Skip to content
The Water Around Us
Sign In

Live · updated daily from USGS

Swimmable water near you

2,137 USGS sensors are reporting a live water temperature right now, the newest reading from August 21, 2026 (10 hrs ago).

Clear location
  • Cold · below 60°F · 375
  • Cool · 60–69°F · 595
  • Comfortable · 70–86°F · 938
  • Warm · above 86°F · 229
  • You

A map of the United States with one coloured dot per USGS sensor reporting a live water temperature. The readings are listed below.

Nearest live readings

The closest USGS sensors currently reporting a water temperature, nearest first.

  1. Des Moines River near Pella, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 7,320 ft³/s
    77°F5.0 mi11 hrs ago
  2. Des Moines River at Ottumwa, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 11,000 ft³/s
    79°F43 mi10 hrs ago
  3. Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 11,500 ft³/s
    79°F74 mi11 hrs ago
  4. Cedar River at Vinton, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 4,860 ft³/s
    72°F75 mi11 hrs ago
  5. Morgan Creek near Covington, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 10 ft³/s
    67°F78 mi10 hrs ago
  6. Cedar River at Blairs Ferry Road at Palo, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 5,580 ft³/s
    76°F80 mi11 hrs ago
  7. Cedar River at Waverly, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 926 ft³/s
    73°F96 mi11 hrs ago
  8. Mississippi River at Keokuk, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa
    78°F112 mi10 hrs ago

Nearest swimmable spots

Rated, photographed water destinations within 25 miles — pair one with the nearest sensor reading above before you go.

Lake Red Rock4.7(207)

Lake Red Rock

Lake · Iowa
Camping nearby

Expansive recreational area surrounded by parks, with hiking & biking trails, plus campsites.

0.3 mi from your location

About this map

Every pin is a live reading from a USGS real-time monitoring station, captured in a daily snapshot. Colours follow the site’s cold-water-safety thresholds and describe the water at that one sensor — usually a river or stream gauge, not a swim beach — so treat them as a guide to what the water is doing nearby, not a verdict on a specific spot. Readings are provisional and can be revised by the USGS. Your location only sorts this page: the coordinates appear in the address bar (rounded to about a mile) and are not saved to an account or our database.

Conditions are for general information only and can change quickly. Always judge the water in person and follow posted advisories and local guidance before swimming or paddling.