Missouri River at Napoleon water level

Name: Missouri River at Napoleon 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, Missouri River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

9.66ft Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT (7 min ago)

Flow: 60,100 cfs
Water temperature: 63 °F

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.10 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 01:00 AM. Issued Saturday, October 17 at 09:26 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Missouri River at Napoleon, where the gauge shows 9.66 ft.

It is 7.34 ft below the flood stage of 17.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.18 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.10 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 01:00 AM. The 30-day range is 9.64 ft – 10.53 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 63 °F.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 29.73 ftJune 2, 2019
Forecast peak: 9.70 ftSunday, October 18 at 01:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 17.00 ft.

What happens at each level

30.00 ft: Levees along the river may be overtopped resulting in widespread flooding of rural areas and roads within the floodplain.
25.00 ft: Rural areas unprotected by levees flood.
24.50 ft: The Missouri-Pacific Railroad tracks are overtopped.
17.00 ft: Low-lying areas unprotected by levees begin to flood.
9.66 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: 43 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	29.73 ft	June 2, 2019
2	28.86 ft	May 9, 2007
3	28.12 ft	March 25, 2019
4	27.60 ft	July 10, 2011
5	27.40 ft	May 19, 1995
6	26.80 ft	July 15, 1951
7	26.70 ft	July 11, 1993
8	26.56 ft	May 25, 1995
9	26.53 ft	May 31, 2016
10	26.12 ft	June 6, 2015

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.90 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 59° 35° – Wind 7 mph

18 Sun 65° 41° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 67° 40° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 73° 49° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 74° 54° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 78° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 78° 58° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 11 hr, 5 min First quarter 48%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Nebraska CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.36 ft	143 mi
Missouri River at BrownvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	25.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	121 mi
Missouri River at RuloRiver gauge, Missouri River	8.73 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	96 mi
Missouri River at St. JosephRiver gauge, Missouri River	8.09 ft	Below flood stage	+0.25 ft	60 mi
Missouri River at AtchisonRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.02 ft	Below flood stage	+0.41 ft	63 mi
Missouri River at LeavenworthRiver gauge, Missouri River	5.32 ft	Below flood stage	+0.45 ft	47 mi
Missouri River above ParkvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.66 ft	Below flood stage	+0.37 ft	38 mi
Missouri River at Kansas CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.16 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	28 mi
Missouri River at WaverlyRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.44 ft	30 mi
Missouri River at GlasgowRiver gauge, Missouri River	14.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.74 ft	65 mi
Missouri River at BoonvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.76 ft	72 mi
Missouri River at Jefferson CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.76 ft	Below flood stage	−0.69 ft	108 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Blue River near Lake CityRiver gauge, Little Blue River	4.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	13 mi
Crooked River near RichmondRiver gauge, Crooked River	5.42 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	14 mi
Spring Branch Creek at Holke Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Spring Branch Creek	1.2 cfs	Normal	−0.1 cfs	15 mi
Adair Creek at IndependenceRiver gauge, Adair Creek	0.5 cfs	Normal	−0.4 cfs	17 mi
Little Blue R. at Lees Summit Rd in IndependenceRiver gauge, Little Blue R.	4.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	19 mi
Fishing River above MosbyRiver gauge, Fishing River	16.9 cfs	Normal	−2.8 cfs	20 mi
Blue River at 12th Street in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	3.16 ft	Below flood stage	−0.89 ft	23 mi
Blue River at Stadium Drive in Kansas CityRiver gauge, Blue River	6.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	25 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Missouri River at Napoleon?

The official flood stage is 17.00 ft. The level is currently 7.34 ft below it.

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 Missouri River at Napoleon today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT, the water level was 9.66 ft. Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at Napoleon rising or falling?

Down 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River at Napoleon normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Missouri River at Napoleon?

The highest level on record is 29.73 ft on June 2, 2019.

Is Missouri River at Napoleon expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.10 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 01:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06894650 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.13361, -94.06389 (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	9.66 ft	2026-10-18 10:00	Provisional
Flow	60,100 cfs	2026-10-18 10:00	Provisional
Water temperature	63 °F	2026-10-18 09:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at Napoleon (usgs:06894650). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/missouri-river-at-napoleon

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