Petit Jean River at Danville water level

Name: Petit Jean River at Danville 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, Petit Jean River, Arkansas, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

9.93ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:45 PM CDT (30 min ago)

Flow: 0.0 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Monday, October 19 at 07:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 08:13 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Petit Jean River at Danville is at 9.93 ft, in the normal range.

It is 10.07 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Monday, October 19 at 07:00 PM. In the last month it has stayed between 9.77 ft and 9.93 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 31.80 ftApril 17, 1939
Forecast peak: 9.90 ftMonday, October 19 at 07:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Petit Jean River at Danville

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

Flood stage here is 20.00 ft, 10.07 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

32.00 ft: Flood of record, which occurred prior to construction of Blue Mountain Dam, was 31.8 feet in April 1939.
30.00 ft: Serious situation, major flooding. River crested at 29.4 feet in December 1982, Highest stage since completion of Blue Mountain Dam in 1947. Many roads closed. Structural flooding in Danville. State Highways 27 and 80 flooded.
28.00 ft: River crested at 28 feet in May 1990 and 28.2 feet in March 2008. Expect similar impacts. River has crested at or above this level three times since Blue Mountain Dam completed in 1947. In 1990 and 2008, the uncontrolled spillway of Blue Mountain Lake was passing a large volume of water. Many roads and bridges along the river and tributaries are flooded. State Highways 27 and 80 affected. Structural flooding in Danville possible.
26.00 ft: Major flooding begins. Some low lying parts of Danville, residences and businesses in the flood plain, may be affected. Bailey Branch Road, East 13th Street, Corinth Road, and the industrial park near McCargo Branch flooded. State Highways 27 and 80 may be affected.
24.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins, county roads and bridges begin to flood. Bailey Branch Road, Corinth Road, State Highway 80 southwest of Danville, and State Highway 27 north of Danville may be affected.
22.00 ft: Agricultural lands along the river are flooded. Portions of Corinth Road, north of Danville, become flooded.
20.00 ft: Minor flooding begins, agricultural lands along the river begin to flood.
9.93 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: 26 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	31.80 ft	April 17, 1939
2	29.50 ft	June 12, 1945
3	29.36 ft	December 3, 1982
4	29.22 ft	December 28, 2015
5	28.21 ft	March 19, 2008
6	28.00 ft	May 3, 1990
7	27.22 ft	March 3, 2023
8	26.90 ft	May 12, 2015
9	26.77 ft	September 4, 2008
10	26.66 ft	November 23, 2011

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:24 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 11 hr, 9 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on the Petit Jean River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Petit Jean River near BoonevilleRiver gauge, Petit Jean River	1.7 cfs	Normal	+1.4 cfs	30 mi
Petit Jean River near CentervilleRiver gauge, Petit Jean River	0.82 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	11 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Arkansas River at DardanelleRiver gauge, Arkansas River	6.07 ft	Below flood stage	+0.56 ft	18 mi
Fourche LaFave River Near GravellyRiver gauge	0.91 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	20 mi
Fourche LaFave River near AplinRiver gauge, Fourche LaFave River	10.7 cfs	Low	±0	24 mi
Alum Fork Saline River near ReformRiver gauge, Alum Fork Saline River	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	32 mi
Big Piney Creek at Highway 164 near DoverRiver gauge, Big Piney Creek	0.14 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	33 mi
Illinois Bayou near ScottsvilleRiver gauge, Illinois Bayou	4.0 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	35 mi
West Fork Point Remove Creek near HattievilleRiver gauge, West Fork Point Remove Creek	0.1 cfs	Low	±0	35 mi
Ouachita River near Mount IdaRiver gauge, Ouachita River	10.1 cfs	Very low	±0	35 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Petit Jean River at Danville?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 10.07 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 Petit Jean River at Danville today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:45 PM CDT, the water level was 9.93 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Petit Jean River at Danville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Petit Jean River at Danville normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Petit Jean River at Danville?

The highest level on record is 31.80 ft on April 17, 1939.

Is Petit Jean River at Danville expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.90 ft by Monday, October 19 at 07:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07260500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.05861, -93.39556 (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	9.93 ft	2026-10-20 04:45	Provisional
Flow	0.0 cfs	2026-10-20 04:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Petit Jean River at Danville (usgs:07260500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arkansas/petit-jean-river-at-danville

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