Which lakes have live conditions data?

Only lakes with an active USGS real-time gauge — 70 lakes across our 39 states and 2 Canadian provinces, 8 of which report water temperature. These are mostly the largest lakes and reservoirs (Lake of the Woods, Leech, Mille Lacs, Winnebago, Lake Champlain). Most smaller lakes have no continuous gauge, so they show water-quality grades and seasonal data instead of live readings.

How current is the water temperature shown here?

USGS gauges log readings every 15–60 minutes. LakeQuality captures the most recent reading at build time and stamps it with the exact date and time; for the live value, follow the "See live data" link to the USGS monitoring station. All USGS real-time values are provisional until reviewed.

What is the difference between gage height and water elevation?

Gage height is the water surface measured against a local reference point at the gauge — useful for "is the lake up or down" but not comparable between lakes. Water elevation is the surface height above a national datum (feet above sea level) and is an absolute figure, reported for many reservoirs.

Live Lake Conditions

Current water temperature and water level for the 70 lakes across our 39 states and 2 Canadian provinceswith an active USGS real-time gauge. 8 report live water temperature; the rest report water level or reservoir elevation. Readings are the latest captured as of Jul 6, 2026, 4:45 AM — follow any lake for the live USGS feed.

Coverage is limited to gauged lakes. Most lakes have no continuous monitor, so they carry water-quality grades and seasonal data instead of a live reading — including a typical water temperature for each month (from decades of EPA Water Quality Portal field samples) shown on the lake’s own page.

Lake	State	Grade	Water Temp	Level	As Of
West Okoboji Lake	Iowa	A	49°F	4.63 ft	Jul 6
Lake Taneycomo	Missouri	A	50°F	702.08 ft	Jul 6
Storm Lake Max Depth	Iowa	B	83°F	13.82 ft	Jul 6
Unnamed Lake	Minnesota	C	45°F	1388.79 ft	Oct 27
Lake Monona	Wisconsin	D	78°F	845.04 ft	Jul 6
Long Lake	Illinois	F	83°F	—	Jul 1
Jackson Park Outer Harbor Lake	Illinois	NR	65°F	—	Sep 4
Lake Gogebic	Michigan	NR	79°F	1295.53 ft	Jul 6
Mud Lake	Minnesota	A	—	972.78 ft	Jul 6
Leech Lake	Minnesota	A	—	94.71 ft	Jul 6
Green Lake	Wisconsin	A	—	6.68 ft	Jul 6
Geneva Lake	Wisconsin	A	—	864.13 ft	Jul 6
Houghton Lake	Michigan	A	—	1138.41 ft	Jul 6
Pleasant Lake	Wisconsin	B	—	980.67 ft	Jul 6
Lake Waubesa	Wisconsin	B	—	844.72 ft	Jul 6
Anvil Lake	Wisconsin	B	—	1692.74 ft	Jul 6
Channel Lake	Illinois	B	—	4.18 ft	Jul 6
Lake of the Woods	Minnesota	C	—	59.64 ft	Jul 6
Wind Lake	Wisconsin	C	—	8.21 ft	Jul 6
Lac Vieux Desert Lake	Wisconsin	C	—	1680.66 ft	Jul 6
Rathbun Lake	Iowa	C	—	906.3 ft	Jul 6
Pomme de Terre Lake	Missouri	C	—	847.72 ft	Jul 6
Clearwater Lake	Missouri	C	—	498.27 ft	Jul 6
Stockton Lake	Missouri	C	—	874.51 ft	Jul 6
Longview Lake by Dam	Missouri	C	—	891.14 ft	Jul 6
Dry Lake	North Dakota	C	—	1452.29 ft	Jul 6
Lake Ashtabula	North Dakota	C	—	1267.1 ft	Jul 6
Homme Dam Lake	North Dakota	C	—	1081.22 ft	Jul 6
Lake Kegonsa	Wisconsin	D	—	843.29 ft	Jul 6
Lake Koshkonong	Wisconsin	D	—	776.62 ft	Jul 6
Odana Pond	Wisconsin	D	—	0.51 ft	Jul 6
Lake Mendota	Wisconsin	D	—	850.06 ft	Jul 6
Fox Lake	Illinois	D	—	4.1 ft	Jul 6
Clear Lake	Iowa	D	—	5.1 ft	Jul 6
Caesar Creek Lake	Ohio	D	—	849.04 ft	Jul 6
Smithville Lake	Missouri	D	—	864.18 ft	Jul 6
Marceline Lake	Missouri	D	—	756.97 ft	Jul 6
Devils Lake	North Dakota	D	—	1451.62 ft	Jul 6
White Earth Dam Lake	North Dakota	D	—	2153.54 ft	Jul 6
Nippersink Lake	Illinois	F	—	4.14 ft	Jul 6
Black Hawk Lake	Iowa	F	—	7.69 ft	Jul 6
Buck Creek Lake	Ohio	F	—	1012.01 ft	Jul 6
Tappan Lake	Ohio	F	—	899.35 ft	Jul 6
Morrison Lake	North Dakota	F	—	1460.57 ft	Jul 6
Eastern Stump Lake	North Dakota	F	—	1451.27 ft	Jul 6
Crane Lake	Minnesota	NR	—	17.88 ft	Jul 6
Mille Lacs Lake	Minnesota	NR	—	10.99 ft	Jul 6
Turtle Lake	Minnesota	NR	—	874.73 ft	Nov 14
Orwell Lake	Minnesota	NR	—	64.07 ft	Jul 6
Shaver Lake	Minnesota	NR	—	929.21 ft	Jul 6
North Lake	Wisconsin	NR	—	907.01 ft	Jul 6
Tiedman Pond	Wisconsin	NR	—	0.94 ft	Jul 6
Devils Lake	Wisconsin	NR	—	8.52 ft	Jul 6
Van Etten Lake	Michigan	NR	—	588.64 ft	Jul 6
Higgins Lake	Michigan	NR	—	1153.9 ft	Jul 6
Cisco Lake	Michigan	NR	—	1683.55 ft	Jul 6
Mullett Lake	Michigan	NR	—	593.46 ft	Jul 6
Seneca Lake	Ohio	NR	—	833.28 ft	Jul 6
Leesville Lake	Ohio	NR	—	963.06 ft	Jul 6
Clear Fork Reservoir	Ohio	NR	—	1201.26 ft	Oct 1
Lake George	New York	NR	—	319.41 ft	Jul 6
Chautauqua Lake	New York	NR	—	1307.93 ft	Jul 6
Conesus Lake	New York	NR	—	818.05 ft	Jul 6
Owasco Lake	New York	NR	—	712.4 ft	Jul 6
Saratoga Lake	New York	NR	—	202.72 ft	Jul 6
Edwin A Pape Lake	Missouri	NR	—	709.34 ft	Jul 6
Lost Lake	Indiana	NR	—	3.66 ft	Jul 6
Pike Lake	Indiana	NR	—	5.91 ft	Jul 6
Monroe Lake	Indiana	NR	—	549.96 ft	Jul 6
Short Creek Dam Lake	North Dakota	NR	—	1888 ft	Jul 6

Source: USGS National Water Information System. Real-time values are provisional and subject to revision.

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