Flint River near Fosters water level

Name: Flint River near Fosters 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, Flint River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

4.48ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:30 PM EDT (34 min ago)

Flow: 129 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 4.48 ft, the Flint River near Fosters is below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 4.45 ft and 4.89 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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 21.59 ftMay 24, 2004

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	21.59 ft	May 24, 2004
2	13.95 ft	March 13, 1990
3	13.82 ft	December 30, 1990
4	13.75 ft	April 10, 1991
5	12.80 ft	April 7, 1988
6	11.04 ft	June 1, 1989

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.33 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 54° 32° – Wind 13 mph

18 Sun 61° 37° – Wind 18 mph

19 Mon 66° 38° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 67° 46° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 67° 45° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 68° 46° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 69° 48° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:55 AM Sunset 06:48 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Flint River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Flint River near OtisvilleRiver gauge, Flint River	94.6 cfs	Normal	+5.3 cfs	26 mi
Flint River near FlintRiver gauge, Flint River	3.14 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Saginaw River at Holland Avenue at SaginawRiver gauge, Saginaw River	170 cfs	Very low	−2,200.0 cfs	8 mi
Shiawassee River near FergusRiver gauge, Shiawassee River	152 cfs	Normal	−5.0 cfs	8 mi
Cass River at FrankenmuthRiver gauge, Cass River	3.64 ft	Below flood stage	±0	10 mi
Swan Creek at Frost Road near FrostRiver gauge, Swan Creek	2.8 cfs	Low	±0	13 mi
Saginaw River at Midland Street at Bay CityRiver gauge, Saginaw River	1,500 cfs	Normal	−2,700.0 cfs	21 mi
Shiawassee River at OwossoRiver gauge, Shiawassee River	2.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	23 mi
Tittabawassee River at MidlandRiver gauge, Tittabawassee River	9.74 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	24 mi
Kearsley Creek near DavisonRiver gauge, Kearsley Creek	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	27 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 Flint River near Fosters today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:30 PM EDT, the water level was 4.48 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Flint River near Fosters rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Flint River near Fosters normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Flint River near Fosters?

The highest level on record is 21.59 ft on May 24, 2004.

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:04149000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.30834, -83.95350 (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	4.48 ft	2026-10-19 22:30	Provisional
Flow	129 cfs	2026-10-19 22:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Flint River near Fosters (usgs:04149000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/flint-river-near-fosters

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