Otselic River at Cincinnatus water level

Name: Otselic River at Cincinnatus 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, Otselic River, New York, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.26ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 08:00 PM EDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 45.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.20 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 11:00 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Otselic River at Cincinnatus, where the gauge shows 1.26 ft.

It is 7.74 ft below the flood stage of 9.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.20 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM. The 30-day range is 1.09 ft – 1.33 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 12.50 ftJuly 8, 1935
Forecast peak: 1.30 ftSunday, October 18 at 08:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 9.00 ft.

What happens at each level

12.50 ft: Estimated level of the July 1935 flood which occurred before installation of the river gage. Widespread destruction occurred downstream from Willet to Upper Lisle.
11.90 ft: Portions of the Cincinnatus Central School will flood. FEMA flood insurance risk maps indicate that this level, as measured at the stream gage, marks the 1% (100 year) floodplain. Your property is at risk of flooding during a major flood event. A 100 year flood is a flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring in any year.
11.50 ft: Widespread flooding of homes and properties occurs along Cincinnatus Road, Telephone Road and Lower Cincinnatus Road on the east side of the river. The Cincinnatus fire department floods. Flooding also occurrs along Route 26 in the vicinity of Lower Cincinnatus.
10.50 ft: Flood waters affect first floor properties along Cincinnatus Road. Deer Path Lane is cut off by flooding.
9.50 ft: Widespread basement and yard flooding occurs in Cincinnatus, especially along Deer Path Lane and Lower Cincinnatus Road.
9.00 ft: Agricultural lands between Cincinnatus and Willet flood.
1.26 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.50 ft	July 8, 1935
2	10.89 ft	January 19, 1996
3	10.68 ft	April 4, 1950
4	10.67 ft	December 30, 1942
5	10.55 ft	April 3, 2005
6	10.27 ft	March 20, 1948
7	10.23 ft	March 5, 1964
8	10.19 ft	March 11, 1955
9	10.05 ft	March 13, 1977
10	9.94 ft	April 11, 1993

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:17 PM Daylight 10 hr, 55 min First quarter 54%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tioughnioga River at CortlandRiver gauge, Tioughnioga River	3.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	14 mi
Whitney Point Lake at Whitney PointLake, Whitney Point Lake	973.51 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	14 mi
Tioughnioga River at LisleRiver gauge, Tioughnioga River	0.78 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	14 mi
Chenango River at GreeneRiver gauge, Chenango River	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	16 mi
Tioughnioga River at ItaskaRiver gauge, Tioughnioga River	1.76 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	17 mi
Chenango River at OxfordRiver gauge, Chenango River	7.43 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	17 mi
Chenango River at NorwichRiver gauge, Chenango River	3.72 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	20 mi
Chenango River at SherburneRiver gauge, Chenango River	1.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	22 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Otselic River at Cincinnatus?

The official flood stage is 9.00 ft. The level is currently 7.74 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 Otselic River at Cincinnatus today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 08:00 PM EDT, the water level was 1.26 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Otselic River at Cincinnatus rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Otselic River at Cincinnatus normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Otselic River at Cincinnatus?

The highest level on record is 12.50 ft on July 8, 1935.

Is Otselic River at Cincinnatus expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 1.20 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:01510000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.54117, -75.89919 (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	1.26 ft	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional
Flow	45.5 cfs	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Otselic River at Cincinnatus (usgs:01510000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-york/otselic-river-at-cincinnatus

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