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Flow report

Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow

As of Oct 13, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 71% of normal across 86 USGS gauges — the highest is 12,300 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.

USGS gauges
86
State percent normal
71%
0%normal200%
Paddle runs
1
Updated
Oct 13
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Flow briefing · Oct 13, 2026

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 71% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 12,300 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.65 ft.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis River At Scanlon is seeing a spike today — up 34% 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.

Minnesota vs normal

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.

State average 71%
0% 50% 100% · normal 150% 200%+
Much below normalunder 50% Below normal50–90% Near normal90–110% Above normal110–150% Much above normalover 150%

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 Oct 2023. The dotted line is normal.

71% of normal today
+27pts vs this day last year (44%)
359of 366 days below normal, past year
211% 3-year peak · Aug 2025 · above the axis
50% 100% normal 150% 200%
Oct 2023 202420252026 Oct 13, 2026

799 daily readings from 86 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

86 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05378500
12,300 cfs 5.65 ft · 72°F 644 ft Buffalo-Whitewater
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355250
9,180 cfs 2.51 ft · 66°F 669 ft Rush-Vermillion
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331000
7,750 cfs 3.23 ft · 67°F 695 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331580
6,910 cfs 7.10 ft · 66°F · Twin Cities
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05330000
2,910 cfs 6.58 ft · 64°F 715 ft Lower Minnesota
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288500
2,720 cfs 1.65 ft · 66°F 817 ft Twin Cities
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05325000
2,470 cfs 4.48 ft · 64°F 759 ft Middle Minnesota
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270700
2,170 cfs 4.22 ft · 59°F 954 ft Clearwater-Elk
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05283500
2,070 cfs 4.27 ft · 65°F 827 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05267000
1,950 cfs 8.47 ft · 57°F 1,017 ft Platte-Spunk
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05079000
1,240 cfs 6.17 ft · 49°F 851 ft Red Lake
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05080000
1,230 cfs 12.87 ft · 47°F 812 ft Red Lake
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320000
997 cfs 9.21 ft · 63°F 807 ft Blue Earth
Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385000
876 cfs 3.99 ft · 66°F 670 ft Root
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05076000
800 cfs 7.77 ft · 47°F 1,129 ft Thief
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05227500
759 cfs 2.40 ft · 56°F 1,206 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05242300
744 cfs 4.68 ft · 55°F 1,167 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05247500
643 cfs 3.63 ft · 55°F 1,161 ft Crow Wing
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316770
631 cfs 785.70 ft · 60°F 794 ft Middle Minnesota
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320500
621 cfs 7.05 ft · 63°F 776 ft Le Sueur
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316580
609 cfs 8.53 ft · 57°F 824 ft Middle Minnesota
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05311000
529 cfs 3.65 ft · 53°F 928 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04024000
443 cfs 2.64 ft 60°F 49°F 1,109 ft St. Louis
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05383950
410 cfs 8.40 ft · 72°F 855 ft Root
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05211000
406 cfs 3.34 ft · 51°F 1,246 ft Prairie-Willow
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355200
356 cfs 3.89 ft · 66°F 741 ft Cannon
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05280000
348 cfs 2.62 ft · 62°F 932 ft Crow
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05301000
341 cfs 21.87 ft · 52°F 923 ft Lac Qui Parle
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129290
341 cfs 16.57 ft · 42°F 1,132 ft Rainy Lake
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05457000
305 cfs 3.53 ft 69°F 70°F 1,163 ft Upper Cedar
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05134200
301 cfs 4.11 ft · 45°F 1,116 ft Rapid
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05046000
297 cfs 2.57 ft · 57°F 1,032 ft Otter Tail
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05030500
279 cfs 5.48 ft · 56°F 1,272 ft Otter Tail
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05304500
231 cfs 1.53 ft · 52°F 975 ft Chippewa
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05075000
230 cfs 2.86 ft · 47°F 1,151 ft Red Lake
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05244000
217 cfs 2.51 ft · 52°F 1,326 ft Crow Wing
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05132000
208 cfs 3.16 ft · 44°F 1,182 ft Big Fork
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05131500
202 cfs 2.77 ft · 44°F 1,083 ft Little Fork
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385500
201 cfs 2.21 ft · 66°F 692 ft Root
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078500
182 cfs 5.75 ft · 48°F 955 ft Clearwater
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05127500
172 cfs 2.17 ft · 45°F 1,299 ft Rainy Headwaters
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05112000
162 cfs 2.82 ft · 43°F 1,008 ft Roseau
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05200510
146 cfs 3.16 ft · 48°F 1,318 ft Mississippi Headwaters
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270500
143 cfs 1.59 ft · 58°F 1,024 ft Sauk
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05286000
143 cfs 2.18 ft · 63°F 866 ft Rum
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05107500
142 cfs 3.40 ft · 43°F 1,031 ft Roseau
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05126210
120 cfs 3.46 ft · 50°F 1,391 ft Rainy Headwaters
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05305000
107 cfs 36.97 ft · 53°F 941 ft Chippewa
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05293000
106 cfs 3.21 ft · 47°F 955 ft Upper Minnesota
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05372995
104 cfs 2.62 ft · 67°F 951 ft Zumbro
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05319500
97 cfs 1.13 ft · 62°F 931 ft Watonwan
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05338500
93 cfs 2.80 ft · 58°F 922 ft Snake
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05294000
88 cfs 4.41 ft · 49°F 984 ft Pomme De Terre
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078000
87 cfs 3.08 ft · 48°F 1,105 ft Clearwater
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05336700
83 cfs 3.85 ft · 55°F 936 ft Kettle
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05327000
73 cfs 4.14 ft · 62°F 731 ft Lower Minnesota
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129115
67 cfs 4.13 ft · 42°F 1,183 ft Vermilion
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05212700
65 cfs 2.29 ft · 51°F 1,332 ft Prairie-Willow
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05125000
65 cfs 1.79 ft · 47°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05476000
57 cfs 7.14 ft · 63°F 1,315 ft Upper Des Moines
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05275000
53 cfs · · 61°F 932 ft Clearwater-Elk
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062500
52 cfs 1.94 ft · 46°F 1,016 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04010500
50 cfs 2.05 ft · 40°F 807 ft Baptism-Brule
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05245100
47 cfs 1.49 ft · 54°F 1,297 ft Long Prairie
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05064000
46 cfs 3.44 ft · 48°F 851 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317000
41 cfs 3.26 ft · 60°F 800 ft Cottonwood
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05243725
39 cfs 1.09 ft · 53°F 1,411 ft Crow Wing
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05074500
36 cfs 68.60 ft · 46°F 1,175 ft Red Lake
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316500
35 cfs 1.74 ft · 56°F 988 ft Redwood
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05069000
32 cfs 4.31 ft · 48°F 829 ft Sandhill-Wilson
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062000
30 cfs 2.93 ft · 49°F 892 ft Buffalo
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05345000
19 cfs 1.79 ft · 66°F 863 ft Rush-Vermillion
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05087500
17 cfs 3.57 ft · 45°F 839 ft Snake
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05124480
14 cfs 2.46 ft 59°F 47°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05061000
14 cfs 3.14 ft · 52°F 1,121 ft Buffalo
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05106000
10 cfs 2.72 ft · 44°F 1,050 ft Roseau
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05313500
9 cfs 2.70 ft · 55°F 986 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
3 days ago · USGS 05292000
9 cfs 1.25 ft · 59°F 972 ft Upper Minnesota
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05315000
7 cfs 6.60 ft · 51°F 1,199 ft Redwood
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317200
6 cfs 2.79 ft · 61°F 810 ft Middle Minnesota
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04015330
6 cfs 25.74 ft 38°F 48°F 620 ft Beaver-Lester
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05287890
4 cfs 3.43 ft · 64°F 870 ft Twin Cities
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05094000
2 cfs 3.34 ft · 45°F 955 ft Two Rivers
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288705
2 cfs 9.35 ft 66°F 66°F 905 ft Twin Cities
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05051300
1 cfs 5.64 ft · 51°F 957 ft Bois De Sioux
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05067500
0 cfs 3.47 ft · 49°F 848 ft Elm-Marsh
Whitewater & paddle

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
Flow report FAQ

About Minnesota streamflow

What are river levels like in Minnesota right now?

As of October 13, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 71% of normal across 86 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 12,300 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?

As of October 13, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 12,300 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.