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The Water Around Us
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Live · updated daily from USGS

Swimmable water near you

2,140 USGS sensors are reporting a live water temperature right now, the newest reading from August 22, 2026 (3 hrs ago).

Clear location
  • Cold · below 60°F · 384
  • Cool · 60–69°F · 607
  • Comfortable · 70–86°F · 934
  • Warm · above 86°F · 215
  • 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°F65 mi1 day ago
  2. Storm Lake at Storm Lake, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa
    76°F80 mi1 day ago
  3. West Nishnabotna River at Randolph, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 504 ft³/s
    75°F100 mi1 day ago
  4. Des Moines River at Ottumwa, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 11,000 ft³/s
    79°F103 mi1 day ago
  5. Cedar River at Waverly, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 926 ft³/s
    73°F106 mi1 day ago
  6. Cedar River at Vinton, IAUSGS gauge · Iowa · 4,860 ft³/s
    72°F110 mi1 day ago
  7. Elkhorn River at Waterloo, Nebr.USGS gauge · Nebraska · 1,040 ft³/s
    78°F118 mi4 hrs ago
  8. Platte River at Louisville, Nebr.USGS gauge · Nebraska · 13,400 ft³/s
    78°F119 mi4 hrs ago

Nearest swimmable spots

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

No rated, photographed swim spots within 25 miles of this point yet. The nearest sensor readings above still tell you what the water is doing — or search any river, lake or beach by name.
Search a spot →

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.