Carson River near Fort Churchill water level

Name: Carson River near Fort Churchill 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, Carson River, Nevada, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.57ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:55 AM PDT (33 min ago)

Flow: 14.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 2.00 ft by Friday, October 23 at 10:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 06:45 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Carson River near Fort Churchill, where the gauge shows 1.57 ft.

It is 6.43 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 2.00 ft by Friday, October 23 at 10:00 PM. The 30-day range is 1.41 ft – 1.57 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 13.70 ftJanuary 3, 1997
Forecast peak: 2.00 ftFriday, October 23 at 10:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 8.00 ft.

What happens at each level

9.50 ft: Major Flood Stage, Major impact to roads, infastructure and parks.
8.50 ft: Moderate Flood stage: Expanding impacts along lower Carson River impacting Parks, and rural roads.
8.00 ft: Minor Flood stage
6.50 ft: Monitor Stage: Some inundation of low lying areas including Rolling A Open Space Park, and Santa Maria Ranch Park. Some Distributed campsites along the river impacted.
1.57 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	13.70 ft	January 3, 1997
2	11.50 ft	February 19, 1986
3	11.00 ft	February 2, 1963
4	8.93 ft	January 2, 2006
5	8.88 ft	December 26, 1955
6	8.52 ft	February 12, 2017
7	8.18 ft	November 23, 1950
8	8.17 ft	January 11, 2017
9	7.92 ft	December 26, 1964
10	7.59 ft	March 12, 2023

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 75° 44° – Wind 18 mph

20 Tue 70° 46° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 65° 49° 0.69 in, 89% Wind 19 mph

22 Thu 53° 50° 0.16 in, 57% Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 62° 48° 0.00 in Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 62° 49° – Wind 5 mph

25 Sun 65° 49° – Wind 4 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:14 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the Carson River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Carson River near Carson CityRiver gauge, Carson River	1.69 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	25 mi
Carson River at Deer Run Road near Carson CityRiver gauge, Carson River	3.25 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	22 mi
Carson River above Sixmile Canyon Creek below DaytonRiver gauge, Carson River	24.2 cfs	Low	−1.2 cfs	11 mi
Carson River below Lahontan Reservoir near FallonRiver gauge, Carson River	256 cfs	Normal	−51.0 cfs	18 mi
Carson River at Tarzyn Road near FallonRiver gauge, Carson River	2.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	36 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Walker River near WabuskaRiver gauge, Walker River	3.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	15 mi
Lahontan Reservoir near FallonReservoir, Lahontan Reservoir	4,125.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	18 mi
Truckee Canal near HazenCanal gauge, Truckee Canal	18.7 cfs	Low	−0.3 cfs	20 mi
Truckee River below Derby Dam near WadsworthRiver gauge, Truckee River	2.64 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	21 mi
Truckee Canal near WadsworthCanal gauge, Truckee Canal	35.7 cfs	Low	+2.7 cfs	22 mi
Truckee River near TracyRiver gauge, Truckee River	6.90 ft	Below flood stage	+0.08 ft	22 mi
Truckee River at WadsworthRiver gauge, Truckee River	4.91 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Carson River near Fort Churchill?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 6.43 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 Carson River near Fort Churchill today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:55 AM PDT, the water level was 1.57 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Carson River near Fort Churchill rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Carson River near Fort Churchill normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Carson River near Fort Churchill?

The highest level on record is 13.70 ft on January 3, 1997.

Is Carson River near Fort Churchill expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 2.00 ft by Friday, October 23 at 10:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:10312000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.29167, -119.31111 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NGVD29
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	1.57 ft	2026-10-19 18:55	Provisional
Flow	14.4 cfs	2026-10-19 18:55	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Carson River near Fort Churchill (usgs:10312000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/nevada/carson-river-near-fort-churchill

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