For the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, start with the National Weather Service’s VCKM6 gauge page. It separates observations from the official forecast and labels their timestamps. Check those series times, not just when the webpage was created or when you opened it.
LSL verified this route in a browser on September 13, 2026. This article is a reading guide, not a live river bulletin. Follow the agency page for changing conditions and official instructions.
Choose the right display before comparing numbers
| Official resource | What the reviewed page supplies | Essential check |
|---|---|---|
| NWS VCKM6 | Stage in feet, separate observed/forecast series, flood-category stages | Correct station, series type and its timestamp |
| Corps Rivergages Vicksburg display | Elevation, stated gauge zero and vertical datum | Elevation is not automatically the same number as stage |
| USGS entry USCE-07289000 | USACE station identity and location metadata; no available time-series types in the reviewed entry | A valid station page does not mean that page supplies a current reading |
Sources: NWS gauge, Corps station display and USGS location entry. The comparison is LSL’s assessment of what these specific pages expose, not a claim that the agencies lack other datasets.
Why two numbers can describe the same height
The Corps display states a gauge zero of 46.23 feet NGVD29 and a flood elevation of 89.23 feet. Subtracting within that stated reference gives:
89.23 − 46.23 = 43.00 feet of stage.
That agrees with the NWS page’s displayed 43-foot minor-flood stage. This is LSL’s reproduction of the two published reference values, not a new flood forecast. Corps reference · NWS flood categories
Do not subtract an unrelated land elevation or convert NGVD29 to NAVD88 by assuming the difference is zero. The USGS entry’s altitude field is location metadata in NAVD88; it is not a simultaneous river reading or a substitute gauge-zero conversion. USGS metadata
Date the measurement, not the bookmark
The Corps page retrieved during this review showed a September 8 observation and an earlier-issued forecast even though it was accessed on September 13. That returned copy cannot establish September 13 conditions. The NWS browser display separately identified an observation dated September 13 and a forecast issued September 12; no numeric current reading is being frozen into this article.
Before sharing a level, include the station, stage/elevation label, unit, observation time and time zone. If sharing a forecast, add its issue time and the future time being forecast. Those details prevent a historical reading or yesterday’s prediction from becoming an apparent live update.
A gauge does not clear a road or property
The NWS page includes flood-impact descriptions and agency guidance. A station-level number alone does not establish passability, drainage at a house, a building’s flood elevation or an evacuation decision. Use the applicable official warning and local instruction for the action you need to take.
Verification limits
LSL compared the three public pages, read their labels and reproduced one reference calculation on September 13, 2026. No gauge was inspected or elevation surveyed. The Corps URL contains several parameters, but its actual returned station heading says Vicksburg; it was not rejected merely because one parameter resembles another station code.