St. Joseph River at Elkhart water level

Name: St. Joseph River at Elkhart 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, St. Joseph River, Indiana, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

19.08ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 09:30 AM EDT (49 min ago)

Flow: 2,280 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The St. Joseph River at Elkhart is at 19.08 ft, in the normal range.

It is 4.92 ft below the flood stage of 24.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 19.01 ft and 19.33 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: 30.00 ftMarch 8, 1908

Floating and fishing near St. Joseph River at Elkhart

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

Flood stage here is 24.00 ft, 4.92 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

30.01 ft: Extensive flooding occurs of commercial property along east Jackson Street. Flood water is 1 to 2 feet deep in some businesses with east Jackson Street nearly impassible.
30.00 ft: Residential flooding from Second Street to and including South Shore Drive. Several city streets become impassible.
29.00 ft: Extensive flooding of the commercial district along east Jackson Street is in progress.
28.00 ft: Extensive street flooding is in progress.
27.00 ft: Water begins to affect businesses on east Jackson Street. Flooding affects a few first floor residences in the South Shore Drive area across from the hospital.
25.00 ft: Basement flooding begins in residential areas of the 6th Street area and along South Shore Drive.
24.00 ft: Island park in Elkhart and Kamm's Island in Mishawaka begin to flood.
19.08 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: 12 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	30.00 ft	March 8, 1908
2	23.96 ft	May 6, 2019
3	23.17 ft	February 27, 2022
4	23.03 ft	March 7, 2023
5	22.86 ft	April 9, 2014
6	22.86 ft	April 5, 2014
7	22.86 ft	April 5, 2014
8	22.40 ft	July 23, 2015
9	22.29 ft	April 10, 2017
10	22.22 ft	July 2, 2021

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.14 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 54° 35° – Wind 10 mph

18 Sun 59° 36° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 65° 37° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 67° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 67° 48° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 69° 49° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:01 AM Sunset 06:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 57 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the St. Joseph River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
St. Joseph River at BurlingtonRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.40 ft	Below flood stage	±0	54 mi
St. Joseph River at Three RiversRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	25 mi
St. Joseph River at MottvilleRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	14 mi
St. Joseph River at South BendRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	0.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	15 mi
St. Joseph River at BertrandRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	9.46 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	16 mi
St. Joseph River at NilesRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	5.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	17 mi
St. Joseph River near Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	59 mi
St. Joseph River at Parnell Av at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	7.16 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	60 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elkhart River at GoshenRiver gauge, Elkhart River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	9 mi
Judy Creek near South BendRiver gauge, Judy Creek	12.9 cfs	Normal	±0	15 mi
Mill Creek at Quaker Street near MottvilleRiver gauge, Mill Creek	15.6 cfs	Very low	−1.3 cfs	15 mi
Dowagiac River at SumnervilleRiver gauge, Dowagiac River	5.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	20 mi
Dowagiac Creek at Dutch Settlement Road near Dowagiac,River gauge, Dowagiac Creek	35.8 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	20 mi
Pigeon River near ScottRiver gauge, Pigeon River	3.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	21 mi
Dowagiac River at State Highway 51 near DowagiacRiver gauge, Dowagiac River	89.8 cfs	Normal	−6.1 cfs	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the St. Joseph River at Elkhart?

The official flood stage is 24.00 ft. The level is currently 4.92 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 St. Joseph River at Elkhart today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 09:30 AM EDT, the water level was 19.08 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is St. Joseph River at Elkhart rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of St. Joseph River at Elkhart normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at St. Joseph River at Elkhart?

The highest level on record is 30.00 ft on March 8, 1908.

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:04101000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.69168, -85.97496 (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	19.08 ft	2026-10-19 13:30	Provisional
Flow	2,280 cfs	2026-10-19 13:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: St. Joseph River at Elkhart (usgs:04101000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/st-joseph-river-at-elkhart

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