Lake Mendota at Madison water level

Name: Lake Mendota at Madison water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Lake, Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Surface elevation

849.81ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT (53 min ago)

Water level: 9.85 ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

Lake Mendota at Madison is at 849.81 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 849.81 ft and 849.99 ft.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

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

On the water at Lake Mendota at Madison

Normal levels mean few surprises on the water: ramps in use and the shoreline where you expect it.

Wear a life jacket on the water. Most boating deaths involve people who were not wearing one.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.72 in.

18 Sun 62° 40° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 65° 41° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 65° 42° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 67° 47° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 67° 52° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 68° 48° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 68° 55° 0.20 in Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 58%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
N 3rd St Storm Sewer near E Johnson St MadisonRiver gauge, N 3rd St Storm Sewer	0.16 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	0.6 mi
Yahara River at East Main Street at MadisonRiver gauge, Yahara River	218 cfs	Normal	±0	0.6 mi
N 6th St Storm Sewer near E Johnson St MadisonRiver gauge, N 6th St Storm Sewer	0.00 ft	No reference yet	±0	0.9 mi
North Franklin Storm Sewer at MadisonRiver gauge, North Franklin Storm Sewer	0.03 ft	No reference yet	±0	1.2 mi
N Sherman Ave Storm Sewer near Trailsway MadisonRiver gauge, N Sherman Ave Storm Sewer	0.01 ft	No reference yet	±0	2.2 mi
Yahara River at State Highway 113 at MadisonRiver gauge, Yahara River	90.5 cfs	High	+11.0 cfs	4.2 mi
Dorn (Spring) Creek at Ct Highway M near WaunakeeRiver gauge, Dorn (Spring) Creek	3.7 cfs	Low	−0.7 cfs	4.8 mi
Sixmile Creek @ County Trnk Hghwy M near WaunakeeRiver gauge, Sixmile Creek @ County Trnk Hghwy M	16.3 cfs	Low	+0.1 cfs	4.9 mi

Questions and answers

Is Lake Mendota at Madison really 849.81 ft deep?

No. 849.81 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Lake Mendota at Madison today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT, the surface elevation was 849.81 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Mendota at Madison rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lake Mendota at Madison normal?

Normal 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:05428000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.09500, -89.37012 (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
Surface elevation	849.81 ft	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional
Water level	9.85 ft	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Mendota at Madison (usgs:05428000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/lake-mendota-at-madison

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