Puyallup River at Alderton water level

Name: Puyallup River at Alderton 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, Puyallup River, Washington, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

45.46ft Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:45 AM PDT (33 min ago)

Flow: 389 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 45.46 ft, the Puyallup River at Alderton is far below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.12 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 45.40 ft and 45.59 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

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

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.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 62° 38° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 64° 44° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 65° 40° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 70° 43° – Wind 3 mph

22 Thu 62° 45° 0.01 in, 27% Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 59° 43° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 62° 40° – Wind 3 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:15 PM Daylight 10 hr, 42 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Puyallup River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Puyallup River near ElectronRiver gauge, Puyallup River	3.18 ft	Low	−0.04 ft	21 mi
Puyallup River near OrtingRiver gauge, Puyallup River	6.02 ft	Very high	−0.05 ft	10 mi
Puyallup River at E Main Bridge at PuyallupRiver gauge, Puyallup River	31.62 ft	No reference yet	−0.13 ft	1.3 mi
Puyallup River at 5th St Bridge at PuyallupRiver gauge, Puyallup River	735 cfs	Low	−112.0 cfs	2.9 mi
Puyallup River at PuyallupRiver gauge, Puyallup River	9.82 ft	Low	−0.14 ft	4.9 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
White River at 24th St E at DieringerRiver gauge, White River	41.16 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	3.5 mi
Lake Tapps Diversion at DieringerCanal gauge, Lake Tapps Diversion	5.75 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	3.7 mi
White River near SumnerRiver gauge, White River	59.52 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	4.5 mi
White River at PacificRiver gauge, White River	72.54 ft	High	−0.02 ft	5.2 mi
White River near AuburnRiver gauge, White River	82.26 ft	High	−0.04 ft	5.6 mi
White River at Roegner Park near AuburnRiver gauge, White River	95.11 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	6.0 mi
White River at R Street near AuburnRiver gauge, White River	338 cfs	Low	−14.0 cfs	6 mi
South Prairie Creek at South PrairieRiver gauge, South Prairie Creek	24.48 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	7 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 Puyallup River at Alderton today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:45 AM PDT, the water level was 45.46 ft. Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Puyallup River at Alderton rising or falling?

Down 0.12 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Puyallup River at Alderton normal?

Very low 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:12096500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.18510, -122.22956 (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	45.46 ft	2026-10-19 13:45	Provisional
Flow	389 cfs	2026-10-19 13:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Puyallup River at Alderton (usgs:12096500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/puyallup-river-at-alderton

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