Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar water level

Name: Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar 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, Lewis River, Washington, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.93ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT (54 min ago)

Flow: 161 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level

What this means

At 0.93 ft, the Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar is far below normal for mid-October.

On the same day last year the reading was 1.45 ft, a difference of −0.52 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.93 ft and 1.11 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: 1.45 ft−0.52 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 0.93 ft – 1.11 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 0.93 ft – 8.16 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

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 72° 47° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 77° 53° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 65° 45° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 58° 37° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 68° 40° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 65° 42° – Wind 6 mph

26 Mon 64° 42° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:14 PM Daylight 10 hr, 42 min Waxing gibbous 69%

Map

Other gauges on the Lewis River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lewis River at ArielRiver gauge, Lewis River	2.44 ft	Very low	±0	29 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Muddy River below Clear Creek near CougarRiver gauge, Muddy River	13.76 ft	Very low	±0	1.3 mi
Swift Reservoir 3.2 Mi East of Dam near CougarReservoir, Swift Reservoir 3.2 Mi East of Dam	957.00 ft	Normal	−1.00 ft	7 mi
Yale Reservoir near CougarReservoir, Yale Reservoir	474.00 ft	Normal	+1.00 ft	16 mi
Speelyai Creek near CougarRiver gauge, Speelyai Creek	1.3 cfs	Very low	−0.1 cfs	18 mi
Canyon Creek near AmboyRiver gauge, Canyon Creek	20.7 cfs	Very low	−2.7 cfs	18 mi
Lake Merwin near ChelatchieLake, Lake Merwin	228.00 ft	Very low	−1.00 ft	20 mi
Columbia River at StevensonRiver gauge, Columbia River	75.72 ft	High	+0.31 ft	26 mi
Cispus River above Yellowjacket Creek near RandleRiver gauge, Cispus River	12.84 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar higher than last year?

No, it is 0.52 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.45 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 Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT, the water level was 0.93 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar normal?

Very low for mid-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:14216000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.06036, -121.98451 (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	0.93 ft	2026-10-20 15:30	Provisional
Flow	161 cfs	2026-10-20 15:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lewis River above Muddy River near Cougar (usgs:14216000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/lewis-river-above-muddy-river-near-cougar

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