Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison water level

Name: Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison 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, Yahara River, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

5.27ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT (2 hours ago)

Flow: 218 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison is at 5.27 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 5.26 ft and 5.36 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Floating and fishing near Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:18 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min Waxing gibbous 72%

Map

Other gauges on the Yahara River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Yahara River at WindsorRiver gauge, Yahara River	1.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	8 mi
Yahara River at State Highway 113 at MadisonRiver gauge, Yahara River	42.2 cfs	Low	−16.6 cfs	4.7 mi
Yahara River near FultonRiver gauge, Yahara River	4.51 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
N 3rd St Storm Sewer near E Johnson St MadisonRiver gauge, N 3rd St Storm Sewer	0.12 ft	No reference yet	−0.04 ft	0.5 mi
Lake Mendota at MadisonLake, Lake Mendota	9.83 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	0.6 mi
N 6th St Storm Sewer near E Johnson St MadisonRiver gauge, N 6th St Storm Sewer	0.03 ft	No reference yet	±0	0.8 mi
North Franklin Storm Sewer at MadisonRiver gauge, North Franklin Storm Sewer	0.03 ft	No reference yet	±0	1.3 mi
N Sherman Ave Storm Sewer near Trailsway MadisonRiver gauge, N Sherman Ave Storm Sewer	0.01 ft	No reference yet	±0	2.5 mi
Dorn (Spring) Creek at Ct Highway M near WaunakeeRiver gauge, Dorn (Spring) Creek	2.1 cfs	Very low	−2.0 cfs	5.4 mi
Sixmile Creek @ County Trnk Hghwy M near WaunakeeRiver gauge, Sixmile Creek @ County Trnk Hghwy M	15.9 cfs	Low	−1.2 cfs	5.5 mi
Spring Harbor Storm Sewer at MadisonRiver gauge, Spring Harbor Storm Sewer	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	5.6 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 Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT, the water level was 5.27 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:05428500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.08944, -89.36083 (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	5.27 ft	2026-10-20 21:00	Provisional
Flow	218 cfs	2026-10-20 21:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/15007?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Yahara River at East Main Street at Madison (usgs:05428500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/yahara-river-at-east-main-street-at-madison

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