South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow water level

Name: South Fork McKenzie River 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, South Fork McKenzie River, Oregon, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.43ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 12:40 PM PDT (10 min ago)

Flow: 346 cfs
Water temperature: 56 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow is running below normal at 1.43 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.30 ft and 1.43 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 56 °F.

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

Floating and fishing near South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow

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

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 64° 45° 0.02 in Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 80° 50° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 79° 54° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 67° 43° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 58° 40° 0.02 in, 31% Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 76° 40° – Wind 6 mph

25 Sun 79° 51° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 50 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the South Fork McKenzie River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork McKenzie River above Cougar Lake near RainbowRiver gauge, South Fork McKenzie River	175 cfs	Very low	±0	6 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cougar Dam Tailwater near RainbowRiver gauge, Cougar Dam Tailwater	1,251.62 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	0.4 mi
McKenzie River above South Fork, near RainbowRiver gauge, McKenzie River	8.03 ft	Very low	−0.05 ft	2.1 mi
Blue River at Blue RiverRiver gauge, Blue River	186 cfs	Normal	+2.0 cfs	4.6 mi
Nf Quartz Creek near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Nf Quartz Creek	1.0 cfs	Low	+0.1 cfs	4.7 mi
Lookout Creek near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Lookout Creek	7.7 cfs	Very low	±0	5.1 mi
Blue River below Tidbits Creek, near Blue RiverRiver gauge, Blue River	1.73 ft	Low	±0	5.7 mi
McKenzie River near VidaRiver gauge, McKenzie River	0.87 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	11 mi
McKenzie River below Trail Branch Dam near Belknap SpringsRiver gauge, McKenzie River	542 cfs	Very low	−46.0 cfs	13 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 South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 12:40 PM PDT, the water level was 1.43 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 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:14159500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.13596, -122.24839 (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	1.43 ft	2026-10-19 19:40	Provisional
Flow	346 cfs	2026-10-19 19:40	Provisional
Water temperature	56 °F	2026-10-19 19:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: South Fork McKenzie River near Rainbow (usgs:14159500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/oregon/south-fork-mckenzie-river-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