Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow water level

Name: Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow 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, Cougar Dam Tailwater, Oregon, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1,251.62ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 16, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT (3 days ago)

History

Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.

What this means

Low water at Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow: the gauge reads 1,251.62 ft, far below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.82 ft below the median of 1,252.44 ft for mid-October, based on 13 years of readings.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

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

Compared with 13 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1,252.44 ft0.82 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1,251.85 ft – 1,253.76 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (13 years of records)

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 68° 43° – Wind 9 mph

19 Mon 64° 44° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 78° 52° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 78° 53° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 64° 42° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 59° 40° 0.00 in, 40% Wind 4 mph

24 Sat 74° 40° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 50 min First quarter 58%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork McKenzie River near RainbowRiver gauge, South Fork McKenzie River	327 cfs	Low	−4.0 cfs	0.4 mi
McKenzie River above South Fork, near RainbowRiver gauge, McKenzie River	8.06 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	2.6 mi
Blue River at Blue RiverRiver gauge, Blue River	184 cfs	Normal	−2.0 cfs	5.0 mi
Nf Quartz Creek near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Nf Quartz Creek	1.0 cfs	Low	±0	5.1 mi
Lookout Creek near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Lookout Creek	7.7 cfs	Very low	±0	5.5 mi
South Fork McKenzie River above Cougar Lake near RainbowRiver gauge, South Fork McKenzie River	175 cfs	Very low	±0	5.9 mi
Blue River below Tidbits Creek, near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Blue River	1.74 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	6.1 mi
McKenzie River near VidaRiver gauge, McKenzie River	0.90 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	11 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1,252.44 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1,251.85 ft and 1,253.76 ft, based on 13 years of records.

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 Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow today?

On Oct 16, 2026, 08:30 AM PDT, the water level was 1,251.62 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 13 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:14159410 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.13055, -122.24359 (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	1,251.62 ft	2026-10-16 15:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cougar Dam Tailwater near Rainbow (usgs:14159410). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oregon/cougar-dam-tailwater-near-rainbow

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