St. Marys River near Fort Wayne water level

Name: St. Marys River near Fort Wayne 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, St. Marys River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.15ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 PM EDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 59.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at St. Marys River near Fort Wayne reads 1.15 ft, a normal level.

It is 12.85 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.14 ft and 1.28 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: 21.20 ftJuly 9, 2003

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 14.00 ft, still 12.85 ft away.

What happens at each level

22.00 ft: Structural damage is done to homes and businesses on the south side of Fort Wayne near the Saint Mary's River. Record flood was set on July 9, 2003 when the river reached 21.2 feet.
20.00 ft: A major flood is in progress and water is nearing the top of many levees.
19.00 ft: Flooding reaching major category with isolated evacuations becoming necessary. Some roads and bridges are closed at this level.
18.00 ft: An increasing number of city streets flood, and evacuations may become necessary. Property damage begins in more areas at this level.
17.00 ft: Some residents in the Winchester Road area may need to be evacuated. Property damage begins in some areas at this level.
15.00 ft: Flooding occurs on the lowest unprotected city streets, park drives and county roads.
14.00 ft: Flooding occurs in parks and low farmland throughout southern Allen County. The City of Fort Wayne starts 24 hour flood fighting procedures.
1.15 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: 16 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	21.20 ft	July 9, 2003
2	19.88 ft	June 19, 2015
3	19.66 ft	March 14, 1982
4	19.06 ft	January 14, 2005
5	18.33 ft	February 26, 1985
6	17.92 ft	January 1, 1991
7	17.68 ft	February 9, 2008
8	17.67 ft	February 9, 2008
9	17.07 ft	July 18, 1992
10	17.03 ft	January 26, 1999

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 66° 36° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 66° 40° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 69° 50° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 69° 50° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 70° 49° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 71° 53° – Wind 13 mph

26 Mon 59° 51° 0.15 in Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:58 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 10 hr, 56 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the St. Marys River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
St. Marys River at Rockford OHRiver gauge, St. Marys River	1.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	32 mi
St. Marys River at Pleasant MillsRiver gauge, St. Marys River	50.7 cfs	Normal	−1.9 cfs	20 mi
St. Marys River at DecaturRiver gauge, St. Marys River	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	13 mi
St. Marys River at Main St. at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Marys River	98.9 cfs	Normal	+9.1 cfs	7 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Junk Ditch at Fort WayneCanal gauge, Junk Ditch	0.5 cfs	Normal	−0.9 cfs	6 mi
Maumee River at Fort WayneRiver gauge, Maumee River	2.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	7 mi
Maumee River at New HavenRiver gauge, Maumee River	3.90 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	8 mi
Spy Run Creek near Park Drive at Fort WayneRiver gauge, Spy Run Creek	5.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	8 mi
St. Joseph River near Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.86 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	13 mi
Cedar Creek near CedarvilleRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	1.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	16 mi
Little River near HuntingtonRiver gauge, Little River	2.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	17 mi
Wabash River at BlufftonRiver gauge, Wabash River	1.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	17 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the St. Marys River near Fort Wayne?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 12.85 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 St. Marys River near Fort Wayne today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 PM EDT, the water level was 1.15 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is St. Marys River near Fort Wayne rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of St. Marys River near Fort Wayne normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at St. Marys River near Fort Wayne?

The highest level on record is 21.20 ft on July 9, 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:04182000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 40.98780, -85.11188 (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	1.15 ft	2026-10-20 17:45	Provisional
Flow	59.4 cfs	2026-10-20 17:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: St. Marys River near Fort Wayne (usgs:04182000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/st-marys-river-near-fort-wayne

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