Shiawassee River at Owosso water level

Name: Shiawassee River at Owosso 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, Shiawassee River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.04ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 02:15 PM EDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 109 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Shiawassee River at Owosso, where the gauge shows 2.04 ft.

It is 4.96 ft below the flood stage of 7.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.04 ft – 2.17 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: 10.35 ftApril 6, 1947

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 7.00 ft.

What happens at each level

10.30 ft: The entire area east of Park Street and as far north as Comstock Street will flood. Many homes and businesses will be surronded by water and experience basement flooding.
9.00 ft: Considerable basement flooding occurs in adjacent residential sections from backed up sewers. The south end of Martin Street, Grover Street and Jerome Avenue flood.
7.00 ft: Flooding begins in residential area along Jerome Avenue east of South Washington Avenue in Owosso.
6.00 ft: Some adjacent lowland floods.
2.04 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	10.35 ft	April 6, 1947
2	10.30 ft	October 1, 1981
3	10.27 ft	March 20, 1948
4	9.25 ft	April 22, 1975
5	9.10 ft	February 21, 2018
6	9.03 ft	May 24, 2004
7	8.74 ft	March 17, 1942
8	8.71 ft	April 7, 2017
9	8.45 ft	May 15, 2014
10	8.41 ft	April 1, 1960

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 60° 36° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 65° 39° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 66° 45° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 66° 45° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 65° 46° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 69° 52° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 68° 49° – Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:56 AM Sunset 06:49 PM Daylight 10 hr, 54 min First quarter 61%

Map

Other gauges on the Shiawassee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Shiawassee River near FergusRiver gauge, Shiawassee River	153 cfs	Normal	−3.0 cfs	17 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Flint River near FlintRiver gauge, Flint River	3.15 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	21 mi
Red Cedar River near WilliamstonRiver gauge, Red Cedar River	2.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	23 mi
Flint River near FostersRiver gauge, Flint River	130 cfs	Low	−11.0 cfs	23 mi
Red Cedar River at East LansingRiver gauge, Red Cedar River	3.41 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	25 mi
Sloan Creek near WilliamstonRiver gauge, Sloan Creek	0.5 cfs	Normal	±0	25 mi
Grand River at LansingRiver gauge, Grand River	2.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	26 mi
Maple River at Maple RapidsRiver gauge, Maple River	2.69 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	27 mi
Thread Creek near FlintRiver gauge, Thread Creek	1.71 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Shiawassee River at Owosso?

The official flood stage is 7.00 ft. The level is currently 4.96 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 Shiawassee River at Owosso today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 02:15 PM EDT, the water level was 2.04 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Shiawassee River at Owosso rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Shiawassee River at Owosso normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Shiawassee River at Owosso?

The highest level on record is 10.35 ft on April 6, 1947.

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:04144500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.01503, -84.17997 (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	2.04 ft	2026-10-19 18:15	Provisional
Flow	109 cfs	2026-10-19 18:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Shiawassee River at Owosso (usgs:04144500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/shiawassee-river-at-owosso

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