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Lewis River at Ariel water level

River gauge, Lewis River, Washington, United States

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Right now

Very low for mid-October

Water level

2.45ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
2,630 cfs
0 13 25 38 Highest onrecord 35.00 ft

History

History
234ftOct 11Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 17234ftOct 11Oct 14Oct 17
234ftSep 18Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17234ftSep 18Oct 2Oct 17
510ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026510ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
510ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026510ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 2.45 ft, the Lewis River at Ariel is far below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 2.62 ft, based on 23 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.17 ft below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 2.59 ft, a difference of −0.14 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.56 ft and 2.47 ft.

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

Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
2.62 ft0.17 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
2.46 ft – 3.71 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (23 years of records)
Same day last year
2.59 ft−0.14 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
1.56 ft – 2.47 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
1.54 ft – 13.12 ft
Highest on record
35.00 ftDecember 22, 1933

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
135.00 ftDecember 22, 1933
227.38 ftFebruary 9, 1996
324.38 ftDecember 2, 1977
422.63 ftDecember 4, 1975
521.13 ftJanuary 15, 1974
619.93 ftDecember 26, 1980
719.12 ftDecember 13, 1966
817.49 ftDecember 22, 1964
916.96 ftJanuary 23, 1970
1016.85 ftJanuary 10, 1990

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 63° 48° 0.02 in, 49% Wind 9 mph
18 Sun 67° 46° – Wind 11 mph
19 Mon 60° 45° – Wind 4 mph
20 Tue 68° 44° – Wind 5 mph
21 Wed 72° 46° – Wind 6 mph
22 Thu 63° 45° – Wind 7 mph
23 Fri 59° 42° – Wind 5 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:22 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 43%

Map

Other gauges on the Lewis River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Lewis River above Muddy River near CougarRiver gauge, Lewis River 164 cfs Very low +3.0 cfs 29 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Lake Merwin near ChelatchieLake, Lake Merwin 230.00 ft Low ±0 9 mi
East Fork Lewis River near HeissonRiver gauge, East Fork Lewis River 10.03 ft Very low −0.01 ft 9 mi
Speelyai Creek near CougarRiver gauge, Speelyai Creek 1.4 cfs Very low +0.2 cfs 11 mi
Canyon Creek near AmboyRiver gauge, Canyon Creek 24.7 cfs Low +0.7 cfs 12 mi
Yale Reservoir near CougarReservoir, Yale Reservoir 472.00 ft Low ±0 13 mi
Swift Reservoir 3.2 Mi East of Dam near CougarReservoir, Swift Reservoir 3.2 Mi East of Dam 959.00 ft Normal −1.00 ft 22 mi
Columbia River at VancouverTidal gauge, Columbia River 2.10 ft Normal +0.71 ft 23 mi
Columbia Slough at PortlandTidal gauge, Columbia Slough 239 cfs Very high +577 cfs 24 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Lewis River at Ariel higher than last year?

No, it is 0.14 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 2.59 ft.

What is a normal level for the Lewis River at Ariel in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 2.62 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.46 ft and 3.71 ft, based on 23 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 Lewis River at Ariel today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 01:00 PM PDT, the water level was 2.45 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lewis River at Ariel rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Up 0.82 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Lewis River at Ariel normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 23 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Lewis River at Ariel?

The highest level on record is 35.00 ft on December 22, 1933.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:14220500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
45.95174, -122.56397 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 2.45 ft 2026-10-17 20:00 Provisional
Flow 2,630 cfs 2026-10-17 20:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lewis River at Ariel (usgs:14220500). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/lewis-river-at-ariel

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.