Milford Lake Water Level
USGS gauge 06857050 · near Junction City, KS · USACE
Latest reading Oct 26, 5:30 PM · elevation
Milford Lake is 1.6 ft above full pool today (1,145.96 ft vs 1,144.40 ft) — about normal for late October. It is 100%+ full: Army Corps reports 107% of conservation storage, which means the lake is above its normal full pool and holding floodwater. It has risen 0.01 ft since yesterday and is up 0.17 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (1,144.4 ft) is 1.6 ft below the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Milford Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETWater 66°F, lake 1.6 ft above full pool and steady, light S wind — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 7:59 AM–8:59 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp66°Fmeasured Oct 26, 4:45 PM · Milford Lake Near Wakefield, Ks, 11 mi away
- Air temphigh 79°F / low 57°FMostly Cloudy
- WindLight S7–13 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 17
- Level1.6 ft above full poolLevel steady (+0.01 ft in 24 h)
Official Kansas fishing report: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks — Fishing reports by reservoir
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
8/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:48 AM · Sunset 6:33 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:09 AM–2:09 AM
- Moon underfoot12:37 PM–2:37 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:59 AM–8:59 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:07 PM–7:07 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:09 AM–2:09 AM · 12:37 PM–2:37 PM Minor 7:59 AM–8:59 AM · 6:07 PM–7:07 PM Light wind 7–13 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:05 AM–3:05 AM · 1:35 PM–3:35 PM Minor 9:16 AM–10:16 AM · 6:49 PM–7:49 PM Light wind 1–9 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 2:06 AM–4:06 AM · 2:38 PM–4:38 PM Minor 10:32 AM–11:32 AM · 7:41 PM–8:41 PM Moderate wind 9–18 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 3:10 AM–5:10 AM · 3:43 PM–5:43 PM Minor 11:41 AM–12:41 PM · 8:45 PM–9:45 PM Light wind 4–8 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:15 AM–6:15 AM · 4:46 PM–6:46 PM Minor 12:41 PM–1:41 PM · 9:56 PM–10:56 PM Light wind 7–12 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:17 AM–7:17 AM · 5:46 PM–7:46 PM Minor 1:28 PM–2:28 PM · 11:10 PM–12:10 AM Light wind 6–9 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:14 AM–7:14 AM · 5:41 PM–7:41 PM Minor 1:07 PM–2:07 PM · 11:24 PM–12:24 AM Light wind 4–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 3 |
| Today | 8, rounded | 8/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured by USGS at Milford Lake Near Wakefield, Ks, 11 mi away. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 39.08, -96.90 (moon times from astronomical equations, Milford Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Milford Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon79° / 57°Mostly CloudyWind S 10 mphRain 56%
- Tuesday70° / 57°Chance Rain ShowersWind SW 0 to 10 mphRain 47%
- Wednesday79° / 59°Mostly SunnyWind S 10 to 20 mphRain 23%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 39.076, -96.900 (grid TOP), issued Oct 26, 5:36 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
October 26 in history
14 years of level records- Today1,145.96 ft
- Same date last year1,144.73 ft2025
- Median1,145.20 ft
- Normal range1,143.69 ft – 1,146.67 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 20131,162.50 ft2020
- Lowest since 20131,138.60 ft2013
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 1,145.95 | +0.01 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 1,145.94 | +0.03 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 1,145.91 | +0.03 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 1,145.88 | ±0.00 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1,145.88 | +0.03 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1,145.85 | +0.03 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 1,145.82 | +0.03 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 1,145.79 | −0.01 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 1,145.80 | −0.06 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 1,145.86 | −0.10 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Plan your trip to Milford Lake
Affiliate linksPlaces to stay near Milford Lake
Search lake houses, cabins & hotels near Milford Lake → via Stay22
Affiliate links: if you book through Stay22, GetYourGuide or Viator we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t affect the data on this page. How this works
Nearby lakes & rivers
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 06857050 — Milford Lake Nr Junction City, Ks
- Location
- 39.0761, -96.8997 · Kansas
- Measures
- Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
- Daily statistics
- 2013–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 5:30 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Full pool
- 1,144.40 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
- Storage
- 399,800 of 373,152 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
- Also from
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge MLFK1 — National Water Prediction Service
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.