Big River near Richwoods water level

Name: Big River near Richwoods 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

1.85ft Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:30 PM CDT (41 min ago)

Flow: 96.4 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Big River near Richwoods is running below normal at 1.85 ft.

It has dropped 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.82 ft and 1.93 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: 33.39 ftMay 1, 2017

Floating and fishing near Big River near Richwoods

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

What happens at each level

18.00 ft: Near this height, Engledow Road at Upper Blackwell Road near DeSoto are closed upstream of the gage. Just downstream of the gage, Browns Ford Road at Ware Lake Road are closed near this height.
1.85 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	33.39 ft	May 1, 2017
2	30.33 ft	September 23, 1993
3	28.70 ft	March 19, 2008
4	27.15 ft	June 30, 1957
5	26.42 ft	April 11, 1994
6	26.36 ft	November 19, 1985
7	24.47 ft	April 19, 2013
8	24.05 ft	May 1, 1983
9	23.97 ft	May 26, 1990
10	23.91 ft	January 4, 1950

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 68° 37° – Wind 5 mph

19 Mon 72° 43° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 75° 50° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 77° 51° – Wind 4 mph

22 Thu 78° 53° – Wind 4 mph

23 Fri 79° 55° – Wind 6 mph

24 Sat 79° 54° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:15 AM Sunset 06:22 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Big River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big River at IrondaleRiver gauge, Big River	9.3 cfs	Very low	±0	23 mi
Big River below DeslogeRiver gauge, Big River	29.2 cfs	Low	±0	22 mi
Big River below Bonne TerreRiver gauge, Big River	22.1 cfs	Very low	+2.6 cfs	15 mi
Big River at ByrnesvilleRiver gauge, Big River	1.84 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	16 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Joachim Creek at De SotoRiver gauge, Joachim Creek	1.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	8 mi
Meramec River at PacificRiver gauge, Meramec River	−1.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	21 mi
Meramec River near SullivanRiver gauge, Meramec River	3.03 ft	Below flood stage	±0	22 mi
Meramec River near EurekaRiver gauge, Meramec River	2.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	25 mi
Bourbeuse River at UnionRiver gauge, Bourbeuse River	3.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	25 mi
Williams Creek near Peerless ParkRiver gauge, Williams Creek	1.8 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	28 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 near Richwoods today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:30 PM CDT, the water level was 1.85 ft. Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Big River near Richwoods rising or falling?

Down 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Big River near Richwoods 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 near Richwoods?

The highest level on record is 33.39 ft on May 1, 2017.

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:07018100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.15961, -90.70606 (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	1.85 ft	2026-10-18 22:30	Provisional
Flow	96.4 cfs	2026-10-18 22:30	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/11632?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Big River near Richwoods water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Big River near Richwoods (usgs:07018100). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/big-river-near-richwoods

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