WISCONSIN RIVER

RIVER LEVELS
April 26, 2025


Red Flag Warning
2025-04-27T20:00:00-06:00

The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Sunday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 214, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247 and 249. * TIMING...From 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Sunday. * WINDS...South 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.


Total streamflow across the Wisconsin River was last observed at 86,619 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 171,807 acre-ft of water today; about 134% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 64,771 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2019-04-19 when daily discharge volume was observed at 190,510 cfs.

Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Wisconsin River Near Wisconsin Dells reporting a streamflow rate of 31,900 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Wisconsin River At Rothschild with a gauge stage of 17.52 ft. This river is monitored from 6 different streamgauging stations along the Wisconsin River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,582 ft, the Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake Nr Lake Tomahawk.

Last Updated 2025-04-26
Discharge Volume 171,807 ACRE-FT
Streamflow 86,619.0 cfs
-16.0 cfs (-0.02%)
Percent of Normal 133.73%
Maximum 190,510.0 cfs
2019-04-19
Seasonal Avg 64,771 cfs
       
River Streamflow Levels
Streamgauge Streamflow Gauge Stage 24hr Change (%) % Normal Minimum (cfs) Maximum (cfs) Air Temp Elevation
Wisconsin River @ Rainbow Lake Nr Lake Tomahawk
USGS 05391000
279 cfs 0.93 ft -5.42
Wisconsin River At Merrill
USGS 05395000
5400 cfs 6.85 ft 3.65
Wisconsin River At Rothschild
USGS 05398000
9240 cfs 17.52 ft 15.07
Wisconsin River At Wisconsin Rapids
USGS 05400760
12900 cfs 5.13 ft -16.23
Wisconsin River Near Wisconsin Dells
USGS 05404000
31900 cfs 11.59 ft -11.88
Wisconsin River At Muscoda
USGS 05407000
26900 cfs 5.81 ft 25.12
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge

Weather Forecast

Streamflow Elevation Profile

The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousing", is rooted in the Algonquian languages used by the area's American Indian tribes, but its original meaning is obscure. French explorers who followed in the wake of Marquette later modified the name to "Ouisconsin", and so it appears on Guillaume de L'Isle's map (Paris, 1718). This was simplified to "Wisconsin" in the early 19th century before being applied to Wisconsin Territory and finally the state of Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin River originates in the forests of the North Woods Lake District of northern Wisconsin, in Lac Vieux Desert near the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It flows south across the glacial plain of central Wisconsin, passing through Wausau, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids. In southern Wisconsin it encounters the terminal moraine formed during the last ice age, where it forms the Dells of the Wisconsin River. North of Madison at Portage, the river turns to the west, flowing through Wisconsin's hilly Western Upland and joining the Mississippi approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Prairie du Chien.
The highest waterfall on the river is Grandfather Falls in Lincoln County.