Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow
As of Oct 10, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 79% of normal across 86 USGS gauges — the highest is 12,700 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 79% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 12,700 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.83 ft.
Meanwhile, the Thief River Near Thief River Falls is seeing a spike today — up 10% 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
Minnesota residents across west-central and southwest regions, including areas around the Twin Cities, should prepare for critical fire weather conditions and hazardous air quality through Saturday evening. Near-record high temperatures combined with strong south winds gusting 30-45 mph and humidity levels dropping to 25-35 percent will create elevated to near-critical fire conditions, particularly in agricultural areas with dried crops ready for harvest. An Air Quality Alert is in effect from 7 AM to 7 PM CDT Saturday for coarse particle pollution, with the Air Quality Index expected to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups due to blowing dust from drought-affected soils. Residents should avoid all outdoor burning, check local fire restrictions before any burning activities, use extra caution with equipment in dry fields, and those with respiratory or heart conditions should limit outdoor exposure. Wind gusts may also reduce visibility on roadways.
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 Oct 2023. The dotted line is normal.
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
| Streamgage | Streamflow | Gage height | Water temp | Air temp | Elevation | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05378500 |
13,200 cfs | 5.71 ft | · | 57°F | 644 ft | Buffalo-Whitewater |
|
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05355250 |
11,400 cfs | 2.89 ft | · | 59°F | 669 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05331580 |
7,490 cfs | 7.05 ft | · | 59°F | · | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05331000 |
7,480 cfs | 3.30 ft | · | 60°F | 695 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05330000 |
3,410 cfs | 7.06 ft | · | 59°F | 715 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05288500 |
3,400 cfs | 1.97 ft | · | 61°F | 817 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05325000 |
2,850 cfs | 4.78 ft | · | 66°F | 759 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05283500 |
2,470 cfs | 4.31 ft | · | 61°F | 827 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05270700 |
2,170 cfs | 4.22 ft | · | 58°F | 954 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05267000 |
1,870 cfs | 8.43 ft | · | 56°F | 1,017 ft | Platte-Spunk |
|
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05079000 |
1,180 cfs | 6.09 ft | · | 59°F | 851 ft | Red Lake |
|
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05080000 |
1,180 cfs | 12.76 ft | · | 57°F | 812 ft | Red Lake |
|
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05320000 |
1,060 cfs | 9.33 ft | · | 63°F | 807 ft | Blue Earth |
|
Root River Near Houston, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05385000 |
915 cfs | 4.06 ft | · | 57°F | 670 ft | Root |
|
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05242300 |
846 cfs | 4.78 ft | · | 57°F | 1,167 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05227500 |
826 cfs | 2.59 ft | · | 52°F | 1,206 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05076000 |
777 cfs | 7.70 ft | · | 59°F | 1,129 ft | Thief |
|
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05320500 |
750 cfs | 7.28 ft | · | 66°F | 776 ft | Le Sueur |
|
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05316770 |
688 cfs | 785.83 ft | · | 62°F | 794 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05247500 |
665 cfs | 3.65 ft | · | 57°F | 1,161 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05316580 |
621 cfs | 8.57 ft | · | 60°F | 824 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05311000 |
497 cfs | 3.52 ft | · | 63°F | 928 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05383950 |
436 cfs | 8.46 ft | · | 57°F | 855 ft | Root |
|
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05211000 |
401 cfs | 3.33 ft | · | 50°F | 1,246 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05280000 |
386 cfs | 2.69 ft | · | 60°F | 932 ft | Crow |
|
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05129290 |
377 cfs | 16.76 ft | · | 53°F | 1,132 ft | Rainy Lake |
|
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05355200 |
367 cfs | 3.92 ft | · | 59°F | 741 ft | Cannon |
|
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05134200 |
358 cfs | 4.31 ft | · | 53°F | 1,116 ft | Rapid |
|
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05457000 |
346 cfs | 3.63 ft | 69°F | 60°F | 1,163 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05301000 |
341 cfs | 21.87 ft | · | 62°F | 923 ft | Lac Qui Parle |
|
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 04024000 |
305 cfs | 2.45 ft | 57°F | 49°F | 1,109 ft | St. Louis |
|
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05046000 |
297 cfs | 2.57 ft | · | 61°F | 1,032 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05030500 |
289 cfs | 5.53 ft | · | 60°F | 1,272 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05075000 |
265 cfs | 3.10 ft | · | 55°F | 1,151 ft | Red Lake |
|
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05304500 |
250 cfs | 1.58 ft | · | 62°F | 975 ft | Chippewa |
|
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05132000 |
241 cfs | 3.25 ft | · | 55°F | 1,182 ft | Big Fork |
|
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05131500 |
238 cfs | 2.87 ft | · | 54°F | 1,083 ft | Little Fork |
|
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05244000 |
217 cfs | 2.51 ft | · | 57°F | 1,326 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05078500 |
212 cfs | 5.86 ft | · | 60°F | 955 ft | Clearwater |
|
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05385500 |
205 cfs | 2.22 ft | · | 57°F | 692 ft | Root |
|
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05112000 |
189 cfs | 2.96 ft | · | 55°F | 1,008 ft | Roseau |
|
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05127500 |
172 cfs | 2.17 ft | · | 52°F | 1,299 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05107500 |
162 cfs | 3.63 ft | · | 54°F | 1,031 ft | Roseau |
|
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05286000 |
150 cfs | 2.21 ft | · | 59°F | 866 ft | Rum |
|
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05200510 |
144 cfs | 3.15 ft | · | 55°F | 1,318 ft | Mississippi Headwaters |
|
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
8 hours ago · USGS 05270500 |
137 cfs | 1.56 ft | · | 58°F | 1,024 ft | Sauk |
|
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05126210 |
120 cfs | 3.46 ft | · | 54°F | 1,391 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05319500 |
111 cfs | 1.21 ft | · | 62°F | 931 ft | Watonwan |
|
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05305000 |
109 cfs | 36.98 ft | · | 62°F | 941 ft | Chippewa |
|
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05078000 |
106 cfs | 3.18 ft | · | 60°F | 1,105 ft | Clearwater |
|
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05372995 |
104 cfs | 2.62 ft | · | 58°F | 951 ft | Zumbro |
|
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05294000 |
96 cfs | 4.48 ft | · | 61°F | 984 ft | Pomme De Terre |
|
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05327000 |
88 cfs | 4.25 ft | · | 59°F | 731 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05336700 |
88 cfs | 3.87 ft | · | 58°F | 936 ft | Kettle |
|
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05338500 |
88 cfs | 2.78 ft | · | 58°F | 922 ft | Snake |
|
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05129115 |
70 cfs | 4.16 ft | · | 53°F | 1,183 ft | Vermilion |
|
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05293000 |
68 cfs | 3.01 ft | · | 60°F | 955 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05125000 |
68 cfs | 1.81 ft | · | 52°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05212700 |
66 cfs | 2.30 ft | · | 50°F | 1,332 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05476000 |
66 cfs | 7.20 ft | · | 64°F | 1,315 ft | Upper Des Moines |
|
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05062500 |
59 cfs | 2.00 ft | · | 59°F | 1,016 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05275000 |
57 cfs | · | · | 59°F | 932 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05064000 |
53 cfs | 3.53 ft | · | 59°F | 851 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 04010500 |
52 cfs | 2.07 ft | · | 49°F | 807 ft | Baptism-Brule |
|
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05245100 |
50 cfs | 1.52 ft | · | 55°F | 1,297 ft | Long Prairie |
|
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05317000 |
43 cfs | 3.29 ft | · | 62°F | 800 ft | Cottonwood |
|
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05243725 |
38 cfs | 1.08 ft | · | 56°F | 1,411 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05074500 |
37 cfs | 68.62 ft | · | 56°F | 1,175 ft | Red Lake |
|
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05069000 |
37 cfs | 4.38 ft | · | 58°F | 829 ft | Sandhill-Wilson |
|
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05316500 |
36 cfs | 1.75 ft | · | 62°F | 988 ft | Redwood |
|
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05062000 |
30 cfs | 2.93 ft | · | 60°F | 892 ft | Buffalo |
|
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05087500 |
24 cfs | 3.71 ft | · | 56°F | 839 ft | Snake |
|
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05345000 |
18 cfs | 1.77 ft | · | 58°F | 863 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05124480 |
15 cfs | 2.47 ft | 56°F | 52°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05106000 |
13 cfs | 2.81 ft | · | 54°F | 1,050 ft | Roseau |
|
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05061000 |
12 cfs | 3.11 ft | · | 61°F | 1,121 ft | Buffalo |
|
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
6 hours ago · USGS 05313500 |
10 cfs | 2.72 ft | · | 63°F | 986 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
12 hours ago · USGS 05292000 |
9 cfs | 1.25 ft | · | 59°F | 972 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05315000 |
8 cfs | 6.62 ft | · | 61°F | 1,199 ft | Redwood |
|
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 04015330 |
6 cfs | 25.75 ft | 38°F | 54°F | 620 ft | Beaver-Lester |
|
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05317200 |
6 cfs | 2.77 ft | · | 62°F | 810 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05287890 |
5 cfs | 3.46 ft | · | 61°F | 870 ft | Twin Cities |
|
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05094000 |
2 cfs | 3.32 ft | · | 57°F | 955 ft | Two Rivers |
|
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05288705 |
1 cfs | 9.29 ft | 59°F | 61°F | 905 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05051300 |
0 cfs | 5.59 ft | · | 61°F | 957 ft | Bois De Sioux |
|
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
7 hours ago · USGS 05067500 |
0 cfs | 3.48 ft | · | 59°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 10, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 79% of normal across 86 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 12,700 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.
Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?
As of October 10, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 12,700 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.