Charles River at Wellesley water level

Name: Charles River at Wellesley 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, Charles River, Massachusetts, United States

Directions

High for mid-October

Water level

3.33ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 04:35 PM EDT (25 min ago)

Flow: 203 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at Charles River at Wellesley: the latest reading is 3.33 ft, above normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 3.33 ft – 3.37 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 6.20 ftMarch 21, 1968

Paddling and fishing conditions

Above-normal flows push fish to the edges and make wading risky. Wait for the river to drop and clear.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.20 ft	March 21, 1968
2	6.11 ft	January 28, 1979
3	6.09 ft	February 5, 1976
4	5.59 ft	June 10, 1982
5	5.53 ft	June 18, 1998
6	5.52 ft	January 1, 1993
7	5.41 ft	March 26, 2001
8	5.16 ft	October 21, 1996

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 36° – Wind 17 mph

18 Sun 55° 32° – Wind 5 mph

19 Mon 58° 42° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 61° 47° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 52° 44° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 60° 41° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 61° 44° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:00 AM Sunset 06:01 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the Charles River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Charles River at MedwayRiver gauge, Charles River	1.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	15 mi
Charles River at DoverRiver gauge, Charles River	1.32 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	4.5 mi
Charles River at WalthamRiver gauge, Charles River	1.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	3.9 mi
Charles River at First St at CambridgeTidal gauge, Charles River	108.01 ft	High	−0.28 ft	8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Stony Brook Reservoir at Dam near WalthamReservoir, Stony Brook Reservoir	1.8 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	3.3 mi
Stony Brook Reservoir, Unnamed Tributary 1, near WestonRiver gauge, Stony Brook Reservoir, Unnamed Tributary 1,	0.6 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	3.3 mi
Stony Brook at RT 20 at WalthamRiver gauge, Stony Brook	12.9 cfs	Low	−1.0 cfs	4.2 mi
Stony Brook, Unnamed Tributary 1, near WalthamRiver gauge, Stony Brook, Unnamed Tributary 1,	0.5 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	4.4 mi
Mother Brook at DedhamRiver gauge, Mother Brook	123 cfs	Very high	+8.0 cfs	5.3 mi
Trout Brook at DoverRiver gauge, Trout Brook	2.5 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	5.5 mi
Stony Brook at Viles Street, near WestonRiver gauge, Stony Brook	2.9 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	5.7 mi
Hobbs Brook below Cambridge Reservoir near Kendall GreenReservoir, Hobbs Brook	5.3 cfs	Normal	−1.8 cfs	6.1 mi

Questions and answers

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 Charles River at Wellesley today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 04:35 PM EDT, the water level was 3.33 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Charles River at Wellesley rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Charles River at Wellesley normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Charles River at Wellesley?

The highest level on record is 6.20 ft on March 21, 1968.

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:01104200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.31649, -71.22783 (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	3.33 ft	2026-10-17 20:35	Provisional
Flow	203 cfs	2026-10-17 20:35	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Charles River at Wellesley (usgs:01104200). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/massachusetts/charles-river-at-wellesley

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