Pearl River near Columbia water level

Name: Pearl River near Columbia 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, Pearl River, Mississippi, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.43ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 873 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 0.50 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 01:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 09:02 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Low water at Pearl River near Columbia: the gauge reads 0.43 ft, below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.54 ft below the median of 0.97 ft for mid-October, based on 23 years of readings. It is 16.57 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 0.50 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 01:00 PM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.39 ft – 0.81 ft.

Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 0.97 ft0.54 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.24 ft – 7.37 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (23 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.39 ft – 0.81 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.46 ft – 16.31 ft
Highest on record: 27.80 ftApril 22, 1979
Forecast peak: 0.50 ftTuesday, October 20 at 01:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 17.00 ft.

What happens at each level

26.00 ft: Water is covering most of highway 587.
25.00 ft: Numerous roads are closed in the vicinity of the water park in Columbia. Some homes are surrounded by water.
24.80 ft: Water begins to top Highway 587.
24.00 ft: Extensive flooding occurs in Morgantown and Foxworth. Some minor flooding begins in Spring Cottage.
21.50 ft: Water covers Old Highway 35 on the west side of the river.
21.00 ft: Both river banks at Columbia are overflowing. Widespread lowland flooding is occurring.
18.00 ft: Low areas along the river are inundated.
17.00 ft: Low areas near the river begin to flood. Water covers Old Highway 35 on the west side of the river.
15.00 ft: Camp Lane Road south of columbia on the east side of the river begins to flood.
0.43 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 6 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	27.80 ft	April 22, 1979
2	27.00 ft	April 15, 1974
3	26.40 ft	April 9, 1938
4	26.20 ft	March 30, 1980
5	26.20 ft	April 8, 1983
6	25.82 ft	February 23, 2020
7	25.15 ft	December 27, 1961
8	24.88 ft	March 18, 1935
9	24.60 ft	May 10, 1991
10	24.60 ft	January 27, 1990

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 77° 48° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 81° 48° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 84° 53° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 84° 54° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 80° 53° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 82° 53° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 83° 53° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:06 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 11 hr, 17 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Pearl River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Pearl River near LenaRiver gauge, Pearl River	4.27 ft	Low	±0	99 mi
Pearl River at Ratliff`s Ferry near RatliffRiver gauge, Pearl River	296.33 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	94 mi
Pearl River at Ross Barnett ReservoirRiver gauge, Pearl River	250.59 ft	Very low	±0	81 mi
Pearl River at Highway 25 at JacksonRiver gauge, Pearl River	16.27 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	77 mi
Pearl River at JacksonRiver gauge, Pearl River	3.11 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	75 mi
Pearl River near HopewellRiver gauge, Pearl River	5.77 ft	No reference yet	+0.03 ft	54 mi
Pearl River at RockportRiver gauge, Pearl River	5.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	42 mi
Pearl River near MonticelloRiver gauge, Pearl River	4.19 ft	Low	+0.03 ft	26 mi
Pearl River near BogalusaRiver gauge, Pearl River	5.95 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	31 mi
Pearl River at Pools Bluff near BogalusaRiver gauge, Pearl River	56.14 ft	Low	±0	37 mi
Pearl River at Pearl RiverRiver gauge, Pearl River	4.94 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	59 mi
Pearl River at I-10 near SlidellRiver gauge, Pearl River	2.78 ft	Very low	−0.06 ft	66 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bogue Chitto near TylertownRiver gauge, Bogue Chitto	5.28 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	26 mi
Bouie Creek near HattiesburgRiver gauge, Bouie Creek	1.78 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	29 mi
Okatoma Creek at SanfordRiver gauge, Okatoma Creek	7.31 ft	Low	±0	30 mi
Bouie River at Glendale Avenue at HattiesburgRiver gauge, Bouie River	7.41 ft	Very low	+0.01 ft	33 mi
Bogue Chitto River at FranklintonRiver gauge, Bogue Chitto River	0.33 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	33 mi
Leaf River at HattiesburgRiver gauge, Leaf River	1.97 ft	Normal	±0	34 mi
Tangipahoa River at OsykaRiver gauge, Tangipahoa River	8.10 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	40 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Pearl River near Columbia?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 16.57 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Pearl River near Columbia in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.97 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.24 ft and 7.37 ft, based on 23 years of records.

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 Pearl River near Columbia today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 PM CDT, the water level was 0.43 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Pearl River near Columbia rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.11 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Pearl River near Columbia normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Pearl River near Columbia?

The highest level on record is 27.80 ft on April 22, 1979.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02489000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 31.23778, -89.84694 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	0.43 ft	2026-10-20 20:45	Provisional
Flow	873 cfs	2026-10-20 20:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Pearl River near Columbia (usgs:02489000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/mississippi/pearl-river-near-columbia

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