North Canadian River level at Canton
Oklahoma · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 07239000 — North Canadian River at Canton, OK · NWS forecast point CNOO2
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
High and likely stained — not a wading flow
At 18.41 ft, this gauge is in the highest 10% of the 9 years USGS has recorded for this date (2016–2026), against a 11 ft median.
Sponsor North Canadian River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flow history at Canton
Daily values from USGS 07239000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for CNOO2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Canton
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 19.01 ft | — | Oct 25, 2024 |
| 17.74 ft | — | Oct 13, 2023 |
| 17.72 ft | — | Oct 19, 2022 |
| 17.63 ft | — | Jun 4, 2019 |
| 17.49 ft | — | Oct 23, 2018 |
| 17.42 ft | — | Nov 27, 2018 |
| 17.36 ft | — | Nov 14, 2018 |
| 16.35 ft | — | Aug 14, 2022 |
| 16.31 ft | — | Mar 30, 2021 |
| 15.91 ft | — | May 12, 2016 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About North Canadian River at Canton
The highest value in this station's published record was set five days before this page was written. On 19 September 2026 the daily series reached 19.13 feet, above every other daily value since the record opened on 30 September 2016, and above the 19.01 foot crest of 25 October 2024 that tops the NWS list. If the reading above looks unusual, that is why.
One thing to know about the comparison on this page: USGS publishes daily statistics for this station in gage height, not discharge. The percent of normal figure is therefore a comparison of stage against stage, and stage does not scale the way flow does. The published monthly medians sit between 10.8 feet in August and 12.05 in March, a range of about fifteen inches across the entire year on a river credited with a 12,786 square mile drainage.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Canton Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
North Canadian River at Canton — common questions
6 questions
Why is the normal comparison in feet rather than CFS?
Because gage height is the parameter USGS publishes daily statistics for at this site. The station reports both discharge and stage, but only the stage series has published daily medians, so that is what the comparison is computed on. A ten percent departure in feet is a much larger event than a ten percent departure in CFS would be, so read the figure conservatively.
How long is the record behind that comparison?
Short. The daily series begins on 30 September 2016 and holds 3,324 values, about nine years. The annual peak record reaches much further back, to May 1938, and its largest entries are 24,800 CFS in October 1946 and 21,900 in October 1941, both far outside anything the modern daily window can see.
Is there a nearby gauge to compare this one with?
Not on the data available. The nearest candidate is the Washita near Foss, 49.1 miles away, but the two have zero overlapping days of comparable record, because this station's published daily series is in stage and the Washita's is in discharge. No correlation or ratio is shown on this page for that reason.
How do releases from Canton Lake affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is North Canadian River at Canton high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median gage height for late September here is 11 ft, from 9 years of record (2016–2026). Today sits in the highest 10% of those years. 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 07239000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for CNOO2 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.