Manistee River level at Wellston
Michigan · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 04125550 — MANISTEE RIVER NEAR WELLSTON, MI · NWS forecast point WLSM4
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
About normal for the date
At 1,510 CFS, this gauge is inside the middle half of the 29 years USGS has recorded for this date (1997–2026), at 102% of the 1,480 CFS median.
Sponsor Manistee River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flow history at Wellston
Daily values from USGS 04125550, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for WLSM4 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Wellston
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 12.03 ft | 9,390 CFS | Apr 16, 2026 |
| 11.14 ft | 6,700 CFS | Apr 15, 2014 |
| 11.06 ft | 6,500 CFS | Jun 14, 2008 |
| 10.91 ft | 6,130 CFS | Mar 31, 1998 |
| 10.32 ft | 4,749 CFS | May 20, 2020 |
| 10.25 ft | 4,590 CFS | Mar 23, 2007 |
| 10.25 ft | 4,590 CFS | Mar 13, 2006 |
| 10.24 ft | 4,570 CFS | May 4, 2012 |
| 10.21 ft | 4,510 CFS | Apr 1, 2016 |
| 10.21 ft | 4,510 CFS | Aug 14, 2018 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Manistee River at Wellston
The record on this gauge is five months old. On 16 April 2026 it registered a daily mean of 8,700 CFS and a crest of 12.03 feet, both the highest in the station's history. The previous stage record was 11.14 feet, set in April 2014, and no annual peak published before this year exceeded 6,700 CFS.
The station drains 1,451 square miles below Tippy Dam. Its published statistics cover 1997 to 2026, about 29 years, and across that window the monthly medians run from 1,440 CFS in August and September to 2,260 in April. The record low daily mean, 933 CFS, is also recent: 21 January 2025.
Manistee River at Wellston — common questions
6 questions
What happened here in April 2026?
The gauge recorded the highest reading in its history. The daily mean reached 8,700 CFS on 16 April 2026 and the crest hit 12.03 feet, against a previous record crest of 11.14 feet from April 2014. It is worth knowing when you read the record high figure on this page, because that number describes an event from this year rather than a historical one.
How much of the year does this gauge spend near its median?
Most of it. The published monthly medians sit between 1,440 and 2,260 CFS, with April the high month and late summer the low. That is a narrow band for a 1,451 square mile basin, which is what you would expect from a reach below a dam. The statistics window runs 1997 to 2026.
Do the nearby Michigan gauges move with this one?
Closely. The Muskegon at Newaygo, 58.6 miles away, has reported on 10,944 of the same days since 1996 and correlates with this gauge at 0.829, with this one carrying a median of about 0.96 times the Muskegon's flow. Two comparably sized, dam moderated Michigan rivers responding to the same weather look very much alike on a chart.
What makes the flow change on Manistee River at Wellston?
Rain upstream, plus seasonal baseflow. The 12-month chart shows how it behaves through the year.
Is Manistee River at Wellston high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 1,480 CFS, from 29 years of record (1997–2026). Today sits inside the middle half of those years, at 102% 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 04125550 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for WLSM4 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.