St. Joseph River at Burlington water level

Name: St. Joseph River at Burlington 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, St. Joseph River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.39ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 09:00 PM EDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 86.9 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at St. Joseph River at Burlington, where the gauge shows 3.39 ft.

It is 3.11 ft below the flood stage of 6.50 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 3.38 ft – 3.41 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 6.93 ftFebruary 22, 2018

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 6.50 ft.

What happens at each level

11.00 ft: Expect major flooding of homes in Burlington along Saint Joe Street.
9.00 ft: Expect moderate flooding of homes in Burlington along Saint Joe Street.
6.50 ft: Expect minor flooding of crawl spaces to homes adjacent to the river upstream.
6.00 ft: River is bankfull, minor overflow into low lying wooded areas along the river begins.
3.39 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: 6 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.93 ft	February 22, 2018
2	6.83 ft	September 16, 2008
3	6.78 ft	February 14, 2008
4	6.70 ft	May 19, 2020
5	6.64 ft	February 11, 2001
6	6.51 ft	April 24, 2013
7	6.50 ft	July 12, 2024
8	6.50 ft	March 11, 2009
9	6.41 ft	February 24, 2022
10	6.33 ft	February 10, 2001

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.05 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 67° 35° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 66° 40° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 68° 41° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 70° 47° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 69° 49° – Wind 9 mph

24 Sat 69° 48° – Wind 10 mph

25 Sun 70° 53° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:59 AM Sunset 06:52 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 64%

Map

Other gauges on the St. Joseph River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
St. Joseph River at Three RiversRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	31 mi
St. Joseph River at MottvilleRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	±0	41 mi
St. Joseph River at ElkhartRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	19.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	54 mi
St. Joseph River at South BendRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	1.05 ft	Below flood stage	+0.26 ft	67 mi
St. Joseph River at BertrandRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	9.41 ft	No reference yet	+0.24 ft	65 mi
St. Joseph River at NilesRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	5.35 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	63 mi
St. Joseph River near Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	65 mi
St. Joseph River at Parnell Av at Fort WayneRiver gauge, St. Joseph River	7.17 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	69 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kalamazoo River at MarshallRiver gauge, Kalamazoo River	4.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	13 mi
Rice Creek at Monroe Street at MarshallRiver gauge, Rice Creek	59.4 cfs	Normal	−1.1 cfs	13 mi
Dickinson Creek near CerescoRiver gauge, Dickinson Creek	2.7 cfs	Normal	±0	13 mi
Battle Creek at Battle CreekRiver gauge, Battle Creek	0.77 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	16 mi
Kalamazoo River near Battle CreekRiver gauge, Kalamazoo River	2.93 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	16 mi
South Branch Hog Creek near AllenRiver gauge, South Branch Hog Creek	18.3 cfs	Normal	−0.7 cfs	17 mi
Wanadoga Creek near Battle CreekRiver gauge, Wanadoga Creek	31.2 cfs	Normal	−2.3 cfs	20 mi
Prairie River at US 12 near Burr OakRiver gauge, Prairie River	25.9 cfs	Normal	−1.2 cfs	21 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the St. Joseph River at Burlington?

The official flood stage is 6.50 ft. The level is currently 3.11 ft below it.

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 St. Joseph River at Burlington today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 09:00 PM EDT, the water level was 3.39 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is St. Joseph River at Burlington rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of St. Joseph River at Burlington normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at St. Joseph River at Burlington?

The highest level on record is 6.93 ft on February 22, 2018.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:04096405 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.10310, -85.07998 (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	3.39 ft	2026-10-20 01:00	Provisional
Flow	86.9 cfs	2026-10-20 01:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: St. Joseph River at Burlington (usgs:04096405). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/st-joseph-river-at-burlington

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