Wenatchee River at Plain water level

Name: Wenatchee River at Plain 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, Wenatchee River, Washington, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.30ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 209 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The Wenatchee River at Plain is running far below normal at 1.30 ft.

That puts it 0.62 ft below the median of 1.92 ft for mid-October, based on 13 years of readings.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly.

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

Compared with 13 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.92 ft0.62 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.54 ft – 2.81 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (13 years of records)
Highest on record: 14.97 ftNovember 29, 1995

Floating and fishing near Wenatchee River at Plain

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.97 ft	November 29, 1995
2	14.39 ft	November 25, 1990
3	12.43 ft	May 29, 1948
4	12.21 ft	November 7, 2006
5	11.90 ft	June 7, 1921
6	11.13 ft	December 30, 1917
7	10.95 ft	June 17, 1974
8	10.85 ft	December 4, 1976
9	10.82 ft	June 11, 1972
10	10.62 ft	May 21, 1956

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

16 Fri 65° 40° – Wind 5 mph

17 Sat 58° 41° – Wind 14 mph

18 Sun 59° 39° – Wind 6 mph

19 Mon 59° 39° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 61° 36° – Wind 5 mph

21 Wed 61° 37° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 55° 41° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 10 hr, 47 min First quarter 39%

Map

Other gauges on the Wenatchee River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Wenatchee River at PeshastinRiver gauge, Wenatchee River	1.45 ft	Very low	±0	13 mi
Wenatchee River at MonitorRiver gauge, Wenatchee River	16.88 ft	Low	±0	21 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chiwawa River near PlainRiver gauge, Chiwawa River	3.86 ft	Low	±0	5.1 mi
Entiat River near ArdenvoirRiver gauge, Entiat River	0.94 ft	Low	±0	12 mi
Mad River at ArdenvoirRiver gauge, Mad River	2.10 ft	Normal	±0	14 mi
Icicle Creek above Snow Creek near LeavenworthRiver gauge, Icicle Creek	2.96 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	16 mi
Entiat River near EntiatRiver gauge, Entiat River	6.74 ft	Normal	±0	21 mi
Lake Chelan at ChelanLake, Lake Chelan	1,095.34 ft	Normal	−0.15 ft	29 mi
Chelan River at ChelanRiver gauge, Chelan River	80.3 cfs	Very low	−1.1 cfs	31 mi
South Fork Skykomish River at SkykomishRiver gauge, South Fork Skykomish River	17.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Wenatchee River at Plain in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.92 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.54 ft and 2.81 ft, based on 13 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 Wenatchee River at Plain today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 02:30 AM PDT, the water level was 1.30 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Wenatchee River at Plain rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Wenatchee River at Plain normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 13 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Wenatchee River at Plain?

The highest level on record is 14.97 ft on November 29, 1995.

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:12457000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.76287, -120.66617 (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	1.30 ft	2026-10-17 09:30	Provisional
Flow	209 cfs	2026-10-17 09:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Wenatchee River at Plain (usgs:12457000). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/washington/wenatchee-river-at-plain

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