Rock River at Jefferson water level

Name: Rock River at Jefferson 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, Rock River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.77ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT (2 hours ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Rock River at Jefferson, where the gauge shows 4.77 ft.

It is 5.23 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.75 ft – 4.94 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: 15.64 ftJune 19, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 10.00 ft.

What happens at each level

15.00 ft: Floodwaters cut the City of Jefferson in half. The Main Street and Wisconsin Drive bridges are closed to traffic due to flooding around the bridges. Main St and Hwy 26 intersection closed. S Center Ave near river flooded. Riverview Dr flooded.
12.00 ft: Riverview Drive is closed due to floodwaters on the road. The Tensfeldt Park boat launch is closed. Intersection of S Main St and E Dane St is closed, and S Center Ave. Floodwaters affect highway K between Jefferson and Fort Atkinson. River's Edge Park flooded.
11.50 ft: Floodwaters affect Highway K between Jefferson and Fort Atkinson. Floodwaters affect some low lying residences and businesses in Jefferson. Water on road at Hwy 26 (Main St) and Hwy N (E Dane St) and S Center Ave. Riverview Drive near the wastewater plant is flooded and closed.
11.00 ft: Floodwaters affect low lying areas of residential and business property in Jefferson. Water approaches the intersection of Highway 26 (Main St) and County Road N (E Dane St). S Center Ave near the river flooded and Riverview Drive near the wastewater plant flooded. Park is flooded. The retention pond at S Main St and E Dane St is full.
10.00 ft: Water affects low lying areas of residential property in the City of Jefferson. Rock River Park and boat launch is affected near Hwy B in Johnson Creek. Goat Island is flooded.
9.00 ft: There is minor lowland flooding.
8.00 ft: Minor lowland flooding occurs.
4.77 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: 13 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	15.64 ft	June 19, 2008
2	12.84 ft	April 2, 1979
3	12.31 ft	April 20, 2013
4	12.29 ft	April 22, 1993
5	11.72 ft	September 8, 2018
6	11.69 ft	April 20, 2026
7	11.51 ft	June 2, 2004
8	11.50 ft	March 16, 2019
9	11.35 ft	April 14, 2008
10	11.01 ft	July 27, 2010

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 65° 40° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 68° 46° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 71° 50° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 71° 51° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 70° 55° – Wind 15 mph

25 Sun 65° 51° 0.04 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:14 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 10 hr, 54 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Rock River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rock River at HoriconRiver gauge, Rock River	262 cfs	Normal	+10.0 cfs	33 mi
Rock River at Tweedy St. at HustisfordRiver gauge, Rock River	7.95 ft	No reference yet	+0.06 ft	26 mi
Rock River near LebanonRiver gauge, Rock River	7.09 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	22 mi
Rock River at WatertownRiver gauge, Rock River	2.38 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	14 mi
Rock River at Fort AtkinsonRiver gauge, Rock River	11.53 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	4.9 mi
Rock River at NewvilleRiver gauge, Rock River	2.68 ft	Below flood stage	+0.12 ft	16 mi
Rock River at AftonRiver gauge, Rock River	5.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	30 mi
Rock River at RocktonRiver gauge, Rock River	5.26 ft	High	±0	40 mi
Rock River at Latham ParkRiver gauge, Rock River	5.32 ft	High	−0.02 ft	45 mi
Rock River at Auburn St at RockfordRiver gauge, Rock River	3.22 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	51 mi
Rock River above Dam at RockfordRiver gauge, Rock River	2.65 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	53 mi
Rock River at ByronRiver gauge, Rock River	7.11 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	65 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bark River near RomeRiver gauge, Bark River	2.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	7 mi
Crawfish River at MilfordRiver gauge, Crawfish River	3.06 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	7 mi
Lake Koshkonong near NewvilleLake, Lake Koshkonong	776.24 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	12 mi
North Lake near ElkhornLake, North Lake	12.31 ft	High	+0.01 ft	20 mi
Yahara River @ Forton Street Bridge @ StoughtonRiver gauge	267 cfs	Normal	+12.0 cfs	22 mi
Yahara River near FultonRiver gauge, Yahara River	4.59 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	22 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Rock River at Jefferson?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 5.23 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 Rock River at Jefferson today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT, the water level was 4.77 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rock River at Jefferson rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Rock River at Jefferson normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Rock River at Jefferson?

The highest level on record is 15.64 ft on June 19, 2008.

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:05426031 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.99612, -88.80733 (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	4.77 ft	2026-10-19 18:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rock River at Jefferson (usgs:05426031). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/rock-river-at-jefferson

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