Fox River at Princeton water level

Name: Fox River at Princeton 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, Fox River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.20ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:00 AM CDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 835 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Fox River at Princeton is at 5.20 ft, in the normal range.

It is 4.30 ft below the flood stage of 9.50 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.92 ft and 5.32 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 11.49 ftMay 19, 2003

Floating and fishing near Fox River at Princeton

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 9.50 ft, 4.30 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

12.00 ft: There is general major flooding in the Princeton area. Jefferson and North Mechanic Streets are affected by floodwaters. Water into yards on homes along S Farmer, and W Water St. Large areas of lowland in the Princeton area are covered with floodwaters.
11.00 ft: There is general moderate flooding in the Princeton area. Floodwaters affect Jefferson Street and the north end of Mechanic Street in Princeton. Water into yards on homes along S Farmer, and W Water St. Large areas of lowland in the Princeton area are flooded.
10.00 ft: Floodwaters are in the back yards of some homes along South Farmer, Jefferson, North Mechanic and West Water Streets in Princeton. There is widespread flooding of lowland and wooded land.
9.50 ft: Floodwaters are in the back yards of some homes along South Farmer, Jefferson, North Mechanic and West Water Streets in Princeton. There is general minor flooding in the Princeton area.
9.00 ft: Flooding effects are confined mainly to lowland and wooded land. Floodwaters are just into the backyards of some homes along South Farmer Street in Princeton.
8.50 ft: There is minor flooding to lowland and wooded land in the Princeton area.
8.00 ft: There is minor flooding to lowland and wooded land in the Princeton area.
7.50 ft: There is minor flooding to lowland and wooded land in the Princeton area.
5.20 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.49 ft	May 19, 2003
2	11.49 ft	June 20, 2004
3	11.31 ft	September 11, 2018
4	11.12 ft	March 24, 2019
5	10.46 ft	October 16, 2018
6	9.68 ft	May 15, 2018
7	9.59 ft	April 21, 2026
8	9.44 ft	May 11, 2012
9	9.42 ft	April 19, 2013
10	9.25 ft	April 1, 2020

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.78 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 67° 42° – Wind 18 mph

19 Mon 65° 44° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 65° 43° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 68° 45° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 70° 50° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 70° 51° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 69° 58° 0.02 in Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Fox River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fox River at BerlinRiver gauge, Fox River	9.63 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	12 mi
Fox River at OshkoshRiver gauge, Fox River	6.33 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	32 mi
Fox River at AppletonRiver gauge, Fox River	5.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	45 mi
Fox River at Oil Tank Depot at Green BayRiver gauge, Fox River	579.39 ft	Below flood stage	+0.07 ft	73 mi
Fox River at WaukeshaRiver gauge, Fox River	3.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	74 mi
Fox River at Waterford Dam, at WaterfordRiver gauge, Fox River	1.78 ft	No reference yet	+0.08 ft	88 mi
Fox River at RochesterRiver gauge, Fox River	4.66 ft	Normal	+0.08 ft	89 mi
Fox River near New MunsterRiver gauge, Fox River	6.70 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	97 mi
Fox River at JohnsburgRiver gauge, Fox River	4.05 ft	Normal	+0.11 ft	111 mi
Fox River near McHenryRiver gauge, Fox River	4.02 ft	Normal	+0.16 ft	115 mi
Fox River at AlgonquinRiver gauge, Fox River	1.66 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	124 mi
Fox River at South Elgin, Il (Tailwater)River gauge, Fox River	6.83 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	135 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Green Lake Sw Inlet @ Ct Highwy K near Green LakeRiver gauge, Green Lake Sw Inlet @ Ct Highwy K	32.5 cfs	High	−8.8 cfs	6 mi
Green Lake at Green LakeLake, Green Lake	6.65 ft	Very high	−0.02 ft	7 mi
Roy Creek at Roy Creek Road near Green LakeRiver gauge, Roy Creek	0.7 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	8 mi
Puchyan River Ds N. Lawson Drive near Green LakeRiver gauge, Puchyan River Ds N. Lawson Drive	58.4 cfs	Very high	−5.8 cfs	9 mi
Green Lake Inlet at Ct Highway A near Green LakeRiver gauge, Green Lake Inlet	33.8 cfs	High	+8.9 cfs	10 mi
White Creek at Spring Grove Road near Green LakeRiver gauge, White Creek	1.9 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	10 mi
Silver Creek at Spaulding Road near Green LakeRiver gauge, Silver Creek	38.4 cfs	Normal	+6.2 cfs	11 mi
Chaffee Creek at I-39 near ColomaRiver gauge, Chaffee Creek	11.3 cfs	Normal	±0	20 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Fox River at Princeton?

The official flood stage is 9.50 ft. The level is currently 4.30 ft below it.

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 Fox River at Princeton today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:00 AM CDT, the water level was 5.20 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Fox River at Princeton rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Fox River at Princeton normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Fox River at Princeton?

The highest level on record is 11.49 ft on May 19, 2003.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:04073365 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.85111, -89.13333 (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	5.20 ft	2026-10-19 12:00	Provisional
Flow	835 cfs	2026-10-19 12:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Fox River at Princeton (usgs:04073365). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/fox-river-at-princeton

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