White River at Batesville water level

Name: White River at Batesville 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, White River, Arkansas, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

6.81ft Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 6.30 ft by Monday, October 19 at 07:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:12 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

At 6.81 ft, the White River at Batesville is below normal for mid-October.

That puts it 0.40 ft below the median of 7.21 ft for mid-October, based on 37 years of readings. It is 8.19 ft below the flood stage of 15.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 7.39 ft (−0.58 ft).

The level is falling, down 0.26 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 6.30 ft by Monday, October 19 at 07:00 AM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 5.90 ft and 7.31 ft.

Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 7.21 ft0.40 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 6.50 ft – 9.43 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (37 years of records)
Same day last year: 7.39 ft−0.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 5.90 ft – 7.31 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 5.31 ft – 11.40 ft
Highest on record: 31.90 ftFebruary 1, 1916
Forecast peak: 6.70 ftSunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM

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.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 15.00 ft, still 8.19 ft away.

What happens at each level

31.90 ft: Flood of record, February 1916 the river crested at 43.8 feet at the Lock 1 staff gage which is equilalent to a 31.9 foot crest at the newer gage on the U.S. Highway 167 Bridge. Life threatening situation. Much of the flood plain will be impacted. There will be numerous road closures, flooded homes, and evacuations will be needed. Levee openings should be closed.
30.00 ft: Numerous road closures, flooding in portions of Batesville, Oil Trough, Newark. Batesville Levee openings should be closed. A crest of 30 feet at the bridge is equivalent to a crest over 42 feet at the Lock one Tailwater staff gage. Flood of December 1982 crested at 29.3 feet at the bridge, or about 42 feet at Lock One. Commercial property along U.S. Highway 167 and the southside water plant may be impacted. The 29.3 feet crest, was highest since completion of Bull Shoals and Norfork Dams.
28.00 ft: Stoplogs should be placed in the Industrial Park Levee openings. Water about one foot over lowest sill levee opening. Water lapping at edge of pavement of U.S Highway 167 south of the bridge. Most of Oil Trough flooded. Southwest Batesville flooding. Water backing up Polk Bayou into parts of Batesville. A 28 foot stage at the bridge is approximately equal to about 40 foot stage at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage. December 1982 flood crest was 29.3 feet. March 2008 flood crest was 27 feet.
27.00 ft: Flooding in portions of Batesville, serious flooding in Oil Trough. Water lapping over lowest sill of industrial park levee in Batesville. Wave action may increase problems. Levee openings should be closed. Numerous road closures. A 27 foot crest at gage on bridge equivalent to crest of 39 feet at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage. During the 2 flood events in 2008, river crested at 27 feet in March and 26.4 feet in April. December 1982 crest was 29.3 feet.
26.00 ft: Serious flooding in Batesville, Oil Trough, and all along the river valley. Numerous road closures. Water will be about a foot below the lowest sill of the levee protecting the industrial area of Batesville. A crest of 26 feet at the bridge is equal to a crest of 38 feet at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
25.00 ft: Serious problems in the White River Valley throughout Independence County, numerous structures impacted, evacuations may be needed, numerous roads closed. A 25 foot crest at the bridge is equivalent to a 37 foot stage at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
23.00 ft: This is a serious flood situation. Portions of Batesville and Oil Trough will flood. State Highways 14 and 69 are flooded. A crest of 23 feet at the bridge is equivalent to a 35 foot crest at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
22.00 ft: Lower portions of Batesville and Oil Trough will flood. State Highways 14 and 69 will be closed. A crest of 22 feet at the bridge is equivalent to a 34 foot crest at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
20.00 ft: Portions of Oil Trough and lower portions of southwest Batesville may be flooded. State Highways 14 and 69 affected. Many thousands of acres of agricultural land is flooded. A 20 foot crest at the bridge is equilvalent to a 32 foot crest at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
18.00 ft: Moderate flooding is occurring. State Highway 14 near Oil Trough, and farmland along the river may be flooded. A crest of 18 feet at the bridge is equivalent to a crest of 30 feet at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
17.00 ft: A portion of State Highway 14 near Oil Trough may flood. Agricultural land along right bank floods. A crest of 17 feet at the bridge is equivalent to 28 foot crest at the Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
15.00 ft: There will be minor flooding of agricutural land along the river. A 15 foot stage at the bridge is equivalent to 23 foot flood stage at Lock One Tailwater staff gage.
6.81 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	31.90 ft	February 1, 1916
2	31.60 ft	August 22, 1915
3	31.40 ft	April 15, 1927
4	29.43 ft	April 16, 1945
5	29.27 ft	December 3, 1982
6	28.01 ft	May 12, 1943
7	27.40 ft	February 19, 1938
8	27.00 ft	March 13, 1935
9	26.96 ft	March 20, 2008
10	26.40 ft	April 12, 2008

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.11 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 69° 40° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 75° 46° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 76° 50° – Wind 3 mph

21 Wed 79° 53° – Wind 3 mph

22 Thu 81° 54° – Wind 3 mph

23 Fri 82° 55° – Wind 5 mph

24 Sat 83° 56° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 11 hr, 12 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the White River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
White River at ElkinsRiver gauge, White River	3.86 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	133 mi
White River near FayettevilleRiver gauge, White River	2.9 cfs	Very low	−1.4 cfs	138 mi
White River near BuschRiver gauge, White River	2.22 ft	Low	−0.13 ft	131 mi
White River near NorforkRiver gauge, White River	2,330 cfs	Low	±0	49 mi
White River at Calico RockRiver gauge, White River	2.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.25 ft	37 mi
White River at AllisonRiver gauge, White River	288.86 ft	Very low	−0.24 ft	29 mi
White River at NewportRiver gauge, White River	1.78 ft	Low	−1.08 ft	22 mi
White River near AugustaRiver gauge, White River	13.65 ft	Normal	−0.22 ft	35 mi
White River at GeorgetownRiver gauge, White River	1.31 ft	Below flood stage	+0.14 ft	45 mi
White River at DeValls BluffRiver gauge, White River	3.27 ft	Low	+0.27 ft	68 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Red River near DeweyRiver gauge, Little Red River	3.55 ft	Normal	−1.96 ft	23 mi
Little Red River at JudsoniaRiver gauge, Little Red River	3.20 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	34 mi
Cutoff Creek near Rio VistaRiver gauge, Cutoff Creek	189.33 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	34 mi
North Sylamore Creek near Fifty SixRiver gauge, North Sylamore Creek	3.7 cfs	Very low	−0.2 cfs	36 mi
Middle Fork of Little Red River at ShirleyRiver gauge, Middle Fork of Little Red River	2.6 cfs	Low	+0.2 cfs	37 mi
Black River at Black RockRiver gauge, Black River	0.87 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	39 mi

Questions and answers

How does the White River at Batesville compare with last year?

It is 0.58 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 7.39 ft.

What is flood stage for the White River at Batesville?

The official flood stage is 15.00 ft. The level is currently 8.19 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the White River at Batesville in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 7.21 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.50 ft and 9.43 ft, based on 37 years of records.

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 White River at Batesville today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:00 PM CDT, the water level was 6.81 ft. Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is White River at Batesville rising or falling?

Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.21 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of White River at Batesville normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07061000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.76028, -91.64111 (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	6.81 ft	2026-10-18 18:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: White River at Batesville (usgs:07061000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/arkansas/white-river-at-batesville

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