Lake St Helen at St Helen water level

Name: Lake St Helen at St Helen water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Lake, Lake St Helen, Michigan, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Surface elevation

1,154.96ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM EDT (1 hour ago)

Water level: 6.33 ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

Water is short at Lake St Helen at St Helen: the latest reading of 1,154.96 ft is below normal for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1,154.49 ft – 1,155.02 ft.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

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

Boating and fishing at Lake St Helen at St Helen

At low levels, launching can mean a long walk or a closed ramp, and shallow points stick out further than charts suggest.

Conditions at the shore change with the level, so check with the agency that runs the lake before a trip.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 62° 37° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 63° 43° – Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 68° 47° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 65° 47° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 67° 47° – Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 62° 52° 0.01 in Wind 10 mph

26 Mon 52° 40° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:00 AM Sunset 06:47 PM Daylight 10 hr, 47 min First quarter 69%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Higgins Lake near RoscommonLake, Higgins Lake	5.32 ft	Very high	±0	13 mi
South Branch Au Sable River near LuzerneRiver gauge, South Branch Au Sable River	218 cfs	Normal	−5.0 cfs	17 mi
Houghton Lake near Houghton Lake HeightsLake, Houghton Lake	8.03 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Au Sable River near Red OakRiver gauge, Au Sable River	3.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	23 mi
Nb Au Sable River at Kelloggs Branch near LovellsRiver gauge, Nb Au Sable River	220 cfs	Very high	−3.0 cfs	24 mi
Au Sable River at MioRiver gauge, Au Sable River	1,030 cfs	High	−40.0 cfs	25 mi
Rifle River near SterlingRiver gauge, Rifle River	2.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	29 mi
Manistee River near GraylingRiver gauge, Manistee River	212 cfs	High	−4.0 cfs	30 mi

Questions and answers

Is Lake St Helen at St Helen really 1,154.96 ft deep?

No. 1,154.96 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Lake St Helen at St Helen today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:30 AM EDT, the surface elevation was 1,154.96 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake St Helen at St Helen rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lake St Helen at St Helen normal?

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:442409084274001 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.36321, -84.43582 (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
Surface elevation	1,154.96 ft	2026-10-20 13:30	Provisional
Water level	6.33 ft	2026-10-20 13:30	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/5069?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Lake St Helen at St Helen water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake St Helen at St Helen (usgs:442409084274001). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/lake-st-helen-at-st-helen

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