Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter water level

Name: Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter 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, Chippewa River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.20ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 211 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter reads 4.20 ft, a normal level.

It is 6.80 ft below the flood stage of 11.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 4.19 ft and 4.22 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: 11.05 ftSeptember 4, 1941

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 11.00 ft, still 6.80 ft away.

What happens at each level

13.40 ft: Per EAP - major downstream flooding.
12.00 ft: Water reaches base of gage house. Low Spots along State Hwy 40 near Exeland flood, County Hwy G (Bishops's Bridge) flooded and County Hwy G at Ojibwa flooded. Flooding at Litke Road (Town Line Rd), and Bloomberg Rd near Exeland
11.40 ft: Flooding of structures in the first 1.5 miles downstream of Winter Dam.
11.00 ft: Minor flooding with water approaching dam road near the gage.
9.50 ft: At this level river the flow is near 6000 cfs. Which triggers XCEL energy to employ the high water action plan.Structures near County Hwy G bridge (Bishop's Bridge) begin flooding.
8.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding.
4.20 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.05 ft	September 4, 1941
2	10.70 ft	June 29, 1946
3	10.30 ft	April 22, 2019
4	10.25 ft	May 4, 1954
5	10.18 ft	April 20, 2002
6	10.07 ft	May 11, 1950
7	10.03 ft	April 22, 2023
8	9.98 ft	October 9, 1985
9	9.95 ft	April 21, 2004
10	9.92 ft	June 18, 1967

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.94 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 27° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 60° 41° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 62° 36° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 63° 43° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 66° 45° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 64° 51° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 65° 49° 0.01 in Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:11 PM Daylight 10 hr, 43 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Chippewa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River near BruceRiver gauge, Chippewa River	388 cfs	Very low	−6.0 cfs	29 mi
Chippewa River at Chippewa FallsRiver gauge, Chippewa River	1,490 cfs	Low	+70.0 cfs	66 mi
Chippewa River below Dells Dam at Eau ClaireRiver gauge, Chippewa River	4.28 ft	No reference yet	+0.06 ft	74 mi
Chippewa River at Grand Ave at Eau ClaireRiver gauge, Chippewa River	2,000 cfs	Low	+10.0 cfs	75 mi
Chippewa River at DurandRiver gauge, Chippewa River	2.43 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	95 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork Flambeau River near PhillipsRiver gauge, South Fork Flambeau River	177 cfs	Low	−17.0 cfs	24 mi
Namekagon River at LeonardsRiver gauge, Namekagon River	42.7 cfs	Very low	−0.2 cfs	25 mi
Flambeau River near BruceRiver gauge, Flambeau River	513 cfs	Very low	−76.0 cfs	31 mi
Jump River at SheldonRiver gauge, Jump River	104 cfs	Low	−18.0 cfs	38 mi
Marengo River at Four Corners Road near MasonRiver gauge, Marengo River	2.19 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	39 mi
Marengo River at Riemer Road near MarengoRiver gauge, Marengo River	5.82 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	42 mi
Marengo River near MellenRiver gauge, Marengo River	49.6 cfs	Low	−2.1 cfs	43 mi
Tyler Forks River at Stricker Road near MellenRiver gauge, Tyler Forks River	3.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	44 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter?

The official flood stage is 11.00 ft. The level is currently 6.80 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 Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT, the water level was 4.20 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter?

The highest level on record is 11.05 ft on September 4, 1941.

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:05356000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.84861, -91.07889 (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	4.20 ft	2026-10-20 18:00	Provisional
Flow	211 cfs	2026-10-20 18:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near Winter (usgs:05356000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/chippewa-river-at-bishops-bridge-near-winter

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