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Stream stage (aka gage height) is an important concept when analyzing how much water is moving in a stream at any given moment. "Stage" is the water level above some arbitrary point in the river and is commonly measured in feet. For example, on a normal day when no rain has fallen for a while, a river might have a stage of 2 feet. If a big storm hits, the river stage could rise to 15 or 20 feet, sometimes very quickly. This is important because past records might tell us that when the stage hits 21 feet, the water will start flowing over its banks and into the basements of houses along the river -- time to tell those people to move out! With modern technology, the USGS can monitor the stage of many streams almost instantly.
Hydrologists are able to convert stage height into streamflow volume by determining a rating curve for each site.
Learn more:
Yes! The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
The spelling of “gage” is part of our very rich USGS history. We have used that spelling for over a hundred years. In 1888, USGS Director John Wesley Powell met a very forward-thinking graduate student named Frederick Haynes Newell. Powell was so impressed that he made Newell the first full-time appointee to the new Irrigation Survey, which was created to investigate the potential for dams and...
At some USGS streamgage installations, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a separate stage sensor that is serviced by NWS technicians. Calibration of any sensing device can occasionally drift from a "true" value, so there might be differences between USGS and NWS data reports. USGS personnel visit installations on an interval of 6 weeks or less to maintain equipment and make required...
Not directly. You cannot say that because a stream rises (doubles) from a 10-foot stage to a 20-foot stage that the amount of flowing water also doubles. Think of a cereal bowl with a rounded bottom. Pour one inch of milk in it. It doesn't take much milk to make it up to the one inch level because the bowl is at its narrowest near the bottom. Now, pour in milk until it is two inches deep -- it...
There can be occasional equipment or database problems where erroneous data are reported for short periods of time until corrections can be made. This is why it is important to look at a record of streamflow (like the 7-day hydrograph plots) rather than a single point in time. However, most of the time the USGS has a high level of confidence in its real-time stage data. During low streamflow...
Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) is the home for USGS streamflow, groundwater, and water quality data. Through WDFN you can find different tools to look at historic and real-time streamflow data, find sites of interest, and access using USGS water data application programming interfaces (APIs). State pages (e.g., California) allow you to discover real-time data in your state, or you can create a...
FEMA is the official public source for flood maps for insurance purposes: FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer NOAA is responsible for producing flood forecast maps that combine precipitation data with USGS streamflow data: NWS - National Water Prediction Service: River forecasts and long range flood outlook Coastal Inundation Dashboard: Real-time and historical...
River forecasts (flood forecasts) are made by the National Weather Service - National Water Prediction Service. The overall map on the website uses color designations to give a quick overview of current conditions. A legend and other information can be selected in the right column. From the main map, click on a station to bring up a box which includes a graph showing current information and a...
Streamgage 04045500 Tahquamenon River Near Paradise, Michigan, covered in snow on a December day.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04045500/
Streamgage 04045500 Tahquamenon River Near Paradise, Michigan, covered in snow on a December day.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04045500/
USGS Scientist makes a gage inspection during the rain event at Nepaug River near Nepaug, Connecticut - 01187800. The 1800 cubic feet per second (CFS) measured during the powerful rainstorm was the highest measurement on record to date, according to provisional data.
USGS Scientist makes a gage inspection during the rain event at Nepaug River near Nepaug, Connecticut - 01187800. The 1800 cubic feet per second (CFS) measured during the powerful rainstorm was the highest measurement on record to date, according to provisional data.
Hydrologist installs streamgage at Birch Creek below Heart Butte Road, near Heart Butte, MT (06094900) as part of the surface water phase of the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana project.
Hydrologist installs streamgage at Birch Creek below Heart Butte Road, near Heart Butte, MT (06094900) as part of the surface water phase of the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana project.
The wire weight is lowered to determine stage of Bull Lake Creek above Bull Lake
The wire weight is lowered to determine stage of Bull Lake Creek above Bull Lake
USGS staff gage (ruler) measuring the height of the water, on the Carson River, near Brunswick Canyon, Nevada.
USGS staff gage (ruler) measuring the height of the water, on the Carson River, near Brunswick Canyon, Nevada.
A staff gage at the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A staff gage at the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A USGS streamgage measures flooding in the lower Trinity River, Texas.
A USGS streamgage measures flooding in the lower Trinity River, Texas.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
Water level measurement from the USGS Red River of the North at Fargo streamgage in downtown Fargo, ND. The water level peaked at around 39 feet at this streamgage on April 9. Real-time water level and streamflow data from this gage can be accessed online.
Water level measurement from the USGS Red River of the North at Fargo streamgage in downtown Fargo, ND. The water level peaked at around 39 feet at this streamgage on April 9. Real-time water level and streamflow data from this gage can be accessed online.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
White building that houses the Corwin Springs streamgage on the Yellowstone River in southwest Montana.
White building that houses the Corwin Springs streamgage on the Yellowstone River in southwest Montana.
Yes! The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
The spelling of “gage” is part of our very rich USGS history. We have used that spelling for over a hundred years. In 1888, USGS Director John Wesley Powell met a very forward-thinking graduate student named Frederick Haynes Newell. Powell was so impressed that he made Newell the first full-time appointee to the new Irrigation Survey, which was created to investigate the potential for dams and...
At some USGS streamgage installations, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a separate stage sensor that is serviced by NWS technicians. Calibration of any sensing device can occasionally drift from a "true" value, so there might be differences between USGS and NWS data reports. USGS personnel visit installations on an interval of 6 weeks or less to maintain equipment and make required...
Not directly. You cannot say that because a stream rises (doubles) from a 10-foot stage to a 20-foot stage that the amount of flowing water also doubles. Think of a cereal bowl with a rounded bottom. Pour one inch of milk in it. It doesn't take much milk to make it up to the one inch level because the bowl is at its narrowest near the bottom. Now, pour in milk until it is two inches deep -- it...
There can be occasional equipment or database problems where erroneous data are reported for short periods of time until corrections can be made. This is why it is important to look at a record of streamflow (like the 7-day hydrograph plots) rather than a single point in time. However, most of the time the USGS has a high level of confidence in its real-time stage data. During low streamflow...
Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) is the home for USGS streamflow, groundwater, and water quality data. Through WDFN you can find different tools to look at historic and real-time streamflow data, find sites of interest, and access using USGS water data application programming interfaces (APIs). State pages (e.g., California) allow you to discover real-time data in your state, or you can create a...
FEMA is the official public source for flood maps for insurance purposes: FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer NOAA is responsible for producing flood forecast maps that combine precipitation data with USGS streamflow data: NWS - National Water Prediction Service: River forecasts and long range flood outlook Coastal Inundation Dashboard: Real-time and historical...
River forecasts (flood forecasts) are made by the National Weather Service - National Water Prediction Service. The overall map on the website uses color designations to give a quick overview of current conditions. A legend and other information can be selected in the right column. From the main map, click on a station to bring up a box which includes a graph showing current information and a...
Streamgage 04045500 Tahquamenon River Near Paradise, Michigan, covered in snow on a December day.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04045500/
Streamgage 04045500 Tahquamenon River Near Paradise, Michigan, covered in snow on a December day.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04045500/
USGS Scientist makes a gage inspection during the rain event at Nepaug River near Nepaug, Connecticut - 01187800. The 1800 cubic feet per second (CFS) measured during the powerful rainstorm was the highest measurement on record to date, according to provisional data.
USGS Scientist makes a gage inspection during the rain event at Nepaug River near Nepaug, Connecticut - 01187800. The 1800 cubic feet per second (CFS) measured during the powerful rainstorm was the highest measurement on record to date, according to provisional data.
Hydrologist installs streamgage at Birch Creek below Heart Butte Road, near Heart Butte, MT (06094900) as part of the surface water phase of the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana project.
Hydrologist installs streamgage at Birch Creek below Heart Butte Road, near Heart Butte, MT (06094900) as part of the surface water phase of the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana project.
The wire weight is lowered to determine stage of Bull Lake Creek above Bull Lake
The wire weight is lowered to determine stage of Bull Lake Creek above Bull Lake
USGS staff gage (ruler) measuring the height of the water, on the Carson River, near Brunswick Canyon, Nevada.
USGS staff gage (ruler) measuring the height of the water, on the Carson River, near Brunswick Canyon, Nevada.
A staff gage at the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A staff gage at the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A USGS streamgage measures flooding in the lower Trinity River, Texas.
A USGS streamgage measures flooding in the lower Trinity River, Texas.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
USGS employee, Hanna Coy, talks about stream gauging.
Water level measurement from the USGS Red River of the North at Fargo streamgage in downtown Fargo, ND. The water level peaked at around 39 feet at this streamgage on April 9. Real-time water level and streamflow data from this gage can be accessed online.
Water level measurement from the USGS Red River of the North at Fargo streamgage in downtown Fargo, ND. The water level peaked at around 39 feet at this streamgage on April 9. Real-time water level and streamflow data from this gage can be accessed online.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
White building that houses the Corwin Springs streamgage on the Yellowstone River in southwest Montana.
White building that houses the Corwin Springs streamgage on the Yellowstone River in southwest Montana.