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Embarras River at Ste. Marie water level

River gauge, Embarras River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

0.90ft Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
60.8 cfs
0 10 20 30 Highest onrecord 28.06 ft Minor floodstage 19.00 ft

History

History
-0246ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 16Oct 18-0246ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18
-0358ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18-0358ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18
-01020ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage-01020ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
-01020ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-01020ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The Embarras River at Ste. Marie is at 0.90 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 0.63 ft, based on 35 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.27 ft above typical. It is 18.10 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 0.37 ft, a difference of +0.53 ft.

It has dropped 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.87 ft and 1.77 ft.

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

Compared with 35 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
0.63 ft0.27 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.33 ft – 5.59 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (35 years of records)
Same day last year
0.37 ft+0.53 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.87 ft – 1.77 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
0.32 ft – 17.85 ft
Highest on record
28.06 ftJune 7, 2008

Floating and fishing near Embarras River at Ste. Marie

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 19.00 ft, 18.10 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

27.00 ft
Water begins to overtop Captain Pond and Ste. Marie Levees.
21.00 ft
Water overtops a few private levees in the Ste. Marie area.
19.00 ft
County Highway 9 floods between Ste. Marie and Willow Hill.
16.00 ft
Flooding begins to a secondary road on the east bank near the bridge north of town.
0.90 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: 13 %.

RankLevelDate
128.06 ftJune 7, 2008
226.83 ftDecember 30, 2015
326.54 ftJune 30, 1957
426.36 ftMay 13, 2002
526.08 ftMay 9, 1961
626.00 ftDecember 23, 1967
725.95 ftJanuary 4, 1950
825.56 ftMay 6, 2017
925.34 ftMay 30, 1927
1025.17 ftMay 9, 1996

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.72 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 35° – Wind 10 mph
19 Mon 69° 39° – Wind 5 mph
20 Tue 72° 50° – Wind 5 mph
21 Wed 73° 49° – Wind 5 mph
22 Thu 74° 51° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 75° 51° – Wind 7 mph
24 Sat 77° 53° – Wind 11 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:05 AM Sunset 06:11 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 48%

Map

Other gauges on the Embarras River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Embarras River near CamargoRiver gauge, Embarras River 3.43 ft Normal +0.03 ft 60 mi
Embarras River at LawrencevilleRiver gauge, Embarras River 16.75 ft Low −0.07 ft 24 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
North Fork Embarras River near OblongRiver gauge, North Fork Embarras River 2.08 ft Normal +0.12 ft 7 mi
Wabash River at RivertonRiver gauge, Wabash River 5.43 ft Below flood stage −0.21 ft 25 mi
Little Wabash River below Clay CityRiver gauge, Little Wabash River 3.87 ft Normal −0.02 ft 26 mi
Wabash River at Memorial Bridge at VincennesRiver gauge, Wabash River 4.91 ft Below flood stage −0.14 ft 32 mi
Busseron Creek near CarlisleRiver gauge, Busseron Creek 1.66 ft Below flood stage +0.01 ft 32 mi
Little Wabash River near EffinghamRiver gauge, Little Wabash River 10.42 ft Normal −0.02 ft 33 mi
Bonpas Creek at BrownsRiver gauge, Bonpas Creek 2.27 ft Normal −2.06 ft 38 mi
Wabash River at Mount CarmelRiver gauge, Wabash River 4.13 ft Normal −0.16 ft 40 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Embarras River at Ste. Marie higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.53 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.37 ft.

What is flood stage for the Embarras River at Ste. Marie?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 18.10 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Embarras River at Ste. Marie in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.63 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.33 ft and 5.59 ft, based on 35 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 Embarras River at Ste. Marie today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:45 AM CDT, the water level was 0.90 ft. Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Embarras River at Ste. Marie rising or falling?

Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Embarras River at Ste. Marie normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 35 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:03345500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
38.93669, -88.02233 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 0.90 ft 2026-10-18 08:45 Provisional
Flow 60.8 cfs 2026-10-18 08:45 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Embarras River at Ste. Marie (usgs:03345500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/embarras-river-at-ste-marie

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.