Apple River level at Somerset
Wisconsin · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 05341498 — APPLE RIVER ABOVE 05341499 AT PARK IN SOMERSET, WI · NWS forecast point SOMW3
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Running thin — a slow, scrapey float
At 256 CFS, this gauge is running 69% of normal for late September — below the 371 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 2 years of record (2024–2026).
Sponsor Apple River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flow history at Somerset
Daily values from USGS 05341498, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for SOMW3 reissued through the day. Provisional.
About Apple River at Somerset
This is the newest station of any gauge on this site, and the seasonal comparison above should be read with that in mind. USGS publishes daily statistics covering 2024 to 2026, which is three years. The daily series itself starts on 17 October 2023 and only two annual peaks have been published.
What that means in practice: the record high of 1,060 CFS from 21 June 2024 and the record low of 162 CFS from 17 August 2026 are the extremes of a three year sample, not of a river. The published monthly medians, 300 CFS in December rising to 611 in June, describe three years of weather. USGS credits the station with a 545 square mile drainage and the NWS holds no flood categories or crest history for it.
Apple River at Somerset — common questions
6 questions
How reliable is the normal on this page?
Less reliable than on most gauges here, and the reason is simply age. USGS daily statistics for this station cover 2024 to 2026, so the median for any given date is drawn from three years of observations. A percent of normal figure computed against three years is a real measurement of a very small sample. The live reading and the trend are solid; the comparison is thin.
Why is there no flood stage information on this page?
Because the NWS does not maintain flood categories or a historical crest list for this location. Most gauges on this site are matched to a National Water Prediction Service forecast point that supplies action, minor, moderate and major stages. This one is not, so the page carries the USGS reading and its seasonal context and nothing about flooding.
Can the St. Croix gauge stand in for this one?
Partly, and it is the better reference while this station's own record is so short. The two have only 1,066 overlapping days, since October 2023, but across them they correlate at 0.802 and this gauge runs at a median of about 0.13 times the St. Croix at St. Croix Falls, 19.3 miles away. With three years of history here, the neighbour's century of record is worth consulting.
Does rain upstream change Apple River at Somerset quickly?
Yes. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Apple River at Somerset high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 371 CFS, from 2 years of record (2024–2026). Today is 69% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 05341498 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for SOMW3 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.