Pecatonica River at Martintown water level

Name: Pecatonica River at Martintown 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, Pecatonica River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

6.59ft Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT (32 min ago)

Flow: 882 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Pecatonica River at Martintown is at 6.59 ft, in the normal range.

It is 6.91 ft below the flood stage of 13.50 ft.

It has dropped 0.28 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.75 ft and 6.91 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: 22.41 ftMarch 16, 2019

Floating and fishing near Pecatonica River at Martintown

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

Flood stage here is 13.50 ft, 6.91 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

24.00 ft: Some homes in the Martintown area have floodwaters in their first floors sustaining major damage. Martintown Road and West River Road are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Hwy 11, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. Highway 73 is flooded about 1 mile downstream in Winslow Illinois.
23.00 ft: Some homes in the Martintown area have floodwaters in their first floors sustaining major damage. Martintown Road and West River Road in Martintown are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Hwy 11, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. Highway 73 downstream in Winslow Illinois is flooded.
22.00 ft: Some homes in the Martintown area have floodwaters in their basements and first floors sustaining major damage. Martintown Road and West River Road in Martintown are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Hwy 11, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. Highway 73 about 1 mile downstream in Winslow Illinois is flooded.
21.00 ft: Some homes in the Martintown area have floodwaters in their basements and first floors. Martintown Road and West River Road in the Martintown area are flooded. Hwy 11, Highway MM and West Indies Road upstream in Browntown are flooded. Highway 73 about 1 mile downstream in Winslow Illinois is flooded.
19.50 ft: Some homes in Martintown area have floodwaters in their basements and first floors, Highways MM and West Indies Road upstream in the Browntown area are flooded. Martintown Road and West River Road in Martintown are flooded as is Highway 73 about 1 mile downstream in Winslow Illinois.
18.50 ft: Some homes in the Martintown area have floodwaters in their basements and first floors. Martintown Road and West River Road are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. About 1 mile downstream in Winslow, Illinois, Highway 73 is flooded.
18.00 ft: Floodwaters are in the basements of some homes in the Martintown area. Martintown Road and West River Road are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. About 1 mile downstream in Winslow, Illinois, Highway 73 is flooded.
17.50 ft: Floodwaters are in the back years of some homes in the Martintown area. Martintown Road and West River Road are flooded. Upstream in Browntown, Highway MM and West Indies Road are flooded. About 1 mile downstream in Winslow Illinois, Highway 73 is flooded.
16.50 ft: Floodwaters are in the back yards of some homes in Martintown. Floodwaters affect Martintown Road and West River Road in the Martintown area. Upstream in Browntown, floodwaters affect Highway MM and West Indies Road.
16.00 ft: Floodwaters are in the back yard of at least one home in Martintown. Floodwaters affect Martintown Road and West River Road in the Martintown area. Upstream in Browntown, floodwaters affect Highway MM and West Indies Road.
13.50 ft: Floodwaters affect Martintown Road and West River Road in the Martintown area. Upstream in Browntown, floodwaters affect highway MM and West Indies Road.
13.00 ft: Tillable farmland is flooded.
6.59 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: 18 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	22.41 ft	March 16, 2019
2	21.46 ft	July 1, 1969
3	20.98 ft	July 1, 1990
4	20.80 ft	March 27, 1916
5	20.57 ft	March 24, 1975
6	20.36 ft	July 8, 1993
7	20.24 ft	February 29, 1948
8	20.23 ft	April 3, 1959
9	20.16 ft	February 23, 2018
10	19.94 ft	March 4, 1965

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.24 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 66° 39° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 67° 41° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 67° 47° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 69° 51° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 70° 52° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 68° 53° – Wind 15 mph

25 Sun 64° 49° 0.05 in Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:17 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 10 hr, 55 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Pecatonica River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Pecatonica River at DarlingtonRiver gauge, Pecatonica River	3.35 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	20 mi
Pecatonica River at FreeportRiver gauge, Pecatonica River	6.00 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	17 mi
Pecatonica River near ShirlandRiver gauge, Pecatonica River	6.21 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	32 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
East Branch Pecatonica River near BlanchardvilleRiver gauge, East Branch Pecatonica River	5.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	19 mi
Sugar River near BrodheadRiver gauge, Sugar River	1.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	22 mi
Apple River near HanoverRiver gauge, Apple River	4.26 ft	High	−0.01 ft	30 mi
Sugar River near VeronaRiver gauge, Sugar River	42.4 cfs	Low	−4.9 cfs	33 mi
Badger Mill Creek at VeronaRiver gauge, Badger Mill Creek	9.3 cfs	Normal	−0.5 cfs	35 mi
Sinsinawa River near MenomineeRiver gauge, Sinsinawa River	4.78 ft	Normal	±0	35 mi
Rock River at RocktonRiver gauge, Rock River	5.20 ft	High	−0.07 ft	37 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Pecatonica River at Martintown?

The official flood stage is 13.50 ft. The level is currently 6.91 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 Pecatonica River at Martintown today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT, the water level was 6.59 ft. Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Pecatonica River at Martintown rising or falling?

Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Pecatonica River at Martintown normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Pecatonica River at Martintown?

The highest level on record is 22.41 ft on March 16, 2019.

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:05434500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.51000, -89.80139 (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	6.59 ft	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional
Flow	882 cfs	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Pecatonica River at Martintown (usgs:05434500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/pecatonica-river-at-martintown

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