Yellow River at Babcock, WI

Wood County, Wisconsin · USGS gauge 05402000 · NWS BBCW3 · Yellow River flood status · Wisconsin river levels

Is Yellow River at Babcock, WI flooding right now?

Yellow River at Babcock, WI measured 1.89 ft on 2026-09-11 01:00:00 UTC. That observation was 10.1 ft below its 12 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
1.89 ft
as of 65 min ago
Streamflow
17 cfs
data refreshed 2 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 12 ft, with major flooding at 17 ft. The highest crest on record was 18.43 ft on Fri, Sep 24, 2010.

Streamflow outlook

NOAA National Water Model forecast, issued 14 hours ago. The NWM models discharge for every river reach in the country, including the many gauges the National Weather Service does not forecast individually. It is a model, not an official NWS river forecast, and it predicts flow rather than water level.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action10 ft8.1 ft below
Minor flood12 ft10.1 ft below
Moderate flood15.5 ft13.6 ft below
Major flood17 ft15.1 ft below

New to these numbers? What does flood stage mean? · How to read a river gauge · Why is the river rising?

Highest crests on record

StageDate
18.43 ft2010-09-24
17.38 ft1952-04-02
17.05 ft1967-03-31
16.03 ft1963-03-27
15.95 ft2019-04-18

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
West Branch Little Yellow River near Finley, WI7.2 miJuneau County
East Branch Spencer-Robinson Ditch near Finley, WI7.2 miJuneau County
Neal Lateral at Control Structure 8 near Finley, WI11.3 miJuneau County
Tenmile Creek near Nekoosa, WI15.6 miWood County
Wisconsin River at Wisconsin Rapids, WI15.8 miWood County
Provisional data: Real-time readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS — sensors can be affected by ice, debris, or equipment malfunction. Do not rely on this site for decisions involving personal safety; follow official guidance from the National Weather Service and local authorities.

Sources: USGS monitoring location · NWS gauge & forecast