Lake Hefner at Oklahoma City Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Lake Hefner at Oklahoma City in OK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location OK, United States
- Watershed lower cimarron skeleton
- Primary gauge 07159550 (USGS)
About Lake Hefner at Oklahoma City
Lake Hefner sits in the Lower Cimarron-Skeleton watershed in Oklahoma.
What the record shows
The record spans 19 years. The highest level in that record was 1201.1 ft (366.1 m) in June 2013, and the lowest was 1182.3 ft (360.37 m) in January 2013. That spread matters for anyone using the lake: it shows the range the water has already moved through, not just the level you see on one day.
The seasonal pattern is modest but real. The typical high month is June at 1199.2 ft (365.52 m), and the typical low month is January at 1197.04 ft (364.86 m). The typical annual swing is 26 in (66 cm). For docks, intakes, and shallow access points, that is the band to watch first.
No fastest 24-hour rise is given in the facts here, so there is nothing to add on short-term change.
The watershed
The gauge drains 9 sq mi (23.3 km2) above the station. That is the contributing area for this reading, not the full watershed name on the map. In practice, that means local runoff in the small area above the station can move the level, but the record here is still mostly read through its station history.
The regional setting favors quick rises during storm periods and longer falls between them. Spring is the main storm season in this part of the plains, so changes in that part of the year deserve the closest attention. For people on the water, the useful habit is to watch for short, sharp increases rather than only slow seasonal change.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is today’s reading against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is better than raw elevation because it tells you whether the lake is running high or low for this date, not just what the level is in isolation.
This station is published by the USGS, and the 19-year record gives enough history to make that day-by-day comparison meaningful.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
Water Stories
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Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
