Red Deer River at Red Deer water level

Name: Red Deer River at Red Deer water level (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada)
Creator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
License: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada

River gauge, Red Deer River, Alberta, Canada

Directions

High for mid-October

Water level

2.55m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 12:50 PM MDT (58 min ago)

Flow: 17.2 m³/s

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The gauge at Red Deer River at Red Deer shows 2.55 m, above normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 2.03 m, based on 15 years of readings, so the water level is 0.52 m above typical. A year ago it stood at 2.55 m as well.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.54 m and 2.64 m.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 2.03 m0.52 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.15 m – 2.59 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (15 years of records)
Same day last year: 2.55 m0.00 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.54 m – 2.64 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.53 m – 3.14 m

Conditions at Red Deer River at Red Deer

Paddlers should check the trend as well as the level; summer storms can raise rivers quickly.

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the Red Deer River

The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan / Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay. Communities located along the Red Deer River include Sundre, Red Deer, Drumheller, and Empress, The city of Brooks, as well as Dinosaur Provincial Park, are also located in the Red Deer River Basin.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.3 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 18° 8° – Wind 38 km/h

18 Sun 12° 0° – Wind 14 km/h

19 Mon 10° 1° – Wind 10 km/h

20 Tue 10° 0° – Wind 15 km/h

21 Wed 13° 2° – Wind 17 km/h

22 Thu 10° 1° – Wind 14 km/h

23 Fri 5° 0° 8.4 mm, 35% Wind 21 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:05 AM Sunset 06:38 PM Daylight 10 hr, 33 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the Red Deer River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Red Deer River below Burnt Timber CreekRiver gauge, Red Deer River	1.42 m	Very high	−0.01 m	107 km
Red Deer River at DrumhellerRiver gauge, Red Deer River	0.63 m	Very low	±0	117 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Waskasoo Creek at Red DeerRiver gauge, Waskasoo Creek	1.18 m	Very high	±0	1.6 km
Blindman River near BlackfaldsRiver gauge, Blindman River	1.08 m	High	+0.01 m	9.8 km
Sylvan Lake at Sylvan LakeLake, Sylvan Lake	936.02 m	Very low	±0	20 km
Haynes Creek near HaynesRiver gauge, Haynes Creek	1.81 m	Very high	−0.01 m	32 km
Little Red Deer River near the MouthRiver gauge, Little Red Deer River	0.95 m	High	±0	35 km
Threehills Creek below Ray CreekRiver gauge, Threehills Creek	0.32 m	Very low	±0	35 km
Dickson Dam Tunnel OutletRiver gauge	1.32 m	Low	±0	36 km
Medicine River near EckvilleRiver gauge, Medicine River	1.81 m	Very high	−0.01 m	36 km

Questions and answers

Is the Red Deer River at Red Deer higher than last year?

It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 2.55 m.

What is a normal level for the Red Deer River at Red Deer in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.03 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.15 m and 2.59 m, based on 15 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 2.55 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Red Deer River at Red Deer today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 12:50 PM MDT, the water level was 2.55 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Red Deer River at Red Deer rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Red Deer River at Red Deer normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada publishes a new reading every hour. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:05CC002 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 52.27053, -113.82311 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: station datum (assumed datum)
Update interval: every hour
Licence: Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	2.55 m	2026-10-17 18:50	Provisional
Flow	17.2 m³/s	2026-10-17 18:50	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Red Deer River at Red Deer (eccc:05CC002). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/alberta/red-deer-river-at-red-deer

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