Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor water level

Name: Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor 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, Trail Creek, Indiana, United States

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

6.06ft Up 0.36 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:40 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 278 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor: the latest reading is 6.06 ft, well above normal for mid-October.

The record high is 7.61 ft, set on April 30, 2019.

It is on the way up, by 0.36 ft over the past 24 hours. If the rise continues, low-lying paths and riverside parking can go under water. The 30-day range is 5.25 ft – 7.47 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 7.61 ftApril 30, 2019

Staying safe in high water

Flood stage is only the first threshold. Above it the National Weather Service sets moderate and major flood stages, and the forecast crest tells you which of those the river is expected to reach.

Upstream gauges on the same river usually show a rise first, which is a useful early warning.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	7.61 ft	April 30, 2019
2	7.25 ft	July 3, 1998
3	7.22 ft	June 19, 2009
4	7.01 ft	May 14, 2018
5	6.97 ft	June 3, 2002
6	6.80 ft	April 30, 2007
7	6.72 ft	May 16, 2017
8	6.46 ft	July 22, 2016
9	6.30 ft	September 14, 2008
10	6.02 ft	April 11, 1995

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.29 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 55° 38° – Wind 23 mph

18 Sun 61° 40° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 62° 41° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 63° 51° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 64° 50° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 64° 53° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 67° 53° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:06 AM Sunset 06:00 PM Daylight 10 hr, 54 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on Trail Creek

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Trail Creek at Michigan CityRiver gauge, Trail Creek	47.4 cfs	Normal	−0.6 cfs	2.3 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Calumet River at PorterRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	3.51 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	12 mi
Portage-Burns Waterway at PortageCanal gauge, Portage-Burns Waterway	5.11 ft	Normal	+0.40 ft	16 mi
Salt Creek at ValparaisoRiver gauge, Salt Creek	3.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	20 mi
Galien River near SawyerRiver gauge, Galien River	41.4 cfs	Normal	−1.8 cfs	20 mi
Deep River at Lake George Outlet at HobartRiver gauge, Deep River	4.53 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	22 mi
Deep River near LiverpoolRiver gauge, Deep River	5.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	23 mi
Little Calumet River near Lake StationRiver gauge, Little Calumet River	3.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	23 mi
Kankakee River at DavisRiver gauge, Kankakee River	6.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	25 mi

Questions and answers

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 Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:40 AM CDT, the water level was 6.06 ft. Up 0.36 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor rising or falling?

Up 0.36 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor?

The highest level on record is 7.61 ft on April 30, 2019.

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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:04095380 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.72279, -86.90416 (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	6.06 ft	2026-10-20 16:40	Provisional
Flow	278 cfs	2026-10-20 11:40	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Trail Creek at Michigan City Harbor (usgs:04095380). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/indiana/trail-creek-at-michigan-city-harbor

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