Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville water level

Name: Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville 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, Louisiana, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

6.74ft Down 0.58 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM CDT (17 min ago)

Flow: 232 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 6.74 ft, Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville is below normal for late October.

The median for late October is 7.54 ft, based on 29 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.80 ft below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 6.62 ft, a difference of +0.12 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.58 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 6.45 ft and 7.33 ft.

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

Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 7.54 ft0.80 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 6.70 ft – 8.49 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 6.62 ft+0.12 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 6.45 ft – 7.33 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 6.45 ft – 8.60 ft
Highest on record: 12.55 ftMay 28, 2014

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.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	12.55 ft	May 28, 2014
2	12.07 ft	December 8, 2009
3	11.85 ft	June 11, 2001
4	11.12 ft	August 13, 2016
5	10.97 ft	September 4, 2011
6	10.77 ft	August 30, 2012
7	10.42 ft	September 12, 2008
8	10.35 ft	January 9, 2013
9	10.14 ft	December 22, 2006
10	9.90 ft	October 25, 2015

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.06 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 75° 51° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 80° 57° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 81° 54° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 83° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 84° 57° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 81° 59° – Wind 14 mph

25 Sun 79° 57° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:11 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 11 hr, 17 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Panama Canal at Hwy 44 near GonzalesRiver gauge, Panama Canal	1.88 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	7 mi
Bayou Conway near SorrentoRiver gauge, Bayou Conway	1.91 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	10 mi
Bayou Francois at Hwy 61 Near GonzalesRiver gauge, Bayou Francois	1.85 ft	High	−0.05 ft	11 mi
Grand Goudine at Babin Rd Near DuplessisRiver gauge, Grand Goudine	1.89 ft	Very low	−0.05 ft	12 mi
Black Bayou E of GonzalesRiver gauge	1.97 ft	High	−0.04 ft	13 mi
Black Bayou at Hwy 621 near PrairievilleRiver gauge, Black Bayou	2.07 ft	Very high	−0.06 ft	13 mi
New River Canal near SorrentoRiver gauge, New River Canal	2.05 ft	High	−0.09 ft	15 mi
Alligator Bayou near KleinpeterRiver gauge, Alligator Bayou	2.08 ft	Normal	−0.08 ft	16 mi

Questions and answers

Is Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.12 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 6.62 ft.

What is a normal level for Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville in late October?

The median for late October is 7.54 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.70 ft and 8.49 ft, based on 29 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 Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM CDT, the water level was 6.74 ft. Down 0.58 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville rising or falling?

Down 0.58 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.20 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville?

The highest level on record is 12.55 ft on May 28, 2014.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:07380401 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 30.09659, -91.00593 (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	6.74 ft	2026-10-21 09:15	Provisional
Flow	232 cfs	2026-10-21 09:15	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/14277?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Bayou Lafourche SW of Donaldsonville (usgs:07380401). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/louisiana/bayou-lafourche-sw-of-donaldsonville

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