Wisconsin River at Rainbow Reservoir, WI
River level and flood forecast · Oneida County
The river is 4.8 ft below flood stage (6 ft).
Flow: 305 cubic feet per second (USGS).
River camera
Watch the time-lapse
Camera by the U.S. Geological Survey. Most take a picture every hour, some every few minutes; many stop at night.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Wisconsin River at Rainbow Reservoir to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 9 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 7.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 6 ft |
| Action stage | 4 ft |
| Record crest (September 5, 1941) | 7.59 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 11 ftWater may be approaching the McNaughton bridge structure downstream.
- 9 ftWater may be covering low-lying sections of Highway D. Water may be surrounding homes and cottages along West Rapids Road, East Rapids Road, River Road and Wolf Road.
- 7.5 ftFloodwaters may be approaching portions of Highway D near Gilmore Creek and homes on East Rapids and West Rapids Roads.
- 6 ftThere is widespread flooding of wooded lowland. A boat landing ramp and nearby paved parking lot downstream of the Rainbow Reservior dam is flooding.
- 4 ftThere is minor flooding of wooded lowland.
Highest crests on record
- 7.59 ft — September 5, 1941
- 7.23 ft — July 18, 1942
- 6.68 ft — June 26, 1946
- 6.66 ft — June 17, 1943
- 6.51 ft — June 18, 2018
Recent crests: 4.78 ft (May 13, 2022) · 3.25 ft (April 19, 2021) · 4.6 ft (July 27, 2020) · 5.5 ft (April 24, 2019) · 6.51 ft (June 18, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (LTKW3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.