Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk water level

Name: Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk 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, Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.00ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 281 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk, where the gauge shows 1.00 ft.

It is 5.00 ft below the flood stage of 6.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.00 ft – 1.17 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: 7.59 ftSeptember 5, 1941

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 6.00 ft.

What happens at each level

11.00 ft: Water may be approaching the McNaughton bridge structure downstream.
9.00 ft: Water may be covering low-lying sections of Highway D. Water may be surrounding homes and cottages along West Rapids Road, East Rapids Road, River Road and Wolf Road.
7.50 ft: Floodwaters may be approaching portions of Highway D near Gilmore Creek and homes on East Rapids and West Rapids Roads.
6.00 ft: There is widespread flooding of wooded lowland. A boat landing ramp and nearby paved parking lot downstream of the Rainbow Reservior dam is flooding.
4.00 ft: There is minor flooding of wooded lowland.
1.00 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	7.59 ft	September 5, 1941
2	7.23 ft	July 18, 1942
3	6.68 ft	June 26, 1946
4	6.66 ft	June 17, 1943
5	6.51 ft	June 18, 2018
6	6.43 ft	June 30, 1939
7	6.33 ft	August 10, 1938
8	6.30 ft	May 7, 1973
9	6.27 ft	August 27, 1978
10	6.14 ft	June 20, 1981

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 64° 34° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 66° 42° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 66° 41° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 67° 49° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 67° 56° 0.00 in Wind 14 mph

25 Sun 60° 41° 0.02 in Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 41° 32° 0.10 in, 20% Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:24 AM Sunset 06:03 PM Daylight 10 hr, 40 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Anvil Lake near Eagle RiverLake, Anvil Lake	90.73 ft	Very low	±0	25 mi
Bear River near Manitowish WatersRiver gauge, Bear River	7.5 cfs	Very low	−0.6 cfs	26 mi
Lac Vieux Desert near Land O'lakesLake, Lac Vieux Desert	80.35 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Cisco Lake near WatersmeetLake, Cisco Lake	4.16 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	30 mi
Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake OutletRiver gauge, Cisco Branch Ontonagon River	0.5 cfs	Very low	±0	30 mi
Spirit River at Spirit FallsRiver gauge, Spirit River	1.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	33 mi
Prairie River near MerrillRiver gauge, Prairie River	2.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	41 mi
Middle Branch Ontonagon River near PauldingRiver gauge, Middle Branch Ontonagon River	4.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	43 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk?

The official flood stage is 6.00 ft. The level is currently 5.00 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 Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:00 PM CDT, the water level was 1.00 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.05 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk?

The highest level on record is 7.59 ft on September 5, 1941.

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:05391000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.83051, -89.55236 (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	1.00 ft	2026-10-21 02:00	Provisional
Flow	281 cfs	2026-10-21 02:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake Tomahawk (usgs:05391000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/wisconsin-river-rainbow-lake-near-lake-tomahawk

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