St. Joseph River at South Bend water level

Name: St. Joseph River at South Bend 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

0.63ft Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 2,420 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at St. Joseph River at South Bend reads 0.63 ft, a normal level.

It is 4.87 ft below the flood stage of 5.50 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.15 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.63 ft and 1.28 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: 12.70 ftFebruary 22, 2018

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 5.50 ft, still 4.87 ft away.

What happens at each level

11.10 ft: The river is at the 100 year flood level.
11.00 ft: Business areas near Indiana University at South Bend campus are flooded. Residents in River Commons, near Keller Park and Riverside Drive between Marion and Bartlett are flooded in their basements. Street flooding closes portions of Northshore Drive and Northside Blvd. Evacuations may be necessary and the wastewater treatment plant will be completely flooded.
10.00 ft: Flooding affects commercial areas near Indiana University at South Bend campus along Northside Blvd.
9.00 ft: Major flooding is in progress. Flooding almost completely submerges parks and floods local streets near the St. Joseph River.
8.00 ft: Flood waters begin to affect river parks and roads and may affect portions of Northside Blvd in the area of Veterans Memorial Park, and Riverside Drive in the areas south of Leeper Park, by Keller Park and Woodland Park. High water may cause flooding of basements and interfere with some commercial activities.
7.00 ft: Flooding is confined to park land and park roads. Some backyard flooding may occur in low lying residential areas near the river.
6.00 ft: Flooding is confined to mostly park land and golf courses. Leeper Park and Petro golf courses begin to flood.
5.50 ft: The river reaches flood stage with the lowest residential areas beginning to flood.
0.63 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: 21 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.70 ft	February 22, 2018
2	10.90 ft	March 15, 1982
3	10.90 ft	January 6, 1993
4	10.70 ft	February 24, 1985
5	9.60 ft	January 9, 2008
6	9.00 ft	March 12, 2009
7	8.90 ft	February 7, 2008
8	8.00 ft	January 14, 2005
9	7.80 ft	April 20, 2013
10	7.13 ft	May 2, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.43 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 59° 34° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 64° 36° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 67° 47° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 68° 50° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 70° 56° – Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 69° 53° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:02 AM Sunset 06:59 PM Daylight 10 hr, 57 min First quarter 61%

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	+0.01 ft	67 mi
St. Joseph River at Three RiversRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.31 ft	36 mi
St. Joseph River at MottvilleRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	27 mi
St. Joseph River at ElkhartRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	19.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	15 mi
St. Joseph River at BertrandRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	9.36 ft	No reference yet	−0.04 ft	3.7 mi
St. Joseph River at NilesRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	5.47 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	8 mi
St. Joseph River near Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	73 mi
St. Joseph River at Parnell Av at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	7.18 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	73 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Judy Creek near South BendRiver gauge, Judy Creek	13.4 cfs	Normal	+1.0 cfs	0.6 mi
Dowagiac River at SumnervilleRiver gauge, Dowagiac River	5.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	14 mi
Galien River near SawyerRiver gauge, Galien River	43.2 cfs	Normal	−3.3 cfs	19 mi
Dowagiac Creek at Dutch Settlement Road near Dowagiac,River gauge, Dowagiac Creek	35.8 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	23 mi
Dowagiac River at State Highway 51 near DowagiacRiver gauge, Dowagiac River	88.6 cfs	Normal	−6.1 cfs	23 mi
Elkhart River at GoshenRiver gauge, Elkhart River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	23 mi
Osborn Drain at Dewey Lake St near GlenwoodRiver gauge, Osborn Drain	11.6 cfs	Normal	+0.4 cfs	25 mi
Yellow River at PlymouthRiver gauge, Yellow River	5.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	26 mi

Questions and answers

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

The official flood stage is 5.50 ft. The level is currently 4.87 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 South Bend today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:15 PM EDT, the water level was 0.63 ft. Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is St. Joseph River at South Bend rising or falling?

Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of St. Joseph River at South Bend 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 South Bend?

The highest level on record is 12.70 ft on February 22, 2018.

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:04101225 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.72028, -86.26783 (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	0.63 ft	2026-10-19 17:15	Provisional
Flow	2,420 cfs	2026-10-19 17:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: St. Joseph River at South Bend (usgs:04101225). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/st-joseph-river-at-south-bend

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