Portage Creek at Kalamazoo water level

Name: Portage Creek at Kalamazoo 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, Portage Creek, Michigan, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

2.27ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT (18 min ago)

Flow: 39.8 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Portage Creek at Kalamazoo is running below normal at 2.27 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 2.26 ft and 2.45 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: 6.01 ftSeptember 3, 2018

Floating and fishing near Portage Creek at Kalamazoo

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

What happens at each level

4.00 ft: Water goes over the bank and begins to flood low-lying areas.
2.27 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.01 ft	September 3, 2018
2	5.66 ft	June 17, 2024
3	5.44 ft	June 26, 1978
4	5.26 ft	June 20, 2019
5	4.90 ft	March 28, 2020
6	4.90 ft	April 5, 2023
7	4.82 ft	June 14, 2022
8	4.74 ft	July 17, 1982
9	4.70 ft	June 26, 2021
10	4.37 ft	June 7, 1979

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 66° 37° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 66° 40° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 70° 48° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 70° 48° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 71° 49° – Wind 12 mph

25 Sun 74° 53° – Wind 12 mph

26 Mon 72° 54° 0.01 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:01 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 69%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
West Fork Portage Creek at KalamazooRiver gauge, West Fork Portage Creek	11.1 cfs	Normal	−1.4 cfs	2.8 mi
Kalamazoo River at ComstockRiver gauge, Kalamazoo River	4.16 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	3.3 mi
West Fork Portage Creek near OshtemoRiver gauge, West Fork Portage Creek	8.9 cfs	High	−0.8 cfs	4.6 mi
Austin Lake near KalamazooLake, Austin Lake	5.78 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	5.9 mi
Augusta Creek near AugustaRiver gauge, Augusta Creek	35.2 cfs	Normal	−0.8 cfs	13 mi
South Branch Paw Paw River near Paw PawRiver gauge, South Branch Paw Paw River	74.4 cfs	Normal	−7.1 cfs	17 mi
Kalamazoo River near AlleganRiver gauge, Kalamazoo River	1,110 cfs	Normal	+20.0 cfs	18 mi
Kalamazoo River near Battle CreekRiver gauge, Kalamazoo River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	20 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 Portage Creek at Kalamazoo today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT, the water level was 2.27 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Portage Creek at Kalamazoo rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Portage Creek at Kalamazoo normal?

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 Portage Creek at Kalamazoo?

The highest level on record is 6.01 ft on September 3, 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.

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:04106500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.27421, -85.57639 (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	2.27 ft	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional
Flow	39.8 cfs	2026-10-20 15:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Portage Creek at Kalamazoo (usgs:04106500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/portage-creek-at-kalamazoo

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