Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow
As of Oct 2, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 108% of normal across 87 USGS gauges — the highest is 18,000 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.
Minnesota river map
See Minnesota’s rivers on a live map
Every gauge, river and reservoir, one tap each:
- Rivers now — which are running high or low
- Reservoirs — how full each one is vs normal
- Rain — past 24 hrs and the 72-hr forecast, press play
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Minnesota river conditions today
Where rivers are running versus normal, what’s spiking and what’s coming — refreshed daily from USGS and NOAA.
Streamflow levels across Minnesota are currently 108% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 18,000 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.93 ft.
Meanwhile, the Red Lake River At Fisher is seeing a spike today — up 122% since yesterday and currently running near peak.
Tap any gauge below for the full hydrograph, paired weather forecast, and historical context. Use the rivers panel to jump into Minnesota's named rivers.
Active weather warnings for Minnesota
The National Weather Service has issued Frost Advisories across northeastern Minnesota, affecting Northern Cook and Lake Counties through Saturday morning, October 3rd at 7:00 AM CDT. Temperatures are expected to drop to 32-34°F, creating frost formation that could damage sensitive outdoor vegetation and kill unprotected plants. Residents in these areas should take precautions to cover vulnerable plants and outdoor crops overnight. Lakeshore areas near the immediate shoreline are expected to remain slightly warmer in the upper 30s and are not anticipated to experience frost conditions. This advisory comes as part of a broader cold pattern settling across the region, so residents should remain prepared for continued chilly temperatures in the coming days.
How Minnesota’s rivers compare to normal
Every gauge placed by its own percent of normal, and three years of the statewide trend.
Where every gauge actually sits
One dot per Minnesota streamgauge, placed by its own percent of normal. The state average is a single line through all of it.
Percent of normal compares today's discharge with the historical average for this calendar day. Tap any dot to open that gauge.
Minnesota streamflow, three water years
Statewide percent of normal, every day since Sep 2023. The dotted line is normal.
799 daily readings from 87 reporting gauges. Percent of normal is today's statewide discharge against the historical average for the same calendar day — 100% is normal, not "good". The axis tops out at 200%: 11 readings above that — including the 211% peak in Aug 2025 — are drawn along the top edge, so a few flood days cannot flatten three years of everything else. The line breaks in 2 places where the record skips more than five days — those are gaps in reporting, not readings of zero.
Minnesota flow report
| Streamgage | Streamflow | Gage height | Water temp | Air temp | Elevation | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05378500 |
16,300 cfs | 5.82 ft | · | 43°F | 644 ft | Buffalo-Whitewater |
|
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05355250 |
11,700 cfs | 2.72 ft | · | 40°F | 669 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05331000 |
10,400 cfs | 3.28 ft | · | 42°F | 695 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05331580 |
10,100 cfs | 7.28 ft | · | 42°F | · | Twin Cities |
|
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05330000 |
5,790 cfs | 9.16 ft | · | 39°F | 715 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05325000 |
4,830 cfs | 6.21 ft | · | 41°F | 759 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05288500 |
3,600 cfs | 2.06 ft | · | 41°F | 817 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05080000 |
3,410 cfs | 17.69 ft | · | 34°F | 812 ft | Red Lake |
|
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05079000 |
2,960 cfs | 8.61 ft | · | 35°F | 851 ft | Red Lake |
|
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05283500 |
2,830 cfs | 4.34 ft | · | 40°F | 827 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05267000 |
2,700 cfs | 8.86 ft | · | 37°F | 1,017 ft | Platte-Spunk |
|
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05270700 |
2,510 cfs | 4.34 ft | · | 39°F | 954 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05320500 |
1,850 cfs | 8.71 ft | · | 41°F | 776 ft | Le Sueur |
|
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05320000 |
1,650 cfs | 10.29 ft | · | 44°F | 807 ft | Blue Earth |
|
Root River Near Houston, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05385000 |
1,270 cfs | 4.68 ft | · | 44°F | 670 ft | Root |
|
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05247500 |
1,060 cfs | 3.98 ft | · | 38°F | 1,161 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05078500 |
890 cfs | 7.44 ft | · | 34°F | 955 ft | Clearwater |
|
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05134200 |
870 cfs | 5.85 ft | · | 36°F | 1,116 ft | Rapid |
|
Straight River Near Faribault, Mn
3 days ago · USGS 05353800 |
855 cfs | 5.80 ft | · | 58°F | 1,069 ft | Cannon |
|
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05355200 |
815 cfs | 4.70 ft | · | 39°F | 741 ft | Cannon |
|
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05316580 |
784 cfs | 9.05 ft | · | 39°F | 824 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05227500 |
745 cfs | 2.36 ft | · | 35°F | 1,206 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05242300 |
744 cfs | 4.68 ft | · | 38°F | 1,167 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05316770 |
711 cfs | 785.88 ft | · | 39°F | 794 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05457000 |
699 cfs | 4.43 ft | 69°F | 45°F | 1,163 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05383950 |
677 cfs | 8.98 ft | · | 42°F | 855 ft | Root |
|
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05311000 |
658 cfs | 4.12 ft | · | 39°F | 928 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
11 hours ago · USGS 05076000 |
593 cfs | 7.11 ft | · | 34°F | 1,129 ft | Thief |
|
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05075000 |
526 cfs | 4.70 ft | · | 37°F | 1,151 ft | Red Lake |
|
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05211000 |
516 cfs | 3.55 ft | · | 39°F | 1,246 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05280000 |
489 cfs | 2.86 ft | · | 39°F | 932 ft | Crow |
|
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05301000 |
486 cfs | 22.34 ft | · | 39°F | 923 ft | Lac Qui Parle |
|
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05132000 |
443 cfs | 3.70 ft | · | 58°F | 1,182 ft | Big Fork |
|
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05078000 |
442 cfs | 4.73 ft | · | 35°F | 1,105 ft | Clearwater |
|
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05129290 |
417 cfs | 16.96 ft | · | 57°F | 1,132 ft | Rainy Lake |
|
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05131500 |
400 cfs | 3.22 ft | · | 58°F | 1,083 ft | Little Fork |
|
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05304500 |
386 cfs | 1.89 ft | · | 39°F | 975 ft | Chippewa |
|
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 04024000 |
384 cfs | 2.57 ft | 62°F | 38°F | 1,109 ft | St. Louis |
|
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05046000 |
375 cfs | 2.76 ft | · | 34°F | 1,032 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05030500 |
287 cfs | 5.52 ft | · | 38°F | 1,272 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05064000 |
279 cfs | 5.33 ft | · | 36°F | 851 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05200510 |
266 cfs | 3.58 ft | · | 37°F | 1,318 ft | Mississippi Headwaters |
|
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05244000 |
253 cfs | 2.66 ft | · | 37°F | 1,326 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05107500 |
240 cfs | 4.51 ft | · | 31°F | 1,031 ft | Roseau |
|
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05319500 |
237 cfs | 1.70 ft | · | 43°F | 931 ft | Watonwan |
|
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05385500 |
223 cfs | 2.27 ft | · | 44°F | 692 ft | Root |
|
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05127500 |
199 cfs | 2.25 ft | · | 57°F | 1,299 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05372995 |
186 cfs | 3.05 ft | · | 41°F | 951 ft | Zumbro |
|
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05062500 |
173 cfs | 2.75 ft | · | 34°F | 1,016 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05327000 |
172 cfs | 4.79 ft | · | 39°F | 731 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05286000 |
164 cfs | 2.26 ft | · | 39°F | 866 ft | Rum |
|
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05126210 |
164 cfs | 3.65 ft | · | 57°F | 1,391 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05112000 |
151 cfs | 2.76 ft | · | 30°F | 1,008 ft | Roseau |
|
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05087500 |
146 cfs | 5.28 ft | · | 31°F | 839 ft | Snake |
|
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05270500 |
135 cfs | 1.55 ft | · | 40°F | 1,024 ft | Sauk |
|
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05305000 |
112 cfs | 37.00 ft | · | 39°F | 941 ft | Chippewa |
|
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05294000 |
111 cfs | 4.59 ft | · | 38°F | 984 ft | Pomme De Terre |
|
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05476000 |
105 cfs | 7.42 ft | · | 41°F | 1,315 ft | Upper Des Moines |
|
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05338500 |
96 cfs | 2.82 ft | · | 37°F | 922 ft | Snake |
|
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05125000 |
91 cfs | 1.98 ft | · | 57°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05336700 |
91 cfs | 3.89 ft | · | 35°F | 936 ft | Kettle |
|
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05069000 |
87 cfs | 4.84 ft | · | 36°F | 829 ft | Sandhill-Wilson |
|
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05129115 |
86 cfs | 4.36 ft | · | 58°F | 1,183 ft | Vermilion |
|
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05245100 |
77 cfs | 1.80 ft | · | 37°F | 1,297 ft | Long Prairie |
|
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05212700 |
70 cfs | 2.34 ft | · | 34°F | 1,332 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05275000 |
68 cfs | · | · | 39°F | 932 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05313500 |
60 cfs | 2.86 ft | · | 39°F | 986 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 04010500 |
60 cfs | 2.14 ft | · | 39°F | 807 ft | Baptism-Brule |
|
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05317000 |
56 cfs | 3.44 ft | · | 39°F | 800 ft | Cottonwood |
|
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05293000 |
50 cfs | 2.88 ft | · | 38°F | 955 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05316500 |
50 cfs | 1.86 ft | · | 39°F | 988 ft | Redwood |
|
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05243725 |
46 cfs | 1.20 ft | · | 42°F | 1,411 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05062000 |
41 cfs | 3.17 ft | · | 35°F | 892 ft | Buffalo |
|
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05074500 |
37 cfs | 68.62 ft | · | 37°F | 1,175 ft | Red Lake |
|
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05106000 |
34 cfs | 3.22 ft | · | 33°F | 1,050 ft | Roseau |
|
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05345000 |
28 cfs | 1.98 ft | · | 39°F | 863 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05061000 |
20 cfs | 3.28 ft | · | 36°F | 1,121 ft | Buffalo |
|
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05124480 |
19 cfs | 2.53 ft | 60°F | 57°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05292000 |
11 cfs | 1.30 ft | · | 38°F | 972 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05315000 |
10 cfs | 6.68 ft | · | 40°F | 1,199 ft | Redwood |
|
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05317200 |
9 cfs | 2.88 ft | · | 39°F | 810 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05287890 |
9 cfs | 3.59 ft | · | 40°F | 870 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 05288705 |
7 cfs | 9.33 ft | 59°F | 41°F | 905 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
13 hours ago · USGS 04015330 |
5 cfs | 25.73 ft | 38°F | 42°F | 620 ft | Beaver-Lester |
|
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05094000 |
2 cfs | 3.11 ft | · | 29°F | 955 ft | Two Rivers |
|
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05051300 |
1 cfs | 5.66 ft | · | 32°F | 957 ft | Bois De Sioux |
|
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05067500 |
0 cfs | 3.43 ft | · | 36°F | 848 ft | Elm-Marsh |
Minnesota river runs
Paddleable river sections in Minnesota keyed to USGS gauges, with live streamflow and whitewater class.
| River run | Status | Streamflow | Air temp | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Saint Louis | Runnable | 6,710 cfs | 40°F | II+ TO IV |
About Minnesota streamflow
What are river levels like in Minnesota right now?
As of October 2, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 108% of normal across 87 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 18,000 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.
Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?
As of October 2, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 18,000 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. See the sortable gauge table for the full statewide ranking.
Are Minnesota rivers high or low right now?
Compare the statewide percent-of-normal on this page: above 100% means Minnesota rivers are running higher than the seasonal average for the date, below 100% means lower (a dry spell or drought). Each gauge also shows its own percent of median.
Where does the Minnesota streamflow data come from?
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. USGS streamgauges report continuously (every 15 minutes) and the data is the canonical real-time record for U.S. rivers. Snoflo pulls the latest readings and joins them to a 7-day NOAA weather forecast for each station.
What is cfs?
Cubic feet per second — the standard unit for streamflow. One cfs is about 7.5 gallons per second. Small creeks run at single-digit cfs; the Mississippi at hundreds of thousands.
What does Gauge Height mean?
The water level at the gauge in feet above the reference datum. Used together with discharge to track river state. Flood stage and runnable levels are typically expressed in gauge height (e.g., "flood at 16 ft").
How fresh is the Minnesota data?
USGS streamgauges report every 15 minutes; Snoflo re-pulls throughout the day. The AI briefing regenerates daily.
Can I get a flow alert for a Minnesota gauge?
Yes. Save any USGS gauge as a favorite in the Snoflo iOS app, set a discharge or stage threshold (e.g. "alert me when discharge crosses 2,000 cfs"), and you'll get a push the moment it crosses.
Is this a substitute for an NWS flood warning?
No. Snoflo is informational. For flood life-safety decisions always follow guidance from your local NWS forecast office and state emergency management. Snoflo data is one input among several.