Flow report

Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow

As of Aug 5, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 61% of normal across 90 USGS gauges — the highest is 14,600 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.

USGS gauges
90
State percent normal
61%
Paddle runs
1
Updated
Aug 5
Open the Minnesota flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to Minnesota.
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August
5
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across Minnesota are currently 61% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 14,600 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.70 ft.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota River At Ortonville is seeing a spike today — up 196% 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 at a glance

State-wide streamflow overview

The Minnesota flow picture in four data points -- where the state sits versus historical norms, what's flowing hardest, and what's spiking fastest.

Percent of normal

61%

100% is the historical norm. Below 70% indicates drought; above 130% can flag elevated flood risk.

Highest discharge

Mississippi River At Winona 14,600 cfs

Gauge stage 5.70 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Minnesota River At Ortonville +196%

Now 1,130 cfs

Network coverage

Gauges + rivers tracked 90 + 0

USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in Minnesota.

Full streamgauge inventory

Minnesota USGS streamgauges

Every USGS gauge Snoflo tracks in Minnesota. Sortable, quickly filterable. Numeric columns heat-mapped from light to deep. Tap any gauge for its full hydrograph and forecast.

90 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05378500
16,000 cfs 5.72 ft · 57°F 644 ft Buffalo-Whitewater
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05355250
12,400 cfs 3.06 ft · 54°F 669 ft Rush-Vermillion
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05331580
11,200 cfs 7.17 ft · 55°F · Twin Cities
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05331000
11,100 cfs 3.49 ft · 58°F 695 ft Twin Cities
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05330000
6,610 cfs 9.74 ft · 54°F 715 ft Lower Minnesota
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05325000
4,750 cfs 6.16 ft · 54°F 759 ft Middle Minnesota
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05288500
3,070 cfs 1.82 ft · 56°F 817 ft Twin Cities
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05316770
2,810 cfs 789.06 ft · 52°F 794 ft Middle Minnesota
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05316580
2,180 cfs 12.05 ft · 50°F 824 ft Middle Minnesota
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05355200
1,550 cfs 5.46 ft · 54°F 741 ft Cannon
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05311000
1,380 cfs 6.21 ft · 49°F 928 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05270700
1,340 cfs 3.89 ft · 52°F 954 ft Clearwater-Elk
Root River Near Houston, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05385000
1,300 cfs 4.73 ft · 57°F 670 ft Root
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05280000
1,260 cfs 4.04 ft · 54°F 932 ft Crow
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05283500
1,230 cfs 4.12 ft · 54°F 827 ft Twin Cities
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05301000
1,120 cfs 24.32 ft · 49°F 923 ft Lac Qui Parle
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05267000
984 cfs 8.01 ft · 50°F 1,017 ft Platte-Spunk
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05292000
979 cfs 5.00 ft · 55°F 972 ft Upper Minnesota
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05134200
828 cfs 5.57 ft · 51°F 1,116 ft Rapid
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05457000
740 cfs 4.57 ft 69°F 55°F 1,163 ft Upper Cedar
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05079000
659 cfs 5.29 ft · 45°F 851 ft Red Lake
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05080000
646 cfs 11.42 ft · 46°F 812 ft Red Lake
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05383950
636 cfs 8.88 ft · 60°F 855 ft Root
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05320500
627 cfs 7.07 ft · 53°F 776 ft Le Sueur
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05129290
585 cfs 17.72 ft · 47°F 1,132 ft Rainy Lake
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05304500
578 cfs 2.20 ft · 48°F 975 ft Chippewa
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05242300
570 cfs 4.44 ft · 51°F 1,167 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05227500
511 cfs 1.64 ft · 48°F 1,206 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Straight River Near Faribault, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05353800
495 cfs 5.11 ft · 53°F 1,069 ft Cannon
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 04024000
486 cfs 2.62 ft 76°F 49°F 1,109 ft St. Louis
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05076000
477 cfs 6.54 ft · 50°F 1,129 ft Thief
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05320000
464 cfs 8.24 ft · 53°F 807 ft Blue Earth
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05327000
438 cfs 6.36 ft · 52°F 731 ft Lower Minnesota
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05247500
396 cfs 3.30 ft · 50°F 1,161 ft Crow Wing
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05051300
373 cfs 9.30 ft · 49°F 957 ft Bois De Sioux
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05127500
346 cfs 2.58 ft · 48°F 1,299 ft Rainy Headwaters
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05075000
302 cfs 3.78 ft · 46°F 1,151 ft Red Lake
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05305000
257 cfs 37.82 ft · 49°F 941 ft Chippewa
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05046000
247 cfs 2.41 ft · 49°F 1,032 ft Otter Tail
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05385500
209 cfs 2.23 ft · 57°F 692 ft Root
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05211000
206 cfs 2.87 ft · 49°F 1,246 ft Prairie-Willow
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05030500
201 cfs 4.99 ft · 50°F 1,272 ft Otter Tail
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05200510
197 cfs 3.13 ft · 48°F 1,318 ft Mississippi Headwaters
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05286000
167 cfs 2.32 ft · 53°F 866 ft Rum
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05294000
160 cfs 4.92 ft · 48°F 984 ft Pomme De Terre
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05107500
152 cfs 3.59 ft · 51°F 1,031 ft Roseau
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05244000
144 cfs 2.42 ft · 47°F 1,326 ft Crow Wing
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
2 days ago · USGS 05074500
132 cfs 69.73 ft · 49°F 1,175 ft Red Lake
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05372995
131 cfs 2.73 ft · 58°F 951 ft Zumbro
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 04010500
123 cfs 2.60 ft · 53°F 807 ft Baptism-Brule
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05270500
123 cfs 1.52 ft · 52°F 1,024 ft Sauk
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05129115
119 cfs 4.70 ft · 45°F 1,183 ft Vermilion
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05112000
118 cfs 2.59 ft · 47°F 1,008 ft Roseau
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05317000
113 cfs 3.63 ft · 52°F 800 ft Cottonwood
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05131500
98 cfs 2.28 ft · 46°F 1,083 ft Little Fork
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05126210
96 cfs 3.28 ft · 48°F 1,391 ft Rainy Headwaters
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05078500
91 cfs 5.46 ft · 47°F 955 ft Clearwater
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05336700
88 cfs 3.89 ft · 48°F 936 ft Kettle
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05132000
81 cfs 2.80 ft · 45°F 1,182 ft Big Fork
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05338500
79 cfs 2.85 ft · 49°F 922 ft Snake
Lac Qui Parle River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05300000
78 cfs 5.62 ft · 48°F 973 ft Lac Qui Parle
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05087500
77 cfs 4.42 ft · 49°F 839 ft Snake
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05125000
75 cfs 1.87 ft · 47°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05316500
75 cfs 2.06 ft · 49°F 988 ft Redwood
South Branch Buffalo River At Sabin, Mn
2 days ago · USGS 05061500
74 cfs 6.39 ft · 46°F 913 ft Buffalo
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05078000
67 cfs 3.42 ft · 47°F 1,105 ft Clearwater
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05245100
63 cfs 1.66 ft · 50°F 1,297 ft Long Prairie
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05319500
63 cfs · · 53°F 931 ft Watonwan
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05275000
60 cfs · · 53°F 932 ft Clearwater-Elk
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05476000
53 cfs 7.19 ft · 53°F 1,315 ft Upper Des Moines
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05124480
42 cfs 2.85 ft 73°F 48°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05212700
36 cfs 1.93 ft · 48°F 1,332 ft Prairie-Willow
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05243725
32 cfs · · 52°F 1,411 ft Crow Wing
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05313500
31 cfs 2.52 ft · 49°F 986 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05062000
29 cfs 2.72 ft · 52°F 892 ft Buffalo
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05062500
29 cfs 1.63 ft · 46°F 1,016 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05064000
27 cfs 3.06 ft · 43°F 851 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
9 hours ago · USGS 05069000
26 cfs 4.19 ft · 46°F 829 ft Sandhill-Wilson
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05293000
24 cfs 2.50 ft · 47°F 955 ft Upper Minnesota
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05317200
22 cfs 2.77 ft · 53°F 810 ft Middle Minnesota
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05345000
22 cfs 1.85 ft · 55°F 863 ft Rush-Vermillion
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05094000
17 cfs 3.52 ft · 46°F 955 ft Two Rivers
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05315000
15 cfs 6.70 ft · 53°F 1,199 ft Redwood
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05106000
14 cfs 2.91 ft · 51°F 1,050 ft Roseau
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
2 days ago · USGS 05061000
12 cfs 3.23 ft · 50°F 1,121 ft Buffalo
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05287890
6 cfs 3.46 ft · 54°F 870 ft Twin Cities
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05288705
4 cfs 9.23 ft 71°F 57°F 905 ft Twin Cities
Lost River At Oklee, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05078230
4 cfs 2.98 ft · 47°F 1,133 ft Clearwater
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 04015330
3 cfs 25.66 ft 38°F 54°F 620 ft Beaver-Lester
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
10 hours ago · USGS 05067500
0 cfs 3.44 ft · 43°F 848 ft Elm-Marsh
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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
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Flow report FAQ

About Minnesota streamflow

What are river levels like in Minnesota right now?

As of August 5, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 61% of normal across 90 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 14,600 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?

As of August 5, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 14,600 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.