Big River at Irondale water level

Name: Big River at Irondale 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, Big River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

0.43ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 03:15 PM CDT (49 min ago)

Flow: 9.3 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 0.43 ft, the Big River at Irondale is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.43 ft and 0.48 ft.

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

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 28.95 ftNovember 14, 1993

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	28.95 ft	November 14, 1993
2	27.92 ft	November 1, 1972
3	25.62 ft	May 8, 2009
4	25.57 ft	November 19, 1985
5	24.20 ft	October 30, 2009
6	22.84 ft	April 30, 2017
7	22.72 ft	April 18, 2013
8	22.72 ft	January 29, 1969
9	22.62 ft	August 9, 1970
10	22.25 ft	April 11, 1979

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 2.38 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 43° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 63° 40° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 72° 44° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 74° 50° – Wind 4 mph

21 Wed 76° 53° – Wind 4 mph

22 Thu 81° 54° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 79° 56° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:14 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the Big River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big River below DeslogeRiver gauge, Big River	29.2 cfs	Low	+3.7 cfs	11 mi
Big River below Bonne TerreRiver gauge, Big River	19.5 cfs	Very low	−6.4 cfs	11 mi
Big River near RichwoodsRiver gauge, Big River	109 cfs	Normal	−5.0 cfs	23 mi
Big River at ByrnesvilleRiver gauge, Big River	1.86 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	39 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
East Fork Black River near LestervilleRiver gauge, East Fork Black River	3.6 cfs	Low	+0.7 cfs	21 mi
Joachim Creek at De SotoRiver gauge, Joachim Creek	1.57 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	22 mi
E. Fk. Black R. below Lower Taum Sauk ReservoirRiver gauge, E. Fk. Black R.	6.1 cfs	Low	+0.6 cfs	25 mi
St. Francis River near Mill CreekRiver gauge, St. Francis River	0.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	26 mi
Huzzah Creek near SteelvilleRiver gauge, Huzzah Creek	63.5 cfs	Normal	+4.5 cfs	30 mi
Meramec River near SullivanRiver gauge, Meramec River	3.03 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	32 mi
St. Francis River near SacoRiver gauge, St. Francis River	1.75 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	33 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 Big River at Irondale today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 03:15 PM CDT, the water level was 0.43 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Big River at Irondale rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Big River at Irondale normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Big River at Irondale?

The highest level on record is 28.95 ft on November 14, 1993.

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:07017200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 37.83000, -90.69089 (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	0.43 ft	2026-10-17 20:15	Provisional
Flow	9.3 cfs	2026-10-17 20:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Big River at Irondale (usgs:07017200). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/big-river-at-irondale

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