Namekagon River at Leonards water level

Name: Namekagon River at Leonards 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, Namekagon River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.38ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 07:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 44.6 cfs
Water temperature: 49 °F

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 1.38 ft, the Namekagon River at Leonards is far below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.36 ft and 1.44 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The sensor also reports a water temperature of 49 °F.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 7.06 ftJuly 12, 2016

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

What happens at each level

7.10 ft: Leonard School Road bridge deck flooded. Portions of Highway 63 just south of Seeley may be inundated.
6.00 ft: Floodwaters may begin to inundate western approach to the bridge on Leonard School Road and portions of Namakagon River Road. Floodwaters may inundate the bridge approach on N Larsen Road southwest of Seeley and W Peterson Rd northwest of Seeley.
5.00 ft: Water may inundate portions of the Telemark Road, Cable Wayside, Pacwawong Flowage, Thompson Bridge, and Larsen Road boat landings.
4.00 ft: River at bankfull stage.
1.38 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	7.06 ft	July 12, 2016
2	4.73 ft	April 24, 2001
3	4.50 ft	June 18, 2018
4	3.92 ft	May 21, 2013
5	3.85 ft	May 10, 2014
6	3.80 ft	April 23, 2019
7	3.31 ft	March 30, 1998
8	3.23 ft	April 6, 1997
9	3.18 ft	October 1, 2019
10	3.16 ft	July 9, 1999

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.56 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 42° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 58° 41° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 63° 43° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 67° 47° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 69° 50° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 67° 51° 0.06 in Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 64° 43° 0.13 in Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:14 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min First quarter 54%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River at Bishops Bridge near WinterRiver gauge, Chippewa River	4.21 ft	Below flood stage	±0	25 mi
Bois Brule River at BruleRiver gauge, Bois Brule River	113 cfs	Very low	−2.0 cfs	28 mi
White River near AshlandRiver gauge, White River	167 cfs	Low	−20.0 cfs	30 mi
Marengo River near MellenRiver gauge, Marengo River	55.9 cfs	Low	−2.2 cfs	33 mi
Whittlesey Creek near AshlandRiver gauge, Whittlesey Creek	17.9 cfs	Low	−1.1 cfs	34 mi
Bad River near OdanahRiver gauge, Bad River	2.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	37 mi
Tyler Forks River at Stricker Road near MellenRiver gauge, Tyler Forks River	3.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	39 mi
Bad River at OdanahRiver gauge, Bad River	1.86 ft	Low	−0.16 ft	43 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 Namekagon River at Leonards today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 07:00 PM CDT, the water level was 1.38 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Namekagon River at Leonards rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Namekagon River at Leonards 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 Namekagon River at Leonards?

The highest level on record is 7.06 ft on July 12, 2016.

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:05331833 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.17137, -91.32938 (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	1.38 ft	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional
Flow	44.6 cfs	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional
Water temperature	49 °F	2026-10-19 00:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Namekagon River at Leonards (usgs:05331833). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/namekagon-river-at-leonards

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