Sugar Creek at New Palestine water level

Name: Sugar Creek at New Palestine 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, Sugar Creek, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.86ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 07:30 AM EDT (58 min ago)

Flow: 28.6 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Sugar Creek at New Palestine is at 2.86 ft, in the normal range.

It is 5.14 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.63 ft and 3.51 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: 11.58 ftDecember 22, 2013

Floating and fishing near Sugar Creek at New Palestine

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

Flood stage here is 8.00 ft, 5.14 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

11.50 ft: Extensive flooding occurred along Sugar Creek during December 2013. Local road to the Waste Water Treatment Plant and a few other roads nearby closed by high water. Water 8 inches below the bridge deck on US Hwy 52 on the east side of New Palestine. Flooding of at least one home downstream in Johnson County. This was the highest level for this site since establishment in October 1967.
11.00 ft: Major flood in progress. Flooding of a few homes in the New Palestine area begins. Sugar Creek is extensively flooding. Some local river roads flooded by a few feet of water. Shelby CR 700N may be flooded east of the bridge over Sugar Creek especially if Buck Creek at Acton is 13 feet or higher. Several homes possibly damaged in western Shelby County.
9.50 ft: Extensive lowland flooding in progress along Sugar Creek in New Palestine area. Local river roads closed by high water. Flooding of some residential property and backyards begins.
9.00 ft: Extensive flooding along Sugar Creek in southern Hancock and western Shelby Counties. After reaching this level, and when the Big Blue River was near 16.5 feet, one day later several homes along the creek west of Shelbyville were evacuated.
8.00 ft: Lowland flooding in progress along Sugar Creek in New Palestine area. Some local roads may be affected by high water.
7.50 ft: Lowland flooding south in Johnson County along the creek.
6.50 ft: Lowest areas along Sugar Creek begin to flood in New Palestine area.
2.86 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.58 ft	December 22, 2013
2	10.80 ft	January 6, 2005
3	10.35 ft	April 5, 2025
4	10.34 ft	February 23, 1979
5	10.31 ft	December 30, 1990
6	10.08 ft	November 14, 1993
7	9.68 ft	January 13, 2005
8	9.50 ft	April 3, 2018
9	9.50 ft	October 4, 1986
10	9.47 ft	June 18, 1992

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 66° 38° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 69° 40° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 71° 50° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 71° 50° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 71° 49° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 73° 52° – Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 72° 54° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

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

Map

Other gauges on Sugar Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sugar Creek near ThorntownRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	23.9 cfs	Normal	+1.1 cfs	52 mi
Sugar Creek at CrawfordsvilleRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	3.00 ft	Very high	−0.02 ft	59 mi
Sugar Creek at West Terre HauteRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	1.46 ft	No reference yet	−0.04 ft	86 mi
Sugar Creek near BoggstownRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	78.8 cfs	Normal	−16.0 cfs	11 mi
Sugar Creek near EdinburghRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	25 mi
Sugar Creek at MilfordRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	2.82 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	116 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Buck Creek at ActonRiver gauge, Buck Creek	1.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	5.5 mi
Brandywine Creek at GreenfieldRiver gauge, Brandywine Creek	4.88 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	8 mi
Pleasant Run at Arlington Av at IndianapolisRiver gauge, Pleasant Run	2.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	10 mi
Lick Creek at IndianapolisRiver gauge, Lick Creek	1.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Pogues Run above Dam at IndianapolisRiver gauge, Pogues Run	4.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	13 mi
Fall Creek at 79th St at IndianapolisRiver gauge, Fall Creek	108 cfs	Very high	−7.0 cfs	14 mi
Big Blue River at ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Big Blue River	4.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Pogues Run at Vermont Street at IndianapolisRiver gauge, Pogues Run	1.33 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	14 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Sugar Creek at New Palestine?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 5.14 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 Sugar Creek at New Palestine today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 07:30 AM EDT, the water level was 2.86 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Sugar Creek at New Palestine rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Sugar Creek at New Palestine normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Sugar Creek at New Palestine?

The highest level on record is 11.58 ft on December 22, 2013.

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:03361650 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.71420, -85.88551 (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	2.86 ft	2026-10-20 11:30	Provisional
Flow	28.6 cfs	2026-10-20 11:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Sugar Creek at New Palestine (usgs:03361650). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/sugar-creek-at-new-palestine

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