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Driftwise · USGS gauge records

River levels in Massachusetts.

108 reporting USGS gauges in Massachusetts, each compared against its own record for this calendar day rather than against a fixed threshold — which is what makes "low" mean low for that river. Right now, 29 running below normal.

108Gauges reporting1.3% of the national network
6Much below normal
0Much above normal
12UnclassifiedUnder ten years of record
Where they are

Gauges across Massachusetts.

One dot per reporting gauge, coloured by how today’s flow ranks against that gauge’s own record for this date.

ConnecticutNew HampshireVermontRhode Island72° W71° W70° W42° N43° N
USGS daily values, September 9, 2026. The national map is searchable.
  • Much below normal6
  • Below normal23
  • Normal63
  • Above normal4
  • No baseline12
Snapshot

Furthest from normal in Massachusetts.

Recorded September 9, 2026. Each gauge is ranked against its own history for this calendar day, so "below normal" means low for that river — not low compared to some other river.

USGS stream gauges in Massachusetts furthest from normal as of September 9, 2026
GaugeFlowMedianCondition
Neponset River At Norwood, Ma4.0 ft³/s12.0 ft³/sMuch below normal
Nashua River, Water Street Bridge, At Clinton, Ma1.9 ft³/s102 ft³/sMuch below normal
Wading River Near Norton, Ma1.8 ft³/s9.4 ft³/sMuch below normal
Ipswich River Near Ipswich, Ma1.4 ft³/s14.4 ft³/sMuch below normal
Old Swamp River Near South Weymouth, Ma0.10 ft³/s1.2 ft³/sMuch below normal
Stony Brook Reservoir At Dam Near Waltham, Ma0.02 ft³/s0.41 ft³/sMuch below normal
Connecticut River At Montague City, Ma2,600 ft³/s4,100 ft³/sBelow normal
Merrimack River Bl Concord River At Lowell, Ma1,180 ft³/s1,990 ft³/sBelow normal
Deerfield River At Charlemont, Ma182 ft³/s383 ft³/sBelow normal
Concord R Below R Meadow Brook, At Lowell, Ma64.6 ft³/s130 ft³/sBelow normal
Charles River At Waltham, Ma29.3 ft³/s67.0 ft³/sBelow normal
Charles River At Wellesley, Ma26.2 ft³/s58.0 ft³/sBelow normal

Showing 12 of 108 gauges in Massachusetts. The national map is searchable by river and gauge name.

Reading it

What "below normal" actually means.

The one thing worth understanding before drawing a conclusion from this map.

Percentiles, not thresholds

Every gauge is ranked against its own record for this calendar day. A river that normally runs 40 cubic feet per second in August is "much below normal" at 12; one that normally runs 40,000 is not. That is why a single national colour scale works at all — the comparison is always local, and always seasonal. Gauges with fewer than ten years of record for the date are shown unclassified rather than assumed normal.

Not a flood warning system

This is a daily mean read against a daily percentile, refreshed twice a day. It cannot represent a fast-rising river. For flood forecasts and warnings in Massachusetts, use NOAA's National Water Prediction Service and your local National Weather Service office; for life-safety information, follow your local emergency management agency.

Live map

See Massachusetts on the live map.

This page is a still frame. The national map is interactive — pan, zoom, filter, and read every record behind what you see here.

Streamflow · Rivers · United States

Every reporting USGS stream gauge in the country, coloured by how today’s flow ranks against that gauge’s own record for this calendar day.

Open the streamflow map →

Also free

More on Massachusetts.

Every Driftwise public map covers Massachusetts. No login, no paywall.

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Wildfire · Smoke · United States

Wildfire & Smoke Map — Massachusetts

Official NIFC fire perimeters and incident points under NOAA’s HRRR-Smoke near-surface forecast, filterable by size, state, and containment.

Open the national wildfire and smoke map →

Drought · United States

U.S. Drought Map — Massachusetts

The U.S. Drought Monitor — the country’s official weekly drought assessment — drawn across five severity categories from D0 to D4.

Open the national U.S. drought map →

Flood · Rivers · United States

Flood Outlook Map — Massachusetts

NOAA’s river forecast centres call the next few days at every forecast gauge in the country, on the National Weather Service’s own flood categories — action, minor, moderate and major.

Open the national flood outlook map →

Water quality · 303(d) · United States

Impaired Waters Map — Massachusetts

Every subwatershed in the country against the states’ own Clean Water Act assessments — what is impaired, what is still on the 303(d) list, what is causing it, and how much of the country nobody has assessed at all.

Open the national impaired waters map →

Cyanobacteria · Lakes · United States

Cyanobacteria Bloom Map — Massachusetts

NASA and EPA’s satellites read a pigment index over roughly 2,300 U.S. lakes large enough to resolve at 300 m. A pre-screening indicator, not a health assessment, and never a substitute for your state’s advisory.

Open the national cyanobacteria bloom map →

ESA · Protected land · United States

Critical Habitat & Protected Waters Map — Massachusetts

Every river and stream the federal government has designated as ESA critical habitat, the listed species each unit is designated for, and who manages the protected land around it.

Open the national critical habitat map →

Every Driftwise public map →

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