Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet water level

Name: Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet 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, Cisco Branch Ontonagon River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.87ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 0.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet is running far below normal at 3.87 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.87 ft and 3.89 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 6.10 ftMay 1, 1951

Floating and fishing near Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.10 ft	May 1, 1951
2	5.87 ft	April 18, 2002
3	5.86 ft	May 12, 2003
4	5.81 ft	May 20, 2017
5	5.78 ft	April 20, 2004
6	5.78 ft	April 20, 2023
7	5.75 ft	May 12, 2014
8	5.75 ft	May 31, 1970
9	5.71 ft	June 17, 1981
10	5.71 ft	May 29, 2016

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 60° 34° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 65° 42° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 67° 46° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 66° 50° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 68° 57° 0.03 in Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 56° 41° – Wind 12 mph

26 Mon 40° 31° 0.01 in Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:04 PM Daylight 10 hr, 42 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cisco Lake near WatersmeetLake, Cisco Lake	4.16 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	0.0 mi
Lac Vieux Desert near Land O'lakesLake, Lac Vieux Desert	80.36 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Middle Branch Ontonagon River near PauldingRiver gauge, Middle Branch Ontonagon River	4.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	19 mi
West Branch Ontonagon River near BerglandRiver gauge, West Branch Ontonagon River	1.22 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	23 mi
Lake Gogebic near BerglandLake, Lake Gogebic	1.54 ft	Very low	+0.02 ft	24 mi
Anvil Lake near Eagle RiverLake, Anvil Lake	90.73 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	28 mi
Bear River near Manitowish WatersRiver gauge, Bear River	7.8 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	29 mi
Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake near Lake TomahawkRiver gauge, Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake	1.01 ft	Below flood stage	±0	30 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 Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT, the water level was 3.87 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet?

The highest level on record is 6.10 ft on May 1, 1951.

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:04037500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.25331, -89.45247 (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	3.87 ft	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional
Flow	0.5 cfs	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake Outlet (usgs:04037500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/cisco-branch-ontonagon-river-at-cisco-lake-outlet

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