and 15.39 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 20.44 ftFebruary 22, 2018

Floating and fishing near Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.44 ft	February 22, 2018
2	19.12 ft	May 18, 2020
3	18.21 ft	May 2, 2019
4	17.49 ft	July 19, 2015
5	17.43 ft	March 1, 2017
6	16.51 ft	September 2, 2016

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 68° 37° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 66° 40° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 67° 41° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 67° 48° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 69° 48° – Wind 9 mph

25 Sun 70° 51° – Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 70° 54° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:01 AM Sunset 06:52 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Prairie River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Prairie River near NottawaRiver gauge, Prairie River	68.9 cfs	Normal	−2.0 cfs	8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Spring Creek at Rambadt Road near CentrevilleRiver gauge, Spring Creek	4.0 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	13 mi
Pigeon Creek near AngolaRiver gauge, Pigeon Creek	5.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	16 mi
Pigeon River near ScottRiver gauge, Pigeon River	3.52 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	17 mi
St. Joseph River at Three RiversRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	20 mi
St. Joseph River at BurlingtonRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.36 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	21 mi
South Branch Hog Creek near AllenRiver gauge, South Branch Hog Creek	16.2 cfs	Normal	−1.5 cfs	24 mi
Mill Creek at Quaker Street near MottvilleRiver gauge, Mill Creek	21.3 cfs	Very low	−1.5 cfs	24 mi
St. Joseph River at MottvilleRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	25 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 Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM EDT, the water level was 15.32 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak?

The highest level on record is 20.44 ft on February 22, 2018.

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:040975299 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.83639, -85.27083 (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	15.32 ft	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Flow	24.3 cfs	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Prairie River at US 12 near Burr Oak (usgs:040975299). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/prairie-river-at-us-12-near-burr-oak

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