Yellow River (WI) at Babcock, WI
River level and flood forecast · Wood County
The river is 10.1 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 17 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 Yellow River (WI) at Babcock to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 17 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 15.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (September 24, 2010) | 18.43 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 18.43 ftHighway 80 is closed near Babcock. About a foot of water is covering the Highway 80 bridge over the river and most of the town of Babcock. Up to 6 inches of water covers a portion of the Ocean Spray Company.
- 17 ftHighway 80 is closed near the town of Babcock. Widespread wooded land along the river is flooded.
- 15.6 ftFloodwaters are near a couple of homes in the Babcock area near Highway 173.
- 14 ftWidespread flooding is occurring in wooded lowland and agricultural areas.
- 12 ftFlooding is confined mainly to agricultural and wooded lowland and marshes.
- 10 ftThere is minor flooding to lowland and agricultural land.
- 2 ftSubmerged rocks and structures may become more hazardous to boaters over more sections of the river.
Highest crests on record
- 18.43 ft — September 24, 2010
- 17.38 ft — April 2, 1952
- 17.05 ft — March 31, 1967
- 16.03 ft — March 27, 1963
- 15.95 ft — April 18, 2019
Recent crests: 15.15 ft (April 15, 2026) · 12.53 ft (March 23, 2026) · 12.65 ft (April 21, 2025) · 12.63 ft (March 31, 2025) · 15.26 ft (June 23, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamYellow River (WI) at Necedah, WI
- Tenmile Creek (WI) near Nekoosa, WI
- Lemonweir River at New Lisbon, WI
- Black River (WI) at Neillsville, WI
- Wisconsin River below Castle Rock Dam near Mauston, WI
- Stillwell Creek at Sixteenth Court Near Tomah, WI
- Stillwell Creek at Yard Road Near Tomah, WI
- Black River (WI) at Black River Falls, WI
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (BBCW3); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.