Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City water level

Name: Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City 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, Cleghorn Springs, South Dakota, United States

Directions

Very low for late October

Water level

2.60ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM MDT (59 min ago)

Flow: 8.2 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level

What this means

At 2.60 ft, Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City is far below normal for late October.

A year ago it stood at 2.67 ft (−0.07 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.60 ft and 2.70 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

Same day last year: 2.67 ft−0.07 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.60 ft – 2.70 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.61 ft – 2.78 ft

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 83° 50° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 66° 48° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 62° 42° – Wind 14 mph

20 Tue 77° 48° – Wind 17 mph

21 Wed 70° 52° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 76° 53° – Wind 22 mph

23 Fri 80° 44° 0.41 in, 38% Wind 23 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:01 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rapid Creek above Canyon Lake near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	0.8 mi
South Canyon near Rapid CityRiver gauge, South Canyon	3.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	2.8 mi
Rapid Creek above Victoria Creek near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	5.23 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	2.8 mi
Rapid Creek at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	3.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	3.3 mi
Wild Irishman Gulch near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Wild Irishman Gulch	3.55 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	3.7 mi
Boxelder Creek near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Boxelder Creek	29.70 ft	Below flood stage	±0	5.0 mi
Victoria Creek below Victoria Dam near Rapid CityRiver gauge, Victoria Creek	3.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	5.2 mi
Rapid Creek below Hawthorn Ditch at Rapid CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	9.36 ft	Below flood stage	±0	5.8 mi

Questions and answers

How does Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City compare with last year?

It is 0.07 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.67 ft.

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 Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 02:30 AM MDT, the water level was 2.60 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City normal?

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

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:06412810 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.05889, -103.29694 (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	2.60 ft	2026-10-21 08:30	Provisional
Flow	8.2 cfs	2026-10-21 08:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cleghorn Springs at Rapid City (usgs:06412810). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-dakota/cleghorn-springs-at-rapid-city

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