Lake Monona at Madison water level

Name: Lake Monona at Madison 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 Monona, Wisconsin, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Surface elevation

844.78ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT (21 min ago)

Water level: 4.92 ft
Water temperature: 57 °F

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

The latest lake level at Lake Monona at Madison is 844.78 ft. There is no published reference for this lake yet, so we can't say whether that is high or low for the season.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 844.77 ft and 844.85 ft.

The water temperature at the gauge is 57 °F.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

Swimming and boating at Lake Monona at Madison

Without a published normal range, the trend is the most useful thing here: a steady lake means few changes at the shore.

At 57 °F the water is cold. Even strong swimmers can struggle within minutes, so keep swims short and close to shore.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 65° 41° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 67° 46° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 70° 51° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 71° 51° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 69° 55° – Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 64° 52° 0.01 in Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:10 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 58%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lake Wingra Outlet at MadisonRiver gauge, Lake Wingra Outlet	0.75 ft	No reference yet	−0.07 ft	0.6 mi
North Franklin Storm Sewer at MadisonRiver gauge, North Franklin Storm Sewer	0.03 ft	No reference yet	±0	1.4 mi
Yahara River at East Main Street at MadisonRiver gauge, Yahara River	216 cfs	Normal	−2.0 cfs	2.6 mi
Lake Mendota at MadisonLake, Lake Mendota	9.86 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	2.6 mi
Spring Harbor Storm Sewer at MadisonRiver gauge, Spring Harbor Storm Sewer	0.0 cfs	Low	−0.1 cfs	3.9 mi
Swan Creek at Lalor Road near FitchburgRiver gauge, Swan Creek	2.3 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	4.8 mi
Dorn (Spring) Creek at Ct Highway M near WaunakeeRiver gauge, Dorn (Spring) Creek	3.7 cfs	Low	+0.6 cfs	5.8 mi
Lake Waubesa at Mc FarlandLake, Lake Waubesa	4.50 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	6.0 mi

Questions and answers

Is Lake Monona at Madison really 844.78 ft deep?

No. 844.78 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 Monona at Madison today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT, the surface elevation was 844.78 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Monona at Madison rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lake Monona at Madison normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

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:05429000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.06333, -89.39706 (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	844.78 ft	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional
Water level	4.92 ft	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional
Water temperature	57 °F	2026-10-19 10:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Monona at Madison (usgs:05429000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/wisconsin/lake-monona-at-madison

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