Current River level at Akers
Missouri · Tubing & floating
Measured at USGS 07064533 — Current River above Akers, MO · NWS forecast point AKFM7
Reading taken · as of 33 min ago
Running thin — a slow, scrapey float
At 154 CFS, this gauge is running 63% of normal for mid-September — below the 243 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 25 years of record (2001–2026).
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Flood stages at Akers
National Weather Service categories for gauge AKFM7, WFO SGF. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 20.0 ft · 33,004 CFS
- 20.0 ft Approximate level that begins to flood Akers Ferry Campground.
- 24.0 ft Approximate level that water affects the historic Akers Ferry Canoe Rental building
- 26.0 ft According to the USGS, the river gage no longer functions at and above this level.
- 26.1 ft Flood Crest April 30, 2017.
- 30.5 ft Approximate level that begins to flood the Akers Ranger Station
- 32.4 ft Record Crest November 5, 2024
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Moderate flood 14.0 ft · 17,302 CFS
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Minor flood 7.0 ft · 5,540 CFS
- 7.0 ft Flood Stage. Approximate level when portions of Route K near the river are under water.
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Action 4.0 ft · 2,000 CFS
- 4.0 ft River access is closed due to unsafe conditions for non-motorized vessels or traffic.
- Right now 0.72 ft
NWS forecast: 0.70 ft by .
Flow history at Akers
Daily values from USGS 07064533, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for AKFM7 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Akers
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 32.36 ft | 54,300 CFS | Nov 5, 2024 |
| 26.08 ft | 38,800 CFS | Apr 30, 2017 |
| 19.71 ft | 33,800 CFS | Dec 28, 2015 |
| 18.70 ft | 30,600 CFS | Mar 19, 2008 |
| 18.20 ft | 28,400 CFS | May 8, 2002 |
| 12.07 ft | 13,625 CFS | Mar 25, 2023 |
| 12.05 ft | 13,500 CFS | Apr 26, 2011 |
| 11.40 ft | 12,500 CFS | Jan 1, 2020 |
| 10.50 ft | 11,200 CFS | Feb 25, 2018 |
| 10.22 ft | 10,500 CFS | Jul 10, 2015 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Current River at Akers
The Current is the most dependable float river in the Ozarks, and Akers is where a great many trips start. What makes it dependable is groundwater: Big Spring, Montauk and the other major springs feed it enormous volumes of cold, clear water that arrive whatever the weather has been doing, so it holds a floatable level through droughts that shut other Missouri rivers down.
The spring water also keeps it cold and unusually clear, which is why it looks the way it does in every photograph of Ozark float country. It is not immune to storms — a big rain still spikes it and muddies it — but it returns to its baseline faster than a purely rain-fed river, because the baseline is coming out of the ground rather than off the hillside.
Current River at Akers — common questions
5 questions
Does the Current River stay floatable in a dry summer?
More than almost any other Ozark river, yes. It is spring-fed, and the springs deliver a large, steady volume of groundwater regardless of recent rainfall. In a drought that has other Missouri floats scraping, the Current is usually still running. The seasonal comparison above will show how far below its own normal it has actually dropped.
Why is the water so cold and clear here?
Because most of it has come up out of the ground rather than run off the surface. Spring water enters at a near-constant temperature year round and carries very little sediment, which is what gives this river its colour and its bite in August. After a heavy rain the surface runoff briefly overwhelms that and it colours up like anywhere else.
Does rain upstream change Current River at Akers quickly?
Yes. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Current River at Akers high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 243 CFS, from 25 years of record (2001–2026). Today is 63% of it. 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 07064533 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for AKFM7 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.