Missouri River at Pierre water level

Name: Missouri River at Pierre 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, South Dakota, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

6.28ft Down 0.56 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:15 PM CDT (56 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The Missouri River at Pierre is running far below normal at 6.28 ft.

That puts it 1.24 ft below the median of 7.52 ft for mid-October, based on 29 years of readings. It is 6.72 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 6.43 ft (−0.15 ft).

It has dropped 0.56 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 5.55 ft and 8.72 ft.

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

Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 7.52 ft1.24 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 6.35 ft – 10.37 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (29 years of records)
Same day last year: 6.43 ft−0.15 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 5.55 ft – 8.72 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 5.04 ft – 8.90 ft
Highest on record: 25.35 ftApril 10, 1952

Floating and fishing near Missouri River at Pierre

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

Flood stage here is 13.00 ft, 6.72 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

21.00 ft: Significant flooding of Pierre will be ongoing with water reaching as far as W Sioux Ave.
20.00 ft: More subtantial flooding of homes and businesses on the Pierre side of the river begins with water reaching as far inland as portions of W Dakota Ave and W Missouri Ave.
18.00 ft: Numerous homes and businesses are flooded, especially on the Fort Pierre side as well as along Island View Dr on the Pierre side.
17.00 ft: Water begins to impact businesses in Fort Pierre and the lowest portions of the causeway to La Framboise Island may begin to flood.
16.00 ft: Steamboat Park is flooded in Pierre.
15.00 ft: More substantial low lying areas are flooded in Fort Pierre. Water begins to affect the yards of homes north of Hwy 14.
14.00 ft: The lower banks on the Fort Pierre side are overtopped resulting in flooding of the lower lying areas of town.
13.00 ft: Lower lying areas along the river begin to flood as does the lowest portions of the bike trail on the Fort Pierre side of the river.
6.28 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.35 ft	April 10, 1952
2	23.00 ft	March 1, 1881
3	19.83 ft	June 22, 2011
4	19.65 ft	April 6, 1943
5	18.44 ft	April 21, 1950
6	16.50 ft	April 1, 1947
7	15.58 ft	April 9, 1944
8	15.00 ft	April 5, 1949
9	14.07 ft	March 24, 1948
10	12.94 ft	June 13, 1941

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.28 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 80° 38° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 73° 44° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 68° 42° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 75° 50° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 75° 56° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 82° 57° 0.01 in Wind 15 mph

23 Fri 85° 65° 0.16 in, 28% Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:01 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River at Laframboise Island at PierreRiver gauge, Missouri River	20.69 ft	Very low	−0.39 ft	1.5 mi
Missouri River below La Framboise Island, at PierreRiver gauge, Missouri River	20.52 ft	Very low	−0.27 ft	3.0 mi
Missouri River at Farm Island near PierreRiver gauge, Missouri River	20.61 ft	Low	−0.09 ft	5.7 mi
Missouri River below GreenwoodRiver gauge, Missouri River	25.49 ft	Normal	−0.20 ft	143 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bad River near Fort PierreRiver gauge, Bad River	3.6 cfs	Normal	−1.0 cfs	3.3 mi
Cedar Creek near PreshoRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	6.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	21 mi
Medicine Creek near Lower BruleRiver gauge, Medicine Creek	5.3 cfs	Normal	−1.0 cfs	39 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Missouri River at Pierre compare with last year?

It is 0.15 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 6.43 ft.

What is flood stage for the Missouri River at Pierre?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 6.72 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Missouri River at Pierre in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 7.52 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.35 ft and 10.37 ft, based on 29 years of records.

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 Pierre today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:15 PM CDT, the water level was 6.28 ft. Down 0.56 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at Pierre rising or falling?

Down 0.56 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.27 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Missouri River at Pierre normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 29 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06440000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.37306, -100.36750 (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	6.28 ft	2026-10-18 21:15	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/8992?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Missouri River at Pierre water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at Pierre (usgs:06440000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-dakota/missouri-river-at-pierre

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