Hudson Conditions

What the Hudson is doing off Pier 66: tidal currents, water temperature, the forecast, recent rainfall, and whether the river is under a water quality advisory. The same summary our members get in Slack each morning.

Updated Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:31am. This page is a snapshot taken each morning — conditions change through the day, so follow the source links for anything live.

Tidal currents

Predictions for Hudson River, Pier 92, 6 feet depth — NOAA Tides & Currents

Thursday, October 15

TimeStageSpeed
12:25 AMmax flood0.6 mph
02:07 AMslack—
06:18 AMmax ebb2.2 mph
09:30 AMslack—
12:45 PMmax flood1.9 mph
03:53 PMslack—
07:15 PMmax ebb2.6 mph

Friday, October 16

TimeStageSpeed
12:07 AMslack—
01:25 AMmax flood0.3 mph
02:48 AMslack—
07:03 AMmax ebb1.9 mph
10:20 AMslack—
01:40 PMmax flood1.7 mph
04:39 PMslack—
08:07 PMmax ebb2.4 mph

Flood runs upriver (north), ebb runs downriver (south). Speeds are the peak for that stage; slack water is the turn between them.

Water temperature

65.1°F – 65.8°F

Over the last 36 hours at The Battery: low of 65.1°F at 9pm Tue, high of 65.8°F at 6pm Wed.

NOAA observations at The Battery

Forecast

Today: Sunny, with a high near 64. East wind 6 to 11 mph.

Tonight: Showers, mainly after 5am. Low around 59. Southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

National Weather Service meteogram for the next several days

National Weather Service

Recent rainfall

0.02 in

Measured at Central Park over the last 24 hours (8am Wed - 8am Thu), wettest hour 12pm Wed at 0.02 in.

Hourly precipitation over the last 24 hours

Rainfall matters here because it drives the sewer overflows behind water quality advisories.

Observations at Central Park

Water quality advisory

No advisory for Hudson River (Manhattan) as of 7am Thu.

3 of 45 NYC waterbodies are on advisory right now.

Rainfall at the North River gauge: 0.01 in over 24 hours, 1.71 in over 96 hours. An advisory can outlast the rain that caused it.

Map of NYC waterbodies on advisory, with the Hudson highlighted

Hudson River (Manhattan) is DEC class SB: best usages are primary and secondary contact recreation and fishing.

NYC DEP Waterbody Advisory dashboard

Reading the currents

The Hudson at Pier 66 is a tidal river, not a lake. Twice a day it floods (north, upriver) and twice it ebbs (south, downriver), and around slack water it briefly does neither. The stronger the current, the harder it is to hold position on the pitch — and the more serious a swim becomes, because a paddler out of their boat drifts with the river while everyone else is trying to reach them.

This is why our summer sessions carry level restrictions. If you are new, check with the session host before signing up, and respect any session marked Advanced/Expert Only. See the schedule for what each session type involves.