AR River at Van Buren water level

Name: AR River at Van Buren 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, AR River, Arkansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

19.27ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 19.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 01:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 08:34 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The AR River at Van Buren is at 19.27 ft, in the normal range.

It is 2.73 ft below the flood stage of 22.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 19.18 ft, a difference of +0.09 ft.

It has dropped 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 19.10 ft by Monday, October 19 at 01:00 PM. In the last month it has stayed between 18.90 ft and 19.58 ft.

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

Key numbers

Same day last year: 19.18 ft+0.09 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 18.90 ft – 19.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 18.66 ft – 19.99 ft
Highest on record: 40.79 ftJune 1, 2019
Forecast peak: 19.20 ftMonday, October 19 at 01:00 AM

Floating and fishing near AR River at Van Buren

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 22.00 ft, 2.73 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

40.00 ft: near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. Approaches to the Highway 71B Midland bridge and I-540 bridge may be covered by high water. The Highway 64 bridge approach in Oklahoma is flooded. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. This approaches the flood of record from June 1, 2019 when the river crested at 40.79 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
38.00 ft: near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. The Highway 64 bridge approach in Oklahoma is flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
37.00 ft: near catastrophic flooding occurs along the Arkansas River. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Moffett is cut off from access. This exceeds conditions which occurred on May 5, 1990 when the river crested at 36.1 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
35.00 ft: very damaging flooding occurs along the Arkansas River floodplain. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are severely flooded. Several residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Old US 64 in Moffett becomes impassible. This is comparable to the December 30, 2015 flood when the river crested at 34.63 feet and May 5, 1990 when the river crested at 36.1 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
33.00 ft: damaging flooding occurs along the Arkansas River floodplain from Moffett, Oklahoma downstream to Lock and Dam 13. The port of Fort Smith and nearby businesses are flooded. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks next to Lee Creek. Some residential subdivisions around Fort Smith are flooded. Moffet City Hall is threatened by high water. This will approach the December 30, 2015 flood when the river crested at 34.63 feet. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
31.00 ft: extensive flooding occurs to industrial businesses in the floodplain around Fort Smith. Flooding occurs in Moffett, Oklahoma. Backwater flooding occurs in the trailer parks near Lee Creek. Some residential subdivisions in the floodplain around Fort Smith begin to flood. This is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation.
29.00 ft: flooding of sand and gravel companies and other businesses occurs along the river. Some backwater flooding occurs in the roads and trailer parks near Lee Creek. The staff at the Kelley Park amphitheater may be covered by high water. Minor flooding begins in Moffett, Oklahoma.
28.00 ft: flooding affects sand and gravel companies, marine terminals, and similar businesses along the river. Backwater flooding of roads and trailer parks occurs next to Lee Creek. Much of the seating areas of the Kelley Park amphitheater are covered by high water.
27.00 ft: extensive lowland flooding occurs east of the I-540 bridge to Vache Grasse Creek. Sand and gravel companies, marine terminals, and similar businesses in the floodplain begin to flood. The lowest seating rows in the Kelley Park amphitheater are covered by high water.
26.00 ft: extensive lowland flooding occurs from the I-540 bridge downstream to Vache Grasse Creek. Sand and gravel companies and marine terminals in the floodplain along the river should take precautions. The lowest seating rows of the amphitheater at Kelley Park may be covered by high water.
25.00 ft: extensive agricultural lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from Van Buren downstream to Lavaca. Hickman Bluff Road and Highway 255 west of Lavaca will flood. Some rural roads near Lavaca are impassable. Much of Kelley Park northwest of downtown Fort Smith is flooded.
24.00 ft: minor lowland flooding occurs along the shoreline from the I-540 bridge east towards Lavaca. Some rural roads near Lavaca may be impassable. Parts of Kelley Park northwest of downtown Fort Smith experience minor flooding.
19.27 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: 20 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	40.79 ft	June 1, 2019
2	40.26 ft	May 28, 2019
3	38.10 ft	April 16, 1945
4	38.00 ft	May 12, 1943
5	37.30 ft	November 3, 1941
6	36.70 ft	April 16, 1927
7	36.10 ft	May 5, 1990
8	35.97 ft	May 28, 1957
9	35.70 ft	November 2, 1941
10	34.75 ft	October 9, 1986

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.47 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 69° 44° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 75° 47° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 76° 50° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 82° 51° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 85° 55° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 85° 56° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 87° 56° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:38 PM Daylight 11 hr, 11 min First quarter 58%

Map

Other gauges on the AR River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
AR River at James W. Trimble L&D near Van BurenRiver gauge, AR River	391.63 ft	Below flood stage	+20.68 ft	7 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lee Creek at Lee Creek Reservoir near Van BurenReservoir, Lee Creek	11.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.34 ft	4.2 mi
Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar.River gauge, Arkansas River	1,620 cfs	Low	−280.0 cfs	5.1 mi
Lee Creek near ShortRiver gauge, Lee Creek	0.0 cfs	Very low	±0	9 mi
Little Lee Creek near NicutRiver gauge, Little Lee Creek	0.3 cfs	Low	±0	15 mi
James Fork near HackettRiver gauge, James Fork	1.7 cfs	Low	−0.4 cfs	19 mi
Mulberry River near MulberryRiver gauge, Mulberry River	0.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	22 mi
Jack Creek near WinfreyRiver gauge, Jack Creek	0.7 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	24 mi
Frog Bayou at WinfreyRiver gauge, Frog Bayou	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	24 mi

Questions and answers

Is the AR River at Van Buren higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.09 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 19.18 ft.

What is flood stage for the AR River at Van Buren?

The official flood stage is 22.00 ft. The level is currently 2.73 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 AR River at Van Buren today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT, the water level was 19.27 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is AR River at Van Buren rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.09 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of AR River at Van Buren normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at AR River at Van Buren?

The highest level on record is 40.79 ft on June 1, 2019.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07250500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.43085, -94.35651 (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	19.27 ft	2026-10-19 09:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/11959?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="AR River at Van Buren water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: AR River at Van Buren (usgs:07250500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arkansas/ar-river-at-van-buren

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