St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne water level

Name: St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne 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

2.98ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:30 PM EDT (25 min ago)

Flow: 352 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne reads 2.98 ft, a normal level.

It is 9.02 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 2.41 ft and 3.02 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: 22.00 ftMarch 26, 1913

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 9.02 ft away.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft: A major flood is in progress and water nears the top of uncertified levees.
19.00 ft: An increasing number of city streets flood with a few homes in Concordia Gardens affected by high water.
18.00 ft: The city of Fort Wayne starts monitoring all potential flood sites on the St. Joseph River. Some residents in low lying areas and Canterbury Green Apartments will be affected by high water.
17.00 ft: Flooding occurs in parks and low farmland throughout northeast Allen County. Flooding occurs on the lowest unprotected city streets...park drives and county roads.
15.00 ft: Flooding of lowland and farmland near the river increases.
12.00 ft: Lowland and farmland flooding near the river begins.
2.98 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: 15 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	22.00 ft	March 26, 1913
2	20.38 ft	March 12, 2009
3	18.10 ft	May 19, 1996
4	17.90 ft	April 7, 1950
5	17.86 ft	June 5, 1989
6	17.79 ft	February 26, 1985
7	17.67 ft	December 1, 2011
8	17.51 ft	December 31, 1990
9	17.37 ft	February 7, 2008
10	17.15 ft	January 5, 1993

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.27 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 58° 33° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 64° 37° – Wind 4 mph

20 Tue 66° 46° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 66° 45° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 67° 47° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 68° 50° – Wind 7 mph

24 Sat 68° 49° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:57 AM Sunset 06:55 PM Daylight 10 hr, 58 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	65 mi
St. Joseph River at Three RiversRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.30 ft	61 mi
St. Joseph River at MottvilleRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	56 mi
St. Joseph River at ElkhartRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	19.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	59 mi
St. Joseph River at South BendRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	0.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	73 mi
St. Joseph River at BertrandRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	9.36 ft	No reference yet	−0.04 ft	75 mi
St. Joseph River at NilesRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	5.52 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	77 mi
St. Joseph River at Parnell Av at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	7.18 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	4.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cedar Creek near CedarvilleRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	1.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	3.6 mi
Spy Run Creek near Park Drive at Fort WayneRiver gauge, Spy Run Creek	5.86 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	6.1 mi
Maumee River at Fort WayneRiver gauge, Maumee River	2.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	6 mi
Maumee River at New HavenRiver gauge, Maumee River	3.96 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	6 mi
St. Marys River at Main St. at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Marys River	89.8 cfs	Normal	−10.0 cfs	7 mi
Drain Tile East of Bull Rapids Road near HarlanRiver gauge, Drain Tile East of Bull Rapids Road	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	9 mi
Junk Ditch at Fort WayneCanal gauge, Junk Ditch	0.7 cfs	Normal	+0.5 cfs	9 mi
Black Creek near HarlanRiver gauge, Black Creek	2.5 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	11 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 9.02 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 near Fort Wayne today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:30 PM EDT, the water level was 2.98 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne 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 near Fort Wayne?

The highest level on record is 22.00 ft on March 26, 1913.

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:04180500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.16739, -85.07408 (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	2.98 ft	2026-10-19 17:30	Provisional
Flow	352 cfs	2026-10-19 17:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: St. Joseph River near Fort Wayne (usgs:04180500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/st-joseph-river-near-fort-wayne

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