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Flow report

Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow

As of Oct 4, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 102% of normal across 87 USGS gauges — the highest is 16,100 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.

USGS gauges
87
State percent normal
102%
0%normal200%
Paddle runs
1
Updated
Oct 4
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Minnesota river map

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Flow briefing · Oct 4, 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 102% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 16,100 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.77 ft.

Meanwhile, the Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou is seeing a spike today — up 54% 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 102%
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 Sep 2023. The dotted line is normal.

102% of normal today
+28pts vs this day last year (74%)
359of 366 days below normal, past year
211% 3-year peak · Aug 2025 · above the axis
50% 100% normal 150% 200%
Sep 2023 202420252026 Oct 4, 2026

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

87 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05378500
14,700 cfs 5.75 ft · 64°F 644 ft Buffalo-Whitewater
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05355250
10,100 cfs 2.67 ft · 68°F 669 ft Rush-Vermillion
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05331000
9,710 cfs 3.45 ft · 67°F 695 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05331580
9,400 cfs 7.16 ft · 67°F · Twin Cities
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05330000
4,960 cfs 8.46 ft · 68°F 715 ft Lower Minnesota
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05325000
4,190 cfs 5.79 ft · 68°F 759 ft Middle Minnesota
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05288500
3,620 cfs 2.07 ft · 67°F 817 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05283500
2,950 cfs 4.35 ft · 67°F 827 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05270700
2,540 cfs 4.35 ft · 66°F 954 ft Clearwater-Elk
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05080000
2,350 cfs 15.50 ft · 44°F 812 ft Red Lake
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05267000
2,230 cfs 8.62 ft · 65°F 1,017 ft Platte-Spunk
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05079000
1,990 cfs 7.23 ft · 43°F 851 ft Red Lake
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05320500
1,480 cfs 8.29 ft · 68°F 776 ft Le Sueur
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05320000
1,460 cfs 10.02 ft · 68°F 807 ft Blue Earth
Root River Near Houston, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05385000
1,130 cfs 4.44 ft · 65°F 670 ft Root
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05247500
968 cfs 3.91 ft · 64°F 1,161 ft Crow Wing
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05227500
869 cfs 2.71 ft · 63°F 1,206 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Straight River Near Faribault, Mn
5 days ago · USGS 05353800
855 cfs 5.80 ft · 58°F 1,069 ft Cannon
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05316580
831 cfs 9.18 ft · 70°F 824 ft Middle Minnesota
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05316770
827 cfs 786.12 ft · 68°F 794 ft Middle Minnesota
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05242300
776 cfs 4.71 ft · 63°F 1,167 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05311000
730 cfs 4.35 ft · 67°F 928 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05134200
693 cfs 5.39 ft · 46°F 1,116 ft Rapid
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05355200
629 cfs 4.41 ft · 68°F 741 ft Cannon
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05078500
591 cfs 6.84 ft · 42°F 955 ft Clearwater
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05383950
580 cfs 8.77 ft · 65°F 855 ft Root
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05457000
542 cfs 4.08 ft 69°F 65°F 1,163 ft Upper Cedar
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05280000
495 cfs 2.87 ft · 66°F 932 ft Crow
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05211000
494 cfs 3.51 ft · 60°F 1,246 ft Prairie-Willow
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05301000
486 cfs 22.34 ft · 67°F 923 ft Lac Qui Parle
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05131500
434 cfs 3.29 ft · 44°F 1,083 ft Little Fork
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 04024000
433 cfs 2.63 ft 60°F 44°F 1,109 ft St. Louis
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05075000
432 cfs 4.16 ft · 43°F 1,151 ft Red Lake
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05129290
409 cfs 16.92 ft · 41°F 1,132 ft Rainy Lake
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05132000
408 cfs 3.63 ft · 39°F 1,182 ft Big Fork
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05076000
375 cfs 6.37 ft · 43°F 1,129 ft Thief
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05304500
367 cfs 1.85 ft · 67°F 975 ft Chippewa
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05046000
334 cfs 2.66 ft · 41°F 1,032 ft Otter Tail
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05078000
326 cfs 4.17 ft · 43°F 1,105 ft Clearwater
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05030500
314 cfs 5.66 ft · 42°F 1,272 ft Otter Tail
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05112000
245 cfs 3.26 ft · 40°F 1,008 ft Roseau
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05107500
232 cfs 4.42 ft · 40°F 1,031 ft Roseau
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05244000
227 cfs 2.61 ft · 63°F 1,326 ft Crow Wing
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05385500
212 cfs 2.24 ft · 66°F 692 ft Root
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05064000
206 cfs 4.80 ft · 42°F 851 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05200510
184 cfs 3.32 ft · 61°F 1,318 ft Mississippi Headwaters
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05319500
183 cfs 1.53 ft · 68°F 931 ft Watonwan
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05127500
182 cfs 2.20 ft · 43°F 1,299 ft Rainy Headwaters
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05327000
168 cfs 4.76 ft · 68°F 731 ft Lower Minnesota
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05286000
159 cfs 2.24 ft · 67°F 866 ft Rum
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05126210
150 cfs 3.59 ft · 42°F 1,391 ft Rainy Headwaters
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05372995
149 cfs 2.87 ft · 66°F 951 ft Zumbro
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05270500
148 cfs 1.61 ft · 66°F 1,024 ft Sauk
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05305000
109 cfs 36.98 ft · 67°F 941 ft Chippewa
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05338500
104 cfs 2.85 ft · 64°F 922 ft Snake
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05062500
104 cfs 2.36 ft · 39°F 1,016 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05294000
102 cfs 4.53 ft · 67°F 984 ft Pomme De Terre
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05087500
98 cfs 4.64 ft · 46°F 839 ft Snake
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05336700
97 cfs 3.91 ft · 64°F 936 ft Kettle
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05129115
89 cfs 4.39 ft · 39°F 1,183 ft Vermilion
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05125000
84 cfs 1.93 ft · 42°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05069000
79 cfs 4.78 ft · 44°F 829 ft Sandhill-Wilson
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05476000
79 cfs 7.29 ft · 47°F 1,315 ft Upper Des Moines
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05212700
71 cfs 2.35 ft · 60°F 1,332 ft Prairie-Willow
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05245100
64 cfs 1.67 ft · 63°F 1,297 ft Long Prairie
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05275000
64 cfs · · 66°F 932 ft Clearwater-Elk
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 04010500
64 cfs 2.18 ft · 44°F 807 ft Baptism-Brule
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
5 hours ago · USGS 05313500
59 cfs 2.85 ft · 69°F 986 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05293000
59 cfs 2.94 ft · 68°F 955 ft Upper Minnesota
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05317000
52 cfs 3.39 ft · 68°F 800 ft Cottonwood
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05243725
42 cfs 1.14 ft · 63°F 1,411 ft Crow Wing
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05316500
42 cfs 1.80 ft · 69°F 988 ft Redwood
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05062000
40 cfs 3.14 ft · 42°F 892 ft Buffalo
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05074500
37 cfs 68.61 ft · 43°F 1,175 ft Red Lake
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05106000
26 cfs 3.10 ft · 45°F 1,050 ft Roseau
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05345000
21 cfs 1.83 ft · 67°F 863 ft Rush-Vermillion
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05124480
18 cfs 2.51 ft 59°F 43°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05061000
14 cfs 3.15 ft · 41°F 1,121 ft Buffalo
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05292000
11 cfs 1.30 ft · 67°F 972 ft Upper Minnesota
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05315000
8 cfs 6.64 ft · 68°F 1,199 ft Redwood
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05317200
8 cfs 2.83 ft · 68°F 810 ft Middle Minnesota
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 04015330
7 cfs 25.76 ft 38°F 47°F 620 ft Beaver-Lester
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05287890
6 cfs 3.45 ft · 67°F 870 ft Twin Cities
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05288705
5 cfs 9.25 ft 58°F 67°F 905 ft Twin Cities
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05094000
2 cfs 3.11 ft · 42°F 955 ft Two Rivers
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05051300
0 cfs 5.59 ft · 37°F 957 ft Bois De Sioux
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05067500
0 cfs 3.48 ft · 42°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 4, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 102% of normal across 87 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 16,100 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?

As of October 4, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 16,100 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.