East Fork White River at Shoals water level

Name: East Fork White River at Shoals 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, East Fork White River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.72ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:30 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 919 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 01:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:37 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at East Fork White River at Shoals, where the gauge shows 2.72 ft.

It is 17.28 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 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 01:00 PM. The 30-day range is 2.70 ft – 2.74 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 42.20 ftMarch 28, 1913
Forecast peak: 2.80 ftTuesday, October 20 at 07:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 20.00 ft.

What happens at each level

42.00 ft: Record or near record flood is in progress. Severe damage occurs to homes, businesses, roads, bridges and railroads in the flood plain. Some houses flood above the second story. U.S. Highway 50 is open, but there is water on each side of road. Anything on the left bank 3 feet or lower of U.S. Highway 50 is flooded. Many evacuations are necessary.
37.00 ft: A very unusual flood is in progress. January 1937 is the last time a level was greater than 37 feet.
35.00 ft: Major flood is in progress. Residential, agricultural and business areas in flood plain of Shoals and rural Martin County severely flood. All islands in the flood plain completely flood. Flooding threatens county bridges and railroad. Many evacuations are necessary.
30.10 ft: During the March 2008 flood, SR 550 extensively flooded on the left bank of the river bridge. One county road on the left bank is totally submerged and another near the hill is barely visible. The south bound lane on the right bank of the river is barely passable, but once over the bridge it ends in deep, fast flowing flood water. There is no Hindostan Falls, just a very big river. Water near SR 550 just before turn off to the Falls. One farmer must boat into his house.
30.05 ft: Beaver Creek extensively flooded on south side of U.S. Highway 50 and where SR 150 crosses the creek. Flooding affects homes and low lying businesses along SR 150. Water is in some homes and blocks exits for other. SR 150 and U.S. Highway 50 are high and not subject to flooding unless the river goes over 42 or so feet.
30.00 ft: A major flood is in progress. Commercial and residential areas begin to flood. Sawmill operation just east of Shoals begins to flood. Water covers Second, Eighth, and High Streets in Shoals. Several evacuations are necessary. People located on islands are isolated by high water and/or flooded. All local river roads are submerged by several feet.
29.00 ft: Flood level begins to have a serious impact on low lying commerical area in Shoals along Beaver Creek. Local car dealer must move vehicles.
28.14 ft: Backwater from the Great Flood of June 2008 flooded Windom Road at Simons and Blue Creek. The flood wave had dissipated greatly by the time it reached the Shoals area and was about 2 feet lower than high water seen earlier in March of that year.
28.00 ft: Flood levels get the attention of much of Martin county. Water flows over 2nd Street. Grain elevator begins to flood along Spout Spring Road. Residents along Low Street flood. Residents of several mobile homes must move or evacuate. Flood waters are several feet deep on local river roads. This level and higher creates major land transportation problems downstream of Shoals where Lost River enters East Fork White River. School closes if in session.
27.95 ft: Beginning April 25, 2011 and continuing through May 8, 2011 three county roads were closed because of East Fork White River flooding in northern Dubois County. Portersville Rd W was closed in two locations...just east of CR 500W and between CR 650W and CR 660W. One other county road was flooded.
26.00 ft: High water affects low residential areas on left bank at Shoals. Some evacuations or moving of mobile homes is necessary. Local roads flood more extensively. Rural residents move livestock and equipment to high ground. SR 550 floods on right bank and also between Trinity and Dover Hill.
24.00 ft: Roads that flood include, East and West River Road, Spout Spring Road, SR 550 in two places, a county road near Beech Creek, Chicken Farm Road and Cemetery Road. High water forms at least one island. Two families must walk or take boats to leave. One county road in Dubois County floods.
2.72 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: 8 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	42.20 ft	March 28, 1913
2	37.02 ft	January 25, 1937
3	35.30 ft	March 8, 1897
4	35.00 ft	March 17, 1907
5	34.20 ft	March 30, 1904
6	33.53 ft	May 13, 1961
7	33.22 ft	January 11, 2005
8	32.88 ft	March 10, 1945
9	32.60 ft	January 15, 1930
10	32.07 ft	January 27, 1959

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.

17 Sat 58° 42° – Wind 9 mph

18 Sun 64° 39° – Wind 7 mph

19 Mon 70° 40° – Wind 4 mph

20 Tue 72° 46° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 73° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 74° 48° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 74° 48° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:01 AM Sunset 06:05 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the East Fork White River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
East Fork White River at ColumbusRiver gauge, East Fork White River	−3.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	59 mi
East Fork White River at SeymourRiver gauge, East Fork White River	3.77 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	53 mi
East Fork White River near BedfordRiver gauge, East Fork White River	3.97 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	22 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Beaver Creek near ShoalsRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	1.58 ft	Below flood stage	±0	2.6 mi
Lost River near ProspectRiver gauge, Lost River	41.6 cfs	Normal	−1.2 cfs	12 mi
Patoka Lake near CuzcoLake, Patoka Lake	538.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	17 mi
Patoka River at JasperRiver gauge, Patoka River	9.00 ft	Very high	+0.03 ft	18 mi
Lick Creek at PaoliRiver gauge, Lick Creek	3.4 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	19 mi
Smothers Creek near PlainvilleRiver gauge, Smothers Creek	6.01 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	21 mi
White River at NewberryRiver gauge, White River	2.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	22 mi
White River near EdwardsportRiver gauge, White River	5.06 ft	Below flood stage	+0.11 ft	26 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the East Fork White River at Shoals?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 17.28 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 East Fork White River at Shoals today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:30 AM CDT, the water level was 2.72 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is East Fork White River at Shoals rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of East Fork White River at Shoals normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at East Fork White River at Shoals?

The highest level on record is 42.20 ft on March 28, 1913.

Is East Fork White River at Shoals expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.60 ft by Sunday, October 25 at 01:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03373500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.66699, -86.79193 (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	2.72 ft	2026-10-19 16:30	Provisional
Flow	919 cfs	2026-10-19 16:30	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/13299?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="East Fork White River at Shoals water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: East Fork White River at Shoals (usgs:03373500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/east-fork-white-river-at-shoals

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