Osage River above Schell City water level

Name: Osage River above Schell City 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, Osage River, Missouri, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

10.78ft Up 1.03 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 04:45 PM CDT (34 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Osage River above Schell City, where the gauge shows 10.78 ft.

It is 19.22 ft below the flood stage of 30.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 1.03 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 19.22 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 8.35 ft – 11.13 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 51.50 ftOctober 5, 1986

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 30.00 ft.

What happens at each level

57.50 ft: flood waters reach the top of Highway M Bridge at the gage site.
54.50 ft: flood waters reach the bottom of the Highway M Bridge and cover three quarters of the instrument shelter which used to house the gaging equipment.
51.50 ft: record crest on October 5 1986. Flood waters reach the southeast corner of the Post Office Building. Railroad tracks and much of the SE side of Schell City floods. The Old Service Station floods with two feet of water. Residences on Park Avenue may flood.
50.00 ft: flood waters affect a few residences in Schell City. Flood waters also affect the railroad tracks east of town and the Old Service Station on the SE side of Schell City.
49.50 ft: flood waters affect residences along Millers Branch and a small tributary in Schell City. Water levels back up and affect the low area of Park Avenue.
47.50 ft: flood waters spill over the levees north of Schell City which begins to backwater Miller Branch. Water is several feet deep over portions of State Highway AA south of Schell City. Low areas on Old River Road, northwest of Schell City, become impassable north of Fifth Avenue. Flood waters reach the bottom I-beam of the Highway M Bridge. State Highway C becomes the only access to Schell City.
46.50 ft: flood waters affect Highway M. Portions of Highway M south of the bridge become impassable.
45.00 ft: major flooding occurs at the gage site. In addition, the town of Schell City can only be accessed by Highway C from Walker. The remaining highways and county roads on the west and northwest side of Schell City are impassable.
44.00 ft: flood waters impact county roads on Ladies Branch, west of State Highway M, northwest of Schell City. Water is up to one foot in depth over portions of Highway AA south of Schell City.
43.00 ft: flood waters impact Highway M, north of the M Highway Bridge and Highway AA south of Schell City. In addition, State Highway RA, heading into the Schell-Osage Conservation Area becomes impassable west of Lost Creek.
35.00 ft: flooding occurs around the Schell-Osage Conservation area.
33.00 ft: flood waters impact B Highway 2.5 miles east of Rich Hill in the vicinity of the Bates County Drainage Ditch.
10.78 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	51.50 ft	October 5, 1986
2	48.83 ft	July 4, 2007
3	44.53 ft	May 29, 2019
4	39.00 ft	June 13, 1995
5	38.69 ft	June 13, 2019
6	38.26 ft	February 26, 1985
7	38.07 ft	May 5, 2017
8	37.80 ft	July 28, 1993
9	36.00 ft	October 9, 1998
10	35.70 ft	November 26, 1992

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.98 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 38° – Wind 5 mph

18 Sun 65° 38° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 71° 46° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 74° 50° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 77° 53° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 80° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 81° 59° – Wind 12 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:28 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 11 hr, 10 min First quarter 44%

Map

Other gauges on the Osage River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Osage River at TabervilleRiver gauge, Osage River	9.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.35 ft	9 mi
Osage River at WarsawRiver gauge, Osage River	25.92 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	43 mi
Osage River near BagnellRiver gauge, Osage River	1.42 ft	Low	+0.09 ft	84 mi
Osage River at TuscumbiaRiver gauge, Osage River	1.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	92 mi
Osage River below St. ThomasRiver gauge, Osage River	2.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	108 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Osage River at HortonRiver gauge, Little Osage River	29.66 ft	Below flood stage	−1.83 ft	13 mi
Marmaton River near NevadaRiver gauge, Marmaton River	3.20 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	19 mi
Cedar Creek near Pleasant ViewRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	2.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	21 mi
Sac River near Caplinger MillsRiver gauge, Sac River	5.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	23 mi
Marmaton River near RichardsRiver gauge, Marmaton River	2.77 ft	Below flood stage	−0.23 ft	27 mi
Marais Des Cygnes River near Ks-Mo St LineRiver gauge, Marais Des Cygnes River	7.22 ft	High	−1.52 ft	28 mi
South Grand River at UrichRiver gauge, South Grand River	2.31 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	28 mi
Sac River at Hwy J below StocktonRiver gauge, Sac River	5.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	30 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Osage River above Schell City?

The official flood stage is 30.00 ft. The level is currently 19.22 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 Osage River above Schell City today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 04:45 PM CDT, the water level was 10.78 ft. Up 1.03 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Osage River above Schell City rising or falling?

Up 1.03 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Osage River above Schell City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Osage River above Schell City?

The highest level on record is 51.50 ft on October 5, 1986.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06918070 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.05586, -94.14542 (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	10.78 ft	2026-10-17 21:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Osage River above Schell City (usgs:06918070). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/missouri/osage-river-above-schell-city

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