Peace River level at Arcadia
Florida · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 02296750 — PEACE RIVER AT SR 70 AT ARCADIA, FL · NWS forecast point ARCF1
Reading taken · as of 33 min ago
On the low side — bony, but runnable in a plastic boat
At 1,580 CFS, this gauge is running 87% of normal for mid-September — close to the 1,820 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 94 years of record (1932–2026). The stage is 2.9 ft below the NWS action stage of 9.0 ft.
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Flood stages at Arcadia
National Weather Service categories for gauge ARCF1, WFO TBW. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 16.0 ft
- 16.0 ft Up to 60 homes at River Acres are flooded. The Woman's Club and American Legion are impacted.
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Moderate flood 14.0 ft
- 14.0 ft Peace River Campground floods and 6 homes at River Acres are impacted.
- 15.0 ft River Acres is impacted.
- 15.5 ft 25 homes at River Acres are impacted.
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Minor flood 11.0 ft
- 11.0 ft Access roads to river acres become flooded.
- 12.0 ft The Girl Scout camp floods.
- 13.0 ft Peace River Estates floods affecting several dozen homes.
-
Action 9.0 ft
- 10.0 ft 3 to 4 homes in the river acres subdivision flood and the lowest portion of the girl scout camp floods.
- Right now 6.14 ft
Flow history at Arcadia
Daily values from USGS 02296750, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for ARCF1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Arcadia
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 23.70 ft | 50,800 CFS | Oct 1, 2022 |
| 20.55 ft | 43,000 CFS | Jan 1, 1912 |
| 19.92 ft | 36,200 CFS | Sep 9, 1933 |
| 19.20 ft | 23,183 CFS | Sep 15, 2017 |
| 18.74 ft | 26,500 CFS | Aug 31, 1949 |
| 18.68 ft | 23,900 CFS | Sep 22, 1947 |
| 18.14 ft | 18,800 CFS | Mar 23, 1998 |
| 18.05 ft | 21,000 CFS | Sep 15, 1960 |
| 17.95 ft | 21,200 CFS | Sep 16, 2001 |
| 17.95 ft | 21,000 CFS | Aug 3, 1960 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Peace River at Arcadia
The Peace at Arcadia is the fossil-hunting river, and it is the rare gauge where most people checking it want a low number. Shark teeth and Pleistocene material come out of the gravel bars, and those bars have to be exposed and the water clear enough to see into — conditions that only exist when the river is well down.
Florida's wet season works against that for months at a time. Summer and early autumn rain, and any tropical system in the basin, put this river up quickly and keep it up, and the same water that makes it unpaddleable also makes fossil hunting pointless. The dry-season window is what the outfitters at Arcadia work around.
Peace River at Arcadia — common questions
5 questions
What level do I need on the Peace River for fossil hunting?
Low, and the figure the local outfitters cite is under about a foot on this gauge. That is when the gravel bars are exposed and the water is clear enough to work. Above it the material is under water you cannot see through and the digging spots are simply gone. Confirm with the outpost before driving — they read this gauge daily.
When is the Peace River usually low enough?
Florida's dry season, broadly late autumn through spring, is when this river settles. Through the summer wet season and any tropical activity in the basin it runs high and stained, sometimes for weeks. The seasonal comparison above shows whether this particular year is running ahead of or behind that normal pattern.
How fast can Peace River at Arcadia come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Peace River at Arcadia high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 1,820 CFS, from 94 years of record (1932–2026). Today is 87% 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 02296750 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for ARCF1 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.