Au Sable River level at Grayling
Michigan · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 04136000 — AU SABLE RIVER NEAR RED OAK, MI · NWS forecast point RDOM4
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Up — bigger, pushier water than average
At 762 CFS, this gauge is in the highest quarter of the 36 years USGS has recorded for this date (1909–2026), at 117% of the 653 CFS median. The stage is 2.9 ft below the NWS action stage of 6.0 ft.
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Flood stages at Grayling
National Weather Service categories for gauge RDOM4, WFO APX. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 9.0 ft
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Moderate flood 8.0 ft
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Minor flood 7.0 ft
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Action 6.0 ft
- Right now 3.08 ft
NWS forecast: 3.10 ft by .
Flow history at Grayling
Daily values from USGS 04136000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for RDOM4 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Grayling
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 8.88 ft | 4,835 CFS | Apr 14, 2026 |
| 6.88 ft | 3,200 CFS | Apr 15, 2014 |
| 6.69 ft | 3,049 CFS | Oct 24, 2017 |
| 6.66 ft | 3,300 CFS | Apr 1, 1998 |
| 6.39 ft | 2,980 CFS | Apr 7, 1997 |
| 6.18 ft | 2,770 CFS | Apr 1, 2016 |
| 6.06 ft | — | Feb 11, 2021 |
| 5.99 ft | 2,730 CFS | Apr 19, 2013 |
| 5.95 ft | — | Dec 27, 2008 |
| 5.92 ft | 2,517 CFS | Apr 1, 2025 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Au Sable River at Grayling
USGS publishes this station as Au Sable River near Red Oak, not at Grayling, which is worth knowing if you are matching this reading against a map or against a figure quoted locally.
Its record was rewritten this spring. On 14 April 2026 the gauge crested at 8.88 feet, two full feet above the previous high of 6.88 feet from April 2014, and recorded a daily mean of 4,650 CFS. For a station whose daily series begins in October 1908, a two foot jump over a century of record is a substantial event. The NWS ladder here runs in one foot steps: action 6, minor 7, moderate 8, major 9 feet.
Au Sable River at Grayling — common questions
5 questions
Where exactly is this gauge?
USGS names it Au Sable River near Red Oak, Michigan, downstream of Grayling, and credits it with a 1,108 square mile drainage. This page carries that station's data throughout. If you are comparing against a reading someone has quoted from a different point on the Au Sable, expect a different number.
What was the April 2026 crest?
8.88 feet on 14 April 2026, the highest in the station's record and about two feet above the previous high of 6.88 feet set in April 2014. The daily mean that day, 4,650 CFS, is also a record. Major flood stage at this forecast point is 9 feet, so that crest came within about a tenth of a foot of the top category.
How fast can Au Sable River at Grayling come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Au Sable River at Grayling high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 653 CFS, from 36 years of record (1909–2026). Today sits in the highest quarter of those years, at 117% of the median. 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 04136000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for RDOM4 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.