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Sugar Creek near Springfield water level

River gauge, Sugar Creek, Illinois, United States

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

9.77ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
18.1 cfs
10 20 30 Highest onrecord 33.12 ft

History

History
1012ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 181012ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18
1012ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 181012ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18
1020ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 20261020ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
1020ftJanMarMayJulSepNov20261020ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

Sugar Creek near Springfield is running below normal at 9.77 ft.

The median for mid-October is 10.02 ft, based on 16 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.25 ft below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 9.74 ft, a difference of +0.03 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 9.60 ft and 9.84 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
10.02 ft0.25 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
9.74 ft – 13.02 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
Same day last year
9.74 ft+0.03 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
9.60 ft – 9.84 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
9.47 ft – 22.81 ft
Highest on record
33.12 ftJune 19, 2011

Floating and fishing near Sugar Creek near Springfield

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
133.12 ftJune 19, 2011
231.21 ftDecember 29, 2015
330.08 ftApril 18, 2013
429.94 ftMay 18, 2020
529.04 ftMay 1, 2017
628.90 ftMay 1, 2019
728.41 ftMay 8, 2023
827.87 ftJune 22, 2019
927.87 ftMay 18, 2010
1027.17 ftJuly 9, 2022

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.26 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 36° – Wind 11 mph
19 Mon 69° 37° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 72° 44° – Wind 6 mph
21 Wed 74° 52° – Wind 6 mph
22 Thu 76° 55° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 78° 56° – Wind 10 mph
24 Sat 79° 57° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on Sugar Creek

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Sugar Creek at CrawfordsvilleRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 3.01 ft Very high −0.05 ft 144 mi
Sugar Creek at West Terre HauteRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 1.50 ft No reference yet −0.09 ft 116 mi
Sugar Creek at MilfordRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 2.82 ft Low −0.03 ft 115 mi
Sugar Creek at Covered Bridge Road near ChathamRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 17.42 ft No reference yet −0.11 ft 10 mi
Sugar Creek near BloomingtonRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 1.08 ft Normal −0.02 ft 56 mi
Sugar Creek near AvistonRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 2.54 ft No reference yet −0.15 ft 80 mi
Sugar Creek at KirkwoodRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 0.4 cfs Normal −0.1 cfs 95 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
South Fork Sangamon River below RochesterRiver gauge, South Fork Sangamon River 4.33 ft Normal −0.02 ft 2.3 mi
South Fork Sangamon River near RochesterRiver gauge, South Fork Sangamon River 5.02 ft Normal −0.01 ft 2.9 mi
Sangamon River at RivertonRiver gauge, Sangamon River 2.47 ft Low −0.02 ft 5.0 mi
Spring Creek at SpringfieldRiver gauge, Spring Creek 1.54 ft Low −0.02 ft 6.2 mi
Sangamon River near SpringfieldRiver gauge, Sangamon River 21.19 ft Normal +0.02 ft 6 mi
Lick Creek near ChathamRiver gauge, Lick Creek 11.80 ft Normal −0.01 ft 11 mi
Lake Fork near CornlandRiver gauge, Lake Fork 8.7 cfs Low ±0 16 mi
Sangamon River at PetersburgRiver gauge, Sangamon River 4.44 ft Normal −0.03 ft 21 mi

Questions and answers

Is Sugar Creek near Springfield higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.03 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 9.74 ft.

What is a normal level for Sugar Creek near Springfield in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 10.02 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 9.74 ft and 13.02 ft, based on 16 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 Sugar Creek near Springfield today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:30 PM CDT, the water level was 9.77 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Sugar Creek near Springfield rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Up 0.15 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Sugar Creek near Springfield normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Sugar Creek near Springfield?

The highest level on record is 33.12 ft on June 19, 2011.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:05576250 (Agency page)
Coordinates
39.77914, -89.59253 (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 9.77 ft 2026-10-18 20:30 Provisional
Flow 18.1 cfs 2026-10-18 20:30 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Sugar Creek near Springfield (usgs:05576250). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/sugar-creek-near-springfield

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.