Big Blue River at Shelbyville water level

Name: Big Blue River at Shelbyville 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, Big Blue River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.82ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 07:45 AM EDT (55 min ago)

Flow: 115 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Big Blue River at Shelbyville is at 4.82 ft, in the normal range.

It is 8.18 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.82 ft and 4.89 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: 20.20 ftMarch 28, 1913

Floating and fishing near Big Blue River at Shelbyville

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

Flood stage here is 13.00 ft, 8.18 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

23.90 ft: Low steel of Harrison Street Bridge over the Big Blue River at gaging site.
20.00 ft: Near record or record flooding is in progress. Major flooding causes substantial residential and business damage in Shelbyville.
19.50 ft: Maximum good reading before wellhouse is flooded.
18.00 ft: Major flood strikes Shelbyville.
17.00 ft: Extensive flooding along left bank affects business and residential property along Boggstown Road. Rural flooding of a few homes near CR 100N and Boggstown Road on April 21, 2011.
16.30 ft: Extensive flooding occurring along Big Blue River. Several residences in Shelbyville had water in their yards on March 6, 2011. One day later extensive flooding at mile marker 82.5 in the Edinburgh area. Several homes along Sugar Creek were evacuated when the level peaked at nine ft on the New Palestine gage one day earlier.
15.00 ft: High water affects trucking firm on Boggstown Road.
14.00 ft: Flooding begins to affect business and residential property. West Washington Avenue east of rendering plant begins to flood. In winter and spring, persons are not too concerned. This level is rather unusual for summer.
13.50 ft: Flooding affects Boggstown Road near sewage plant. Considerable flooding of agricultural fields south of Boggstown Road. Lowland flooding occurring along the Big Blue River in Johnson County.
13.00 ft: Flood Stage. Water reaches CR 425W. Some agricultural land and extremely low-lying areas like Bear Chase golf course are flooded.
12.50 ft: Right bank 50 feet upstream of gage site overflows.
12.00 ft: Lowland flooding begins in Sunset Park on left bank about one-half downstream of gage site. Water very near and may start flowing over Shelby CR 425W south of Shelby CR 50S and north of Shelby CR 100S.
4.82 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: 14 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.20 ft	March 28, 1913
2	19.98 ft	April 6, 2025
3	18.43 ft	January 6, 2005
4	18.41 ft	November 15, 1993
5	18.30 ft	December 23, 2013
6	18.30 ft	January 12, 1937
7	18.30 ft	January 25, 1937
8	18.06 ft	April 4, 2018
9	18.03 ft	December 31, 1990
10	17.70 ft	March 5, 1963

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.39 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 54° 39° – Wind 14 mph

18 Sun 60° 37° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 67° 38° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 69° 47° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 69° 47° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 70° 48° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 70° 47° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:59 AM Sunset 06:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 59 min First quarter 68%

Map

Other gauges on the Big Blue River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Blue River at CarthageRiver gauge, Big Blue River	0.72 ft	Below flood stage	±0	18 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Blue River at ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Little Blue River	4.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	0.8 mi
Sugar Creek near BoggstownRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	78.8 cfs	Normal	−16.0 cfs	9 mi
Flatrock River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Flatrock River	0.70 ft	Below flood stage	±0	11 mi
Buck Creek at ActonRiver gauge, Buck Creek	1.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	13 mi
Sugar Creek at New PalestineRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	2.86 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	14 mi
Youngs Creek near EdinburghRiver gauge, Youngs Creek	1.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	14 mi
Haw Creek at HopeRiver gauge, Haw Creek	1.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	16 mi
Sugar Creek near EdinburghRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	17 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Big Blue River at Shelbyville?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 8.18 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 Big Blue River at Shelbyville today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 07:45 AM EDT, the water level was 4.82 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Big Blue River at Shelbyville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Big Blue River at Shelbyville normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Big Blue River at Shelbyville?

The highest level on record is 20.20 ft on March 28, 1913.

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:03361500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.52925, -85.77753 (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	4.82 ft	2026-10-20 11:45	Provisional
Flow	115 cfs	2026-10-20 11:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Big Blue River at Shelbyville (usgs:03361500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/big-blue-river-at-shelbyville

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