Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow
As of Sep 10, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 33% of normal across 88 USGS gauges — the highest is 9,430 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.
Streamflow levels across Minnesota are currently 33% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 9,430 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.53 ft.
Meanwhile, the Thief River Near Thief River Falls is seeing a spike today — up 211% 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.
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
100% is the historical norm. Below 70% indicates drought; above 130% can flag elevated flood risk.
Highest discharge
Gauge stage 5.53 ft
Biggest 24h spike
Now 516 cfs
Network coverage
USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in Minnesota.
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 88 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 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.
| Streamgage | Streamflow | Gage height | Water temp | Air temp | Elevation | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05378500 |
9,510 cfs | 5.59 ft | · | 65°F | 644 ft | Buffalo-Whitewater |
|
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355250 |
7,190 cfs | 2.14 ft | · | 59°F | 669 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331580 |
4,100 cfs | 7.09 ft | · | 59°F | · | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331000 |
3,440 cfs | 3.23 ft | · | 63°F | 695 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288500 |
1,840 cfs | 1.17 ft | · | 61°F | 817 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05325000 |
1,770 cfs | 3.86 ft | · | 59°F | 759 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270700 |
1,650 cfs | 4.02 ft | · | 58°F | 954 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05283500 |
1,330 cfs | 4.12 ft | · | 59°F | 827 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05330000 |
1,270 cfs | 4.89 ft | · | 58°F | 715 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320500 |
1,170 cfs | 7.88 ft | · | 58°F | 776 ft | Le Sueur |
|
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05267000 |
970 cfs | 8.00 ft | · | 56°F | 1,017 ft | Platte-Spunk |
|
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05079000 |
957 cfs | 5.84 ft | · | 53°F | 851 ft | Red Lake |
|
Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385000 |
685 cfs | 3.62 ft | · | 65°F | 670 ft | Root |
|
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05080000 |
602 cfs | 11.18 ft | · | 60°F | 812 ft | Red Lake |
|
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05242300 |
564 cfs | 4.45 ft | · | 57°F | 1,167 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05227500 |
558 cfs | 1.79 ft | · | 55°F | 1,206 ft | Elk-Nokasippi |
|
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04024000 |
533 cfs | 2.68 ft | 72°F | 57°F | 1,109 ft | St. Louis |
|
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129290 |
502 cfs | 17.36 ft | · | 54°F | 1,132 ft | Rainy Lake |
|
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05247500 |
489 cfs | 3.46 ft | · | 57°F | 1,161 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05076000 |
423 cfs | 6.55 ft | · | 52°F | 1,129 ft | Thief |
|
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320000 |
411 cfs | 8.03 ft | · | 58°F | 807 ft | Blue Earth |
|
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05046000 |
354 cfs | 2.69 ft | · | 56°F | 1,032 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316770 |
325 cfs | 784.84 ft | · | 57°F | 794 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316580 |
302 cfs | 7.41 ft | · | 56°F | 824 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355200 |
285 cfs | 3.58 ft | · | 58°F | 741 ft | Cannon |
|
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05383950 |
281 cfs | 8.07 ft | · | 64°F | 855 ft | Root |
|
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05211000 |
267 cfs | 3.03 ft | · | 56°F | 1,246 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05127500 |
255 cfs | 2.39 ft | · | 55°F | 1,299 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05030500 |
223 cfs | 5.17 ft | · | 59°F | 1,272 ft | Otter Tail |
|
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05301000 |
219 cfs | 21.28 ft | · | 60°F | 923 ft | Lac Qui Parle |
|
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385500 |
209 cfs | 2.23 ft | · | 65°F | 692 ft | Root |
|
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05280000 |
181 cfs | 2.33 ft | · | 58°F | 932 ft | Crow |
|
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05286000 |
176 cfs | 2.30 ft | · | 57°F | 866 ft | Rum |
|
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05311000 |
169 cfs | 2.04 ft | · | 60°F | 928 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05134200 |
169 cfs | 3.23 ft | · | 53°F | 1,116 ft | Rapid |
|
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05457000 |
167 cfs | 3.17 ft | 69°F | 62°F | 1,163 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05304500 |
158 cfs | 1.30 ft | · | 56°F | 975 ft | Chippewa |
|
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05200510 |
155 cfs | 3.03 ft | · | 55°F | 1,318 ft | Mississippi Headwaters |
|
Straight River Near Faribault, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05353800 |
136 cfs | 4.14 ft | · | 58°F | 1,069 ft | Cannon |
|
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05244000 |
127 cfs | 2.37 ft | · | 58°F | 1,326 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05131500 |
122 cfs | 2.41 ft | · | 54°F | 1,083 ft | Little Fork |
|
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078500 |
105 cfs | 5.53 ft | · | 57°F | 955 ft | Clearwater |
|
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05126210 |
101 cfs | 3.37 ft | · | 55°F | 1,391 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05305000 |
98 cfs | 36.90 ft | · | 60°F | 941 ft | Chippewa |
|
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05338500 |
88 cfs | 2.78 ft | · | 56°F | 922 ft | Snake |
|
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05372995 |
87 cfs | 2.48 ft | · | 61°F | 951 ft | Zumbro |
|
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05336700 |
80 cfs | 3.84 ft | · | 55°F | 936 ft | Kettle |
|
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04010500 |
78 cfs | 2.29 ft | · | 59°F | 807 ft | Baptism-Brule |
|
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05132000 |
76 cfs | 2.78 ft | · | 57°F | 1,182 ft | Big Fork |
|
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05125000 |
74 cfs | 1.86 ft | · | 55°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05075000 |
73 cfs | 2.18 ft | · | 52°F | 1,151 ft | Red Lake |
|
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129115 |
67 cfs | 4.13 ft | · | 53°F | 1,183 ft | Vermilion |
|
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270500 |
63 cfs | 1.14 ft | · | 61°F | 1,024 ft | Sauk |
|
Lac Qui Parle River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
8 days ago · USGS 05300000 |
60 cfs | 5.69 ft | · | 60°F | 973 ft | Lac Qui Parle |
|
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317000 |
57 cfs | 3.20 ft | · | 57°F | 800 ft | Cottonwood |
|
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05245100 |
50 cfs | 1.52 ft | · | 56°F | 1,297 ft | Long Prairie |
|
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05074500 |
47 cfs | 68.97 ft | · | 59°F | 1,175 ft | Red Lake |
|
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05294000 |
45 cfs | 3.97 ft | · | 60°F | 984 ft | Pomme De Terre |
|
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05212700 |
38 cfs | 1.96 ft | · | 56°F | 1,332 ft | Prairie-Willow |
|
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05275000 |
34 cfs | · | · | 57°F | 932 ft | Clearwater-Elk |
|
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05106000 |
34 cfs | 3.22 ft | · | 51°F | 1,050 ft | Roseau |
|
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062500 |
33 cfs | 1.74 ft | · | 56°F | 1,016 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05243725 |
32 cfs | · | · | 54°F | 1,411 ft | Crow Wing |
|
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05319500 |
31 cfs | · | · | 57°F | 931 ft | Watonwan |
|
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05069000 |
29 cfs | 4.28 ft | · | 59°F | 829 ft | Sandhill-Wilson |
|
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05124480 |
27 cfs | 2.65 ft | 69°F | 55°F | 1,427 ft | Rainy Headwaters |
|
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316500 |
26 cfs | 1.69 ft | · | 56°F | 988 ft | Redwood |
|
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05107500 |
23 cfs | 2.36 ft | · | 51°F | 1,031 ft | Roseau |
|
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062000 |
23 cfs | 2.76 ft | · | 59°F | 892 ft | Buffalo |
|
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05313500 |
21 cfs | 2.37 ft | · | 57°F | 986 ft | Hawk-Yellow Medicine |
|
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078000 |
20 cfs | 3.06 ft | · | 58°F | 1,105 ft | Clearwater |
|
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05476000 |
19 cfs | 6.77 ft | · | 59°F | 1,315 ft | Upper Des Moines |
|
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317200 |
18 cfs | 2.67 ft | · | 57°F | 810 ft | Middle Minnesota |
|
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05292000 |
17 cfs | 1.40 ft | · | 57°F | 972 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05064000 |
14 cfs | 2.75 ft | · | 56°F | 851 ft | Eastern Wild Rice |
|
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05061000 |
14 cfs | 3.14 ft | · | 56°F | 1,121 ft | Buffalo |
|
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05345000 |
12 cfs | 1.61 ft | · | 59°F | 863 ft | Rush-Vermillion |
|
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05293000 |
12 cfs | 2.43 ft | · | 60°F | 955 ft | Upper Minnesota |
|
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288705 |
11 cfs | 9.43 ft | 72°F | 62°F | 905 ft | Twin Cities |
|
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04015330 |
10 cfs | 25.83 ft | 38°F | 60°F | 620 ft | Beaver-Lester |
|
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05327000 |
8 cfs | 3.49 ft | · | 58°F | 731 ft | Lower Minnesota |
|
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05315000 |
8 cfs | 6.52 ft | · | 59°F | 1,199 ft | Redwood |
|
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05287890 |
7 cfs | 3.55 ft | · | 59°F | 870 ft | Twin Cities |
|
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05094000 |
5 cfs | 3.23 ft | · | 51°F | 955 ft | Two Rivers |
|
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05087500 |
3 cfs | 3.12 ft | · | 57°F | 839 ft | Snake |
|
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05112000 |
1 cfs | 1.91 ft | · | 51°F | 1,008 ft | Roseau |
|
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05051300 |
0 cfs | 5.51 ft | · | 55°F | 957 ft | Bois De Sioux |
|
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05067500 |
0 cfs | 3.43 ft | · | 57°F | 848 ft | Elm-Marsh |
See every Minnesota gauge ranked against normal.
- Percentile rank & % of median for all 88 gauges
- 15-day PULSE forecast on every gauge
- Custom flow alerts & full daily history
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 |
See when every Minnesota run is runnable.
- Runnable-window alerts on every river run
- 15-day PULSE flow forecast per run
- Full whitewater class & gauge history
About Minnesota streamflow
What are river levels like in Minnesota right now?
As of September 10, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 33% of normal across 88 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 9,430 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.
Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?
As of September 10, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 9,430 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.
Streamflow in every state
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