Buffalo water level
Lake, Lake Erie, New York, United States
Right now
Below flood stage
Surface elevation
History
Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.
What this means
Nothing unusual at Buffalo right now: the lake level of 571.27 ft is in the normal range.
It is 5.96 ft below the flood stage of 577.22 ft.
Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.
Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Highest on record
- 580.26 ftJanuary 30, 2008
- Lowest on record
- 567.01 ftFebruary 2, 2011
About this gauge
- Nearest town
- Buffalo (1.4 km)
Town from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Swimming and boating at Buffalo
At a normal level, ramps and marinas generally run as usual, and fishing tends to follow the season more than the water level.
If you swim, pick a spot with an easy way out, and remember that drop-offs move as the level changes.
About Lake Erie
- Surface area
- 9,949 mi²
- Volume
- 404,546,486 acre-ft
- Mean depth
- 63.6 ft
- Elevation
- 564 ft
Facts from HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016, CC BY 4.0)
Weather at the gauge
The forecast is not available right now.
Map
Other gauges on Lake Erie
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturgeon PointLake, Lake Erie | 571.26 ft | Below flood stage | 15 mi | |
| Niagara IntakeLake, Lake Erie | 561.77 ft | No reference yet | 15 mi | |
| Erie, Lake ErieLake, Lake Erie | 571.41 ft | Below flood stage | 78 mi |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara River at Fort ErieRiver gauge, Niagara River | 172.28 m | Low | −0.01 m | 6.2 km |
| Cazenovia Creek at EbenezerRiver gauge, Cazenovia Creek | 2.38 ft | Below flood stage | ±0 | 7 mi |
| Buffalo Creek at GardenvilleRiver gauge, Buffalo Creek | 0.57 ft | Below flood stage | −0.04 ft | 7 mi |
| Ellicott Creek below WilliamsvilleRiver gauge, Ellicott Creek | 1.88 ft | Below flood stage | −0.01 ft | 9 mi |
| Eighteenmile Creek at HamburgRiver gauge, Eighteenmile Creek | 7.0 cfs | Very low | −3.0 cfs | 12 mi |
| Cayuga Creek near LancasterRiver gauge, Cayuga Creek | 2.83 ft | Below flood stage | −0.06 ft | 12 mi |
| South Branch Eighteenmile Creek at Bley Road at Eden ValleyRiver gauge, South Branch Eighteenmile Creek | 4.0 cfs | Low | ±0 | 14 mi |
| Big Sister Creek at Evans CenterRiver gauge, Big Sister Creek | 5.5 cfs | Low | +2.3 cfs | 17 mi |
Questions and answers
Is Buffalo really 571.27 ft deep?
No. 571.27 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.
Where is the Buffalo gauge?
The gauge is about 1.4 km from Buffalo, in New York.
How big is Buffalo?
It covers 9,949 mi² and holds about 404,546,486 acre-ft of water when full.
What is the water level of Buffalo today?
On Oct 21, 2026, 06:18 PM EDT, the surface elevation was 571.27 ft.
Is the level of Buffalo normal?
Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Buffalo?
The highest level on record is 580.26 ft on January 30, 2008. The lowest is 567.01 ft on February 2, 2011.
How often is this data updated?
NOAA Tides & Currents (CO-OPS) 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
- NOAA Tides & Currents (CO-OPS)
- Station code
noaa-coops:9063020(Agency page)- Coordinates
42.87745, -78.89047(WGS84)- Vertical datum
- IGLD85
- Update interval
- every 15 minutes
- Licence
- Public domain. Data: NOAA National Ocean Service, Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS); preliminary data subject to revision
Published series
| Parameter | Last value | Time (UTC) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface elevation | 571.27 ft | 2026-10-21 22:18 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
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How to cite
NOAA Tides & Currents (CO-OPS): Buffalo (noaa-coops:9063020). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-york/buffalo
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