Little Calumet River at Munster water level

Name: Little Calumet River at Munster 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, Little Calumet River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.39ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 PM CDT (26 min ago)

Flow: 14.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Little Calumet River at Munster reads 5.39 ft, a normal level.

It is 6.61 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 5.36 ft and 5.50 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 17.29 ftSeptember 14, 2008

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 12.00 ft, still 6.61 ft away.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft: Water reaches the top of the levees near the river in Munster and Hammond.
19.50 ft: Without flood protection, widespread inundation of roadways and structures in the floodplain reaches up to 5 blocks from the river in Hammond and Munster.
19.00 ft: Water reaches isolated low spots in the levee in western sections of Hammond and Munster.
18.50 ft: Evacuations may begin near the river in Hammond and Munster. Without flood protection, I-80 is threatened at Calumet Avenue in Hammond.
17.50 ft: Residences threatened north of the river between Hohman Avenue and Lyman Avenue in Hammond. Water reaches the top of the levee in Calumet City and Lansing. Calumet Avenue may be closed at the levee in Hammond and Munster to install temporary flood protection. Hohman Avenue is threatened north of the river in Hammond.
16.50 ft: Without flood protection, widespread inundation of roadways and structures reaches up to 5 blocks from the river in Calumet City and Lansing.
15.50 ft: Columbia Avenue may be closed at the levee in Hammond and Munster to install temporary flood protection.
12.50 ft: Most areas outside of the levee-protected area are inundated in Hammond and Munster.
10.00 ft: Water overflows low-lying river banks outside of the levee-protected area in Hammond and Munster.
5.39 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: 34 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	17.29 ft	September 14, 2008
2	17.03 ft	November 28, 1990
3	16.40 ft	June 14, 1981
4	16.36 ft	February 21, 2018
5	16.20 ft	July 19, 1996
6	16.03 ft	December 4, 1982
7	15.68 ft	February 22, 1997
8	15.66 ft	June 2, 1989
9	15.35 ft	May 13, 2002
10	14.88 ft	August 25, 2007

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.24 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 39° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 67° 40° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 70° 44° – Wind 4 mph

21 Wed 71° 53° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 73° 57° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 71° 60° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 72° 56° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:07 AM Sunset 06:04 PM Daylight 10 hr, 57 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Little Calumet River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Calumet River at Grant St at GaryRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	5.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	9 mi
Little Calumet River near Lake StationRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	3.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	12 mi
Little Calumet River at PorterRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	3.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	23 mi
Little Calumet River near HammondRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	6.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	2.5 mi
Little Calumet River at HighlandRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	8.05 ft	Below flood stage	±0	3.2 mi
Little Calumet River at Northcote Av at MunsterRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	9.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	2.0 mi
Little Calumet River at South HollandRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	5.48 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	4.4 mi
Little Calumet River at Burr Street at GaryRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	4.35 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	6 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Hart Ditch at MunsterCanal gauge, Hart Ditch	0.77 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	2.4 mi
Grand Calumet River at Columbia Av at HammondRiver gauge, Grand Calumet River	5.89 ft	Low	+0.44 ft	3.1 mi
Lansing Ditch near LansingRiver gauge, Lansing Ditch	5.58 ft	High	+0.14 ft	3.4 mi
Thorn Creek at ThorntonRiver gauge, Thorn Creek	2.80 ft	Normal	−0.07 ft	4.5 mi
Hart Ditch at DyerCanal gauge, Hart Ditch	2.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	4.9 mi
Deer Creek near Chicago HeightsRiver gauge, Deer Creek	3.28 ft	Very low	+0.07 ft	5.3 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Little Calumet River at Munster?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 6.61 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 Little Calumet River at Munster today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 PM CDT, the water level was 5.39 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Little Calumet River at Munster rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Little Calumet River at Munster normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Little Calumet River at Munster?

The highest level on record is 17.29 ft on September 14, 2008.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05536195 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.57750, -87.52222 (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	5.39 ft	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional
Flow	14.4 cfs	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Little Calumet River at Munster (usgs:05536195). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/little-calumet-river-at-munster

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