Tioughnioga River at Cortland water level

Name: Tioughnioga River at Cortland 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, Tioughnioga River, New York, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.04ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 08:00 AM EDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 108 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 10:18 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Tioughnioga River at Cortland reads 3.04 ft, a normal level.

It is 4.96 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.99 ft and 3.18 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.07 ftApril 3, 2005
Forecast peak: 3.00 ftTuesday, October 20 at 08:00 AM

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 8.00 ft, still 4.96 ft away.

What happens at each level

14.07 ft: Record flood of April 2005. Widespread inundation and major flood damage occurred along the river from Cortland to Marathon.
13.02 ft: Severe flooding occurs in areas from the City of Cortland to Marathon with 3-4 feet of water covering many city streets in Cortland. Residents in the Kennedy Parkway area are cutoff by floodwaters. This is the level of the January 1996 rain and snow melt flood.
12.50 ft: Major flood stage. Severe flooding occurs in the Village of Marathon with 4-6 feet of water covering most of the streets in town. Many homes and businesses are inundated to the first floor. Widespread basement flooding occurs in the City of Cortland along River Street and the Yaman Park area.
11.50 ft: Widespread, serious flooding occurs in cellars and up to the first floor of homes and businesses in Marathon. Cellar flooding occurs on the east side of Cortland near Yaman Park. Kellogg Road is covered by water 3-6 feet deep in spots.
10.00 ft: Moderate flood stage. Some flooding begins to affect roads and basements in the Village of Marathon and the Yaman Park area of Cortland.
8.00 ft: Minor flood stage. Flooding leads to some closures along Kellogg Road to the south of Cortland.
7.00 ft: The river spills it/s banks into the low lying flood plain. No impact occurs at this stage.
3.04 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: 24 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.07 ft	April 3, 2005
2	13.82 ft	April 5, 1950
3	13.56 ft	December 31, 1942
4	13.54 ft	April 5, 1956
5	13.52 ft	March 31, 1960
6	13.33 ft	April 9, 1940
7	13.02 ft	January 20, 1996
8	13.00 ft	February 26, 1961
9	12.77 ft	March 12, 1955
10	12.73 ft	March 20, 1948

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 61° 37° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 58° 36° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 58° 36° – Wind 14 mph

23 Fri 54° 33° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 57° 34° – Wind 7 mph

25 Sun 61° 36° – Wind 8 mph

26 Mon 64° 46° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:24 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 68%

Map

Other gauges on the Tioughnioga River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Tioughnioga River at LisleRiver gauge, Tioughnioga River	0.71 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	19 mi
Tioughnioga River at ItaskaRiver gauge, Tioughnioga River	1.69 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	25 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Grout Brook near Fair HavenRiver gauge, Grout Brook	6.1 cfs	Normal	±0	11 mi
Otselic River at CincinnatusRiver gauge, Otselic River	1.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	14 mi
Owasco Inlet below Aurora Street at MoraviaRiver gauge, Owasco Inlet	3.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	16 mi
Fall Creek near IthacaRiver gauge, Fall Creek	0.79 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Salmon Creek near LudlowvilleRiver gauge, Salmon Creek	18.0 cfs	Normal	−2.6 cfs	19 mi
Sixmile Creek at Bethel GroveRiver gauge, Sixmile Creek	19.9 cfs	Normal	−1.9 cfs	20 mi
Whitney Point Lake at Whitney PointLake, Whitney Point Lake	973.45 ft	Normal	−0.05 ft	20 mi
Cayuga Inlet (Cayuga Lake) at IthacaLake, Cayuga Inlet (Cayuga Lake)	382.04 ft	Very high	+0.12 ft	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Tioughnioga River at Cortland?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 4.96 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 Tioughnioga River at Cortland today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 08:00 AM EDT, the water level was 3.04 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Tioughnioga River at Cortland rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Tioughnioga River at Cortland normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Tioughnioga River at Cortland?

The highest level on record is 14.07 ft on April 3, 2005.

Is Tioughnioga River at Cortland expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 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:01509000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.60267, -76.15939 (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	3.04 ft	2026-10-20 12:00	Provisional
Flow	108 cfs	2026-10-20 12:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Tioughnioga River at Cortland (usgs:01509000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/new-york/tioughnioga-river-at-cortland

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