East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville water level

Name: East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville 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, East Fork Carson River, Nevada, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

9.47ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 03:25 PM PDT (20 min ago)

Flow: 49.1 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.62 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 10:00 AM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 07:20 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville is at 9.47 ft, in the normal range.

It is 4.53 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.62 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 10:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 9.47 ft and 9.48 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 20.17 ftJanuary 3, 1997
Forecast peak: 9.62 ftThursday, October 22 at 10:00 AM

Floating and fishing near East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 14.00 ft, 4.53 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft: Record Flooding. All roads in and out of Carson Valley flooded. Large portion of Carson Valley under water. Extensive damage to homes businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles. Similar to the January 1997 event.
19.50 ft: Near Record Flooding. All roads in and out of Carson Valley flooded. Extensive damage to homes businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles. Approaching the January 1997 event.
19.00 ft: Widespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
18.50 ft: Widespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Potential for major bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
18.00 ft: Widespread flood damage in Carson Valley. Extensive damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, communications, water and power severely affected. Potential for massive bank and channel erosion capable of sweeping away buildings, roads, and vehicles.
17.50 ft: Major flooding in Carson valley with significant damage. The East Fork of the Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henningson Sloughs which flood portions of Minden/Gardnerville downtown areas, causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Major effects to transportation, communication, water and power systems.
17.00 ft: Major flooding in Carson valley with significant damage. The East Fork of the Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henningson Sloughs which flood portions of Minden/Gardnerville near downtown, causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Major effects to transportation, communication, and water and power systems.
16.50 ft: Major Flood Stage. Major flooding in Carson Valley with significant damage. East Fork of Carson River feeds Rocky, Cottonwood, Martin, and Henninson Sloughs, which flood low portions of Minden/Gardnerville near downtown causing damage to homes, businesses, schools, roads, and bridges. Transportation, including prolonged impacts to Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way, communication, and water and power systems significantly affected.
16.00 ft: Moderate flood damage in Carson Valley. Some homes, business, schools, roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Genoa, and Washoe Tribe Reservation flood. Moderate flood impacts to transportation, communication, and water and power systems. Highway 395 closure north of Stephanie Way likely. Flood level similar to January 2017 event.
15.50 ft: Moderate Flood Stage. Moderate flood damage in Carson Valley area. Flooding starts to impact homes, businesses, schools, transportation, communication, and water and power systems. Closure of Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way likely.
15.00 ft: Minor flooding in Carson Valley with some mobile home communities, outbuildings, many roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Washoe Tribe Reservation and Genoa flooded. Lane closures on Highway 395 north of Stephanie Way likely. Similar level to February 2017 flood.
14.50 ft: Minor flooding in Carson Valley with some outbuildings, roads, and bridges in lower portions of Minden, Gardnerville, Centerville, Washoe Tribe Reservation and Genoa flooded. Highway 395 lane closures north of Stephanie Way possible if combined with high flows from the west fork. Similar to 12/31/2022 peak.
9.47 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: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.17 ft	January 3, 1997
2	19.20 ft	December 23, 1955
3	17.64 ft	February 1, 1963
4	17.11 ft	November 21, 1950
5	16.12 ft	January 8, 2017
6	16.10 ft	December 31, 2005
7	15.47 ft	February 10, 2017
8	14.79 ft	December 31, 2022
9	14.20 ft	April 7, 2018
10	13.79 ft	March 22, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:17 PM Daylight 11 hr, 6 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the East Fork Carson River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
East Fork Carson River below Markleeville Creek near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, East Fork Carson River	2.18 ft	Below flood stage	±0	10 mi
East Fork Carson River near DresslervilleRiver gauge, East Fork Carson River	6.44 ft	No reference yet	±0	2.5 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bryant Creek below Mountaineer Creek near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, Bryant Creek	1.5 cfs	Normal	±0	8 mi
Leviathan Creek above Mountaineer Creek near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, Leviathan Creek	0.3 cfs	Normal	±0	8 mi
West Fork Carson River at WoodfordsRiver gauge, West Fork Carson River	9.59 ft	Below flood stage	±0	9 mi
Leviathan Creek above Aspen Creek near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, Leviathan Creek	0.1 cfs	Low	±0	9 mi
4L Creek near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, 4L Creek	0.0 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Aspen Creek above Leviathan Mine near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, Aspen Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Leviathan Creek above Mine near MarkleevilleRiver gauge, Leviathan Creek	0.1 cfs	Normal	±0	10 mi
Topaz Canal below Topaz Lake near TopazCanal gauge, Topaz Canal	84.4 cfs	Normal	+1.3 cfs	15 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 4.53 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 East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:25 PM PDT, the water level was 9.47 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville?

The highest level on record is 20.17 ft on January 3, 1997.

Is East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 9.62 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 10:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:10309000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.84519, -119.70608 (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	9.47 ft	2026-10-18 22:25	Provisional
Flow	49.1 cfs	2026-10-18 22:25	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville (usgs:10309000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/nevada/east-fork-carson-river-near-gardnerville

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