Missouri River Levels and Conditions
This resource is created by Missouri River Relief, a nonprofit based in Columbia, MO, that is dedicated to connecting people to the Missouri River through stewardship, education programs and recreation. Find out more about our impact here! We survive on the support of our community. It's super easy to donate here.
NOTE - in May 2024, the National Weather Service changed their systems of displaying and organizing water data. This data is now released under the National Water Predication Service. There are lots of cool new features, but the hydrographs don't display well on all devices. On mobile devices, landscape mode works best for viewing hydrographs. Many old links that we've used for years no longer work so we are building new resources. Our apologies for any outdated links we have on this site.
Stage Height
When looking at a forecast hydrograph of your favorite river gauge you will notice a couple of things. On the x-axis is the date and time of the gauge reading. On the left side of the y-axis is the river stage (displayed in feet) and on the right side of the y-axis is flow (displayed in kilo cubic feet per second - not present at all locations).
The solid blue line indicates the observed river stage. The dotted purple line indicates the forecast river stage, based on 24 or 48 hours of predicted precipitation. Other color fields may indicate different flood severity levels, which are different at each location. Yellow indicates "Action Stage", not technically "Flood Stage". Actual "Flood Stage" is indicated by Minor (orange), Moderate (red) or Major (purple).
As you change from river gauge to river gauge, you will sometimes notice quite a difference in the stage height even though the gauges are relatively close together. This is because "0" stage for each location was selected somewhat randomly at some time in the past; the number has no direct relationship to the depth of the river or to the stage height at other gaging stations. Once you know which river level means what for your area it will be easier to correlate gauge height to river conditions.
IMPORTANT - NWS Missouri River forecasts usually include 24 hours of predicted precipitation (sometimes in winter and during floods, they may increase that to 48 hours - you will see the correct number above the forecast hydrograph). This means if the weather forecast says it's going to rain for the next four days, only the first day of rain will be included in the river forecast.
For this reason, our two most basic tools when keeping an eye on changing river conditions are to watch the NWS hydrographs AND the predicted precipitation maps.
When looking at hydrographs on the NWS National Water Prediction website, you can often see information such as river height projections, historic crests, recent crests, and what flood impacts happen at specific river levels in your area.
The US Geological Survey is the federal agency that installs, maintains and distributes data from the river gauges. The National Weather Service uses this and other data to create river forecasts.
This is the new style of hydrograph generated by the National Water Prediction Service. It is interactive and allows you to quickly see levels at different points on the curve and to customize the timeframe you are viewing. This graph is not accurate and is for display purposes only.
This is the old-style hydrograph generated by National Weather Service Advanced Hydrological Predictions. Some of the Quick Links below use these style graphs. Some people find these easier to read and to share because of larger font size. By clicking the three bar menu at the top right of the new-style hydrographs, you can get an option to "View Static Hydrograph" which allows you to see this older version. This graph is not accurate and is for display purposes only.
Missouri River Levels and Basin Conditions
NEW (2024) NWS National Water Prediction Service - The next-gen access to updated prediction tools and products. This link takes you to the Pleasant Hill, MO page. Find your location on the map and click to view a hydrograph snapshot.
Quick Links - A few quick and easy bookmarks to track multiple gauges at once.
- All Lower Missouri River Gauges - Here is a quick view of all Missouri River gauges from Sioux City, IA, to St. Charles, MO. Each gauge's graph shows past, current and predicted river levels. These are static images. If you click any graph on the page, you will be taken to the interactive full data for that site.
- KC to St. Charles - scroll through all the gauges. At the bottom are three maps that show past, current and predicted precip included in the forecast model.
NWS Missouri River Basin Forecast Center - Basin-wide river observations and forecasting for most gauges leading to and affecting the Missouri River. On the map, each gauge station has a colored box, with colors representing flood category (green=no flood, yellow=action stage, orange=minor flood, red=moderate flood, purple=major flood). The outer square is the predicted crest level and the inner dot is the current level. Click on a gauge station to view the hydrological prediction graph for that specific gauge. There's tons of links for great info on this page.
USGS Real-Time Gauge Heights - An easy way to see the current gauge heights and discharge for most gauges from Rulo, NE to St. Charles, MO. This is also the best way to access historic data for specific gaging stations. The St. Joseph and Hermann gauges also have temperature and other water quality data such as turbidity, dissolved oxygen, nitrates and more.
MBRFC Decision Support Page - Weather data nerds delight! This page brings together many of the resources that the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center uses to generate their river forecasts. Some gems include - basin-specific observed and predicted precipitation maps, links to forecast hydrographs for major Missouri River tributaries, climate data, flood outlooks and more.
Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Web App - Not actually an app, but a collection of links to monitor reservoir levels, releases, Missouri River Basin news and a bunch of National Weather Service links.
US Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Current River & Dam Conditions - This page provides access to current water resource information for the entire Missouri River Basin. The Daily River & Reservoir Bulletins contain information on estimated dam discharges, 24-hour precipitation and river conditions for each gauge from Gavins Point Dam to St. Louis, MO. They also have an interactive map version of this data here.
Weather
Missouri Basin River Forecast Center Decision Support Page - Ever wonder how they predict rises and crests on the Missouri River? This page is a massive collection of tools, recent rainfalls and weather forecasts that the National Weather Service uses to issue river level projections. This page also hosts the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Reservoir Updates and Forecasts which give us a hint of what to expect for the upcoming season using current snowpack and reservoir levels.
Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts - This is a quick and easy way to see the predicted rainfall across the nation from the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center.
Ventusky - Clearly displayed meteorological data from around the world and allows you to monitor weather development for any place on earth. Ventusky uses data from NOAA and DWD to beautifully display wind, temperature, air pressure, thunderstorms and even waves.