West Fork Blue River at Salem water level

Name: West Fork Blue River at Salem 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, West Fork Blue River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.29ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:15 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 0.6 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The West Fork Blue River at Salem is running below normal at 3.29 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.28 ft and 3.30 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 20.15 ftMay 20, 2017

Floating and fishing near West Fork Blue River at Salem

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.15 ft	May 20, 2017
2	17.12 ft	May 27, 2004
3	15.58 ft	May 17, 1990
4	14.24 ft	July 20, 1988
5	14.16 ft	April 29, 1996
6	13.29 ft	May 25, 1995
7	13.14 ft	May 1, 1983
8	13.12 ft	May 8, 2002
9	12.67 ft	March 19, 2008
10	12.32 ft	October 9, 2009

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.09 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 69° 40° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 71° 46° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 72° 45° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 73° 47° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 73° 48° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 75° 48° – Wind 8 mph

25 Sun 72° 51° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:58 AM Sunset 07:02 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 62%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blue River at FredericksburgRiver gauge, Blue River	2.62 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	13 mi
East Fork White River near BedfordRiver gauge, East Fork White River	3.98 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	20 mi
Lick Creek at PaoliRiver gauge, Lick Creek	3.9 cfs	Normal	+0.7 cfs	21 mi
South Fork Salt Creek at KurtzRiver gauge, South Fork Salt Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	±0	25 mi
Silver Creek near SellersburgRiver gauge, Silver Creek	11.2 cfs	Normal	−1.4 cfs	26 mi
Muscatatuck River near DeputyRiver gauge, Muscatatuck River	2.94 ft	Below flood stage	±0	27 mi
Blue River near White CloudRiver gauge, Blue River	73.3 cfs	Normal	+6.3 cfs	27 mi
Lost River near ProspectRiver gauge, Lost River	41.6 cfs	Normal	−1.2 cfs	27 mi

Questions and answers

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 West Fork Blue River at Salem today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:15 PM EDT, the water level was 3.29 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is West Fork Blue River at Salem rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of West Fork Blue River at Salem normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at West Fork Blue River at Salem?

The highest level on record is 20.15 ft on May 20, 2017.

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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03302680 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.60533, -86.09441 (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	3.29 ft	2026-10-19 20:15	Provisional
Flow	0.6 cfs	2026-10-19 20:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: West Fork Blue River at Salem (usgs:03302680). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/west-fork-blue-river-at-salem

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