Mississippi River at Saint Louis, MO
USGS gauge 07010000 · drainage 697,000 sq mi · observed Oct 16, 9:00 PM CDT · 20 min old
Last 7 days Live gauge
Source: USGS Water Data API (continuous values), observed to Oct 16, 9:00 PM CDT. Shaded band: 25th to 75th percentile of USGS daily statistics for each date; dashed: median. Flow in cfs.
Rate of rise and fall Live gauge
| Window | Flow then | Change to latest | Gage height then | Gage height change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 213,000 cfs | ▬ -1,000 cfs (-0.5%) | 10.58 ft | -0.06 ft |
| 3 h | 215,000 cfs | ▼ -3,000 cfs (-1.4%) | 10.76 ft | -0.24 ft |
| 6 h | 219,000 cfs | ▼ -7,000 cfs (-3.2%) | 11.07 ft | -0.55 ft |
| 12 h | 221,000 cfs | ▼ -9,000 cfs (-4.1%) | 11.29 ft | -0.77 ft |
| 24 h | 221,000 cfs | ▼ -9,000 cfs (-4.1%) | 11.28 ft | -0.76 ft |
Last 7 days
| Measure | Flow | Time | Relative to latest reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest reading | 306,000 cfs | Oct 9, 09:00 PM CDT | 168 h earlier |
| Lowest reading | 212,000 cfs | Oct 16, 8:30 PM CDT | within the last hour |
Source: computed from USGS continuous readings (Water Data API) to Oct 16, 9:00 PM CDT. Each row compares the latest reading with the reading closest to that many hours earlier; the arrow is steady (▬) when the change is within 1%.
Daily mean flow Live gauge
| Date (gauge-local) | Mean flow | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | 219,465 cfs | |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 221,021 cfs | |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 242,250 cfs | |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 236,833 cfs | |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 251,229 cfs | |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 268,188 cfs | |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 290,167 cfs | |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 318,208 cfs | |
| Oct 8, 2026 | – | Partial day |
Source: USGS Water Data API (continuous values); each mean uses readings on that gauge-local date, shown only with at least 80% of expected readings.
The same 50 days in earlier years Historical record
━ 2026 ╌ 2025 ╌ 2024 ╌ 2023
| Year | Mean flow | Highest day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 194,789 cfs | 380,000 cfs |
| 2025 | 126,523 cfs | 213,000 cfs |
| 2024 | 102,974 cfs | 134,000 cfs |
| 2023 | 80,405 cfs | 102,000 cfs |
Source: USGS daily mean flows (Water Data API). Each line is the 50 days from Aug 26 to Oct 14, shifted to the same calendar dates in earlier years; gaps are days without a published value. Recent days are provisional.
Compared with this gauge’s record Historical record
| Measure | Value | When or rank |
|---|---|---|
| Peak daily flow, last 7 days | 342,000 cfs | Oct 8, 2026 |
| Last time daily flow was this high or higher | 345,000 cfs | Jun 28, 2026 (3 months earlier) |
| Last day above the 90th percentile for its date, before this peak | Aug 18, 2026 | 2 months earlier |
| Days above the 75th percentile for their date | 22 of 28 | last 28 days |
| October 1 to 14, mean flow | 287,538 cfs | rank 10 highest of 102 years |
| Peak daily mean compared with annual instantaneous peaks of record | Exceeded by 137 of 165 | return period about 1.2 years (Weibull: (N+1)/rank) |
Source: USGS daily mean flows (Water Data API), 1861 to 2026 (50,000 days), data through Oct 14, 2026, computed 2026-10-17; method record-v1. Percentiles are USGS daily statistics. Recent days are provisional.
Largest annual peaks Historical record
Ten largest peaks of record
| Date | Peak flow | Gage height at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 1993 | 1,080,000 cfs | 49.58 ft |
| Jun 10, 1903 | 1,020,000 cfs | 38.00 ft |
| Jun 27, 1844 | 1,000,000 cfs | 41.32 ft |
| Jun 9, 2019 | 941,000 cfs | 46.02 ft |
| May 19, 1892 | 926,000 cfs | – |
| Apr 26, 1927 | 889,000 cfs | 36.10 ft |
| Jun 25, 1883 | 863,000 cfs | – |
| Jul 15, 1909 | 861,000 cfs | 35.25 ft |
| Apr 28, 1973 | 852,000 cfs | 43.23 ft |
| Jun 20, 1908 | 850,000 cfs | 34.95 ft |
Five most recent annual peaks
| Date | Peak flow | Gage height at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2025 | 378,000 cfs | 23.64 ft |
| Jul 10, 2024 | 553,000 cfs | 32.33 ft |
| May 16, 2023 | 333,000 cfs | 20.65 ft |
| May 7, 2022 | 497,000 cfs | 29.81 ft |
| Mar 21, 2021 | 533,000 cfs | 31.46 ft |
Source: USGS annual peak streamflow (Water Data API), 165 annual peaks, 1844 to 2025. A water year's peak is its highest instantaneous flow.
Historic crests Official NWS
| Date | Crest stage | Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 1993 | 49.58 ft | 1,070,000 cfs |
| Jun 8, 2019 | 46.02 ft | 941,000 cfs |
| Apr 27, 1973 | 43.23 ft | 852,000 cfs |
| Jan 1, 2016 | 42.52 ft | 833,000 cfs |
| Mar 31, 1785 | 42.00 ft | – |
| May 21, 1995 | 41.89 ft | 800,000 cfs |
| May 5, 2017 | 41.70 ft | 807,700 cfs |
| Jun 26, 1844 | 41.32 ft | 1,000,000 cfs |
| Jun 4, 2013 | 40.52 ft | 770,000 cfs |
| Jul 1, 1947 | 40.30 ft | 783,000 cfs |
Source: National Weather Service forecast point EADM7 (Mississippi River at St. Louis), historic crests as published by the NWS; the NWS may have recorded them on an older gauge datum. The USGS annual peaks above are a separate record and can differ in date, flow and datum.
Gage height to flow rating Historical record
Line: current USGS rating, gage height (ft, horizontal) to flow (cfs, vertical). ● latest reading, 10.52 ft and 212,000 cfs.
Source: USGS rating table for the gauge (NWIS rating depot, expanded shifted rating, 6,263 rows, thinned to 92 points), fetched Oct 16, 9:11 PM CDT. Ratings are provisional and change with the channel.
Flood stages Official NWS
| Category | Gage height (ft) |
|---|---|
| Action | 28.0 ft |
| Minor | 30.0 ft |
| Moderate | 35.0 ft |
| Major | 40.0 ft |
Source: National Weather Service forecast point EADM7 (Mississippi River at St. Louis), fetched Oct 16, 9:13 PM CDT. Compare with the gage height above; thresholds belong to that forecast point.
Flood impacts by stage Official NWS
| Stage | National Weather Service impact statement |
|---|---|
| 32.0 ft | Flood panels at Carr Street and Poplar Street are installed. Water will reach the base of the floodgates at Carr Street at 35 feet, and at Poplar Street at 36.5 feet. |
| 33.0 ft | Floodgates at the Rutger Street railroad and at Miller Street are closed. |
| 34.0 ft | Leonor K. Sullivan Bouelvard begins flooding at this level near the Eads bridge underpass. Also, flood gates at Convent Street Railroad and Rutger Street are closed. |
| 35.0 ft | The floodgates at Gratiot Road railroad and Chouteau Street are closed. At this height, water will reach the base of the floodgates at Carr Street. |
| 36.0 ft | Near this level, River City Casino Boulevard between Lemay Ferry Road and South Broadway begins flooding. Also, Riverview Drive begins flooding between the Northern Industrial Railroad bridge and Scranton Avenue. |
| 36.5 ft | At this height, water will reach the base of floodgates at Poplar and at Chouteau. With record inflows from the Meramec, Missouri Route M was closed near this height from I-55 to U.S. 61/67 in December 2015. |
| 37.0 ft | Three more floodgates are closed at this level: the Missouri Illinois Sand Company gate in south St. Louis, the City of St. Louis railroad gate, and a double gate at East Grand in north St. Louis. Also, with record inflow from the Meramec in December 2015, Missouri Route K west of Kimmswick was closed in both directions at Rock Creek near this height. |
| 37.5 ft | Near this height, Riverview Drive between Coal Bank Road and Prigge Road begins flooding. Coal Bank Road between Lilac Avenue and Riverview Drive also begins flooding. Highway 61/67 south of Pevely begins flooding at the Joachim Creek bridge within a foot of this level. |
| 38.0 ft | The U.S. Coast Guard will consider closing the St. Louis harbor to navigation above this level. This is the reach of river between the south opening to the Chain of Rocks canal and downtown St. Louis. In south St. Louis county, Hoffmeister Avenue begins flooding east of Broadway. Four more floodgates are closed at Prairie Avenue, Madison Avenue, Mullanphy Street, and the railroad bed near Lesparance Street. |
| 38.5 ft | Nellie Avenue, south of Lemay Ferry Road along River des Peres, begins flooding. |
| 39.0 ft | Fannie Avenue from Military Road to the end of county maintenance and Christopher Drive near Nellie Avenue, both in south St. Louis County, begin flooding near this height. Two more St. Louis floodgates are closed at North Market Street (north St. Louis) and at Barton Street on the south side. Near this height, the Choteau Island levee is overtopped, affecting 2400 acres. |
| 39.1 ft | Windsor Harbor Road bridge southeast of Kimmswick begins flooding, isolating residents south of the bridge. |
| 40.0 ft | Lemay Park just south of Lemay Ferry Road will begin flooding. The St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District will shut down the Watkins Creek pump station in the 11000 block of Riverview Drive in Spanish Lake. |
| 40.3 ft | With record inflows from the Meramec, this was the stage at which U.S. Highway 61/67 at Route K west of Kimmswick was closed in both directions in December 2015. |
| 40.7 ft | Near this level, River City Boulevard begins flooding between Lemay Ferry Road and Weber Road. |
| 41.0 ft | At this level, St. Louis City installs a double floodgate at Branch Street in north St. Louis. |
| 41.5 ft | Near this height, Koch Road at the Robert Koch Road intersection begins flooding. |
| 42.0 ft | In Lemay, Military Road between Lemay Ferry Road and Kayser Avenue and Fannie Avenue between Military Road and Dammert Avenue will begin flooding near this height. At Riverview Boulevard, a panel floodgate is installed at this height. |
| 43.0 ft | At this level, 5 floodgates are installed: 3 floodgates at the Corps of Engineers Service Base, another at Zepp Street, and another at the railroad near Guthrie Street. |
| 44.1 ft | Chouteau Island Pump Station begins to flood. Power to the Chouteau Island Pump Station disconnected. |
| 45.0 ft | Above this height, the U.S. Coast Guard will consider closing the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic between downtown St. Louis and Chester, Illinois. |
| 47.0 ft | The panel floodgate is installed at the CB&Q railraod. Businesses along North Commercial Street in Laclede's Landing in downtown St. Louis begin flooding. |
| 48.0 ft | Hartford Public Water supply is threatened. The last of the St. Louis City floodgates is installed at the Missouri-Pacific railroad (panel gate). The Edgar Lake (3000 acres), Columbia (14,800 acres), Ft. Chartres and Ivy (15,900 acres), and Harrisonville (27,800 acres) levees are overtopped at this height. |
| 49.0 ft | Hartford Public Water supply is threatened. The last of the St. Louis City floodgates is installed at the Missouri-Pacific railroad (panel gate). |
| 54.0 ft | The Metro East St Louis, Chain of Rocks, and Fish Lake levees which protect 71,000 acres are overtopped. The Prairie du Pont levee protecting 9560 acres is overtopped. Also...at this height the St. Louis flood wall is overtopped. |
Source: National Weather Service forecast point EADM7 (Mississippi River at St. Louis). Statements are quoted from the NWS and describe that forecast point.
Sources and method
- Data: U.S. Geological Survey. Terms
- River forecasts and flood stages: National Weather Service. National Water Model guidance: NOAA. Terms
USGS daily statistics, downloaded 2026-10-12
Percentile method: trailing 24 h mean vs USGS daily percentiles for calendar date 10-16.
Percentile is estimated from USGS published daily percentiles. Readings are provisional until USGS reviews them. Not endorsed by USGS, NOAA or the National Weather Service. Not for navigation or safety-of-life decisions; the absence of an alert is not a statement that conditions are safe.