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Flow report

Minnesota River Levels & Streamflow

As of Oct 27, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 57% of normal across 88 USGS gauges — the highest is 11,800 cfs on the Mississippi River At Winona. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Minnesota.

USGS gauges
88
State percent normal
57%
0%normal200%
Paddle runs
1
Updated
Oct 27
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Flow briefing · Oct 27, 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 57% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Winona reporting the highest discharge in the state at 11,800 cfs and a gauge stage of 5.74 ft.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi River Near Bemidji is seeing a spike today — up 72% 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 57%
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.

57% of normal today
+11pts vs this day last year (46%)
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 26, 2026

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 flow report

88 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Winona, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05378500
11,800 cfs 5.74 ft · 50°F 644 ft Buffalo-Whitewater
Mississippi River At Red Wing, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355250
9,180 cfs 2.51 ft · 49°F 669 ft Rush-Vermillion
Mississippi River Below L&D #2 At Hastings, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331580
6,910 cfs 7.22 ft · 46°F · Twin Cities
Mississippi River At St. Paul, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05331000
5,140 cfs 3.16 ft · 43°F 695 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River Near Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288500
3,100 cfs 1.83 ft · 46°F 817 ft Twin Cities
Minnesota River Near Jordan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05330000
2,470 cfs 6.13 ft · 46°F 715 ft Lower Minnesota
Minnesota River At Mankato, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05325000
2,170 cfs 4.22 ft · 46°F 759 ft Middle Minnesota
Mississippi River At St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270700
2,010 cfs 4.16 ft · 44°F 954 ft Clearwater-Elk
Mississippi River At Anoka, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05283500
1,900 cfs 4.25 ft · 42°F 827 ft Twin Cities
Mississippi River Near Royalton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05267000
1,700 cfs 8.33 ft · 40°F 1,017 ft Platte-Spunk
Red Lake River At Fisher, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05080000
1,180 cfs 12.76 ft · 27°F 812 ft Red Lake
Red Lake River At Crookston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05079000
1,150 cfs 6.03 ft · 27°F 851 ft Red Lake
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320000
1,030 cfs 9.28 ft · 45°F 807 ft Blue Earth
Mississippi River At Brainerd, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05242300
969 cfs 4.67 ft · 34°F 1,167 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385000
798 cfs 3.84 ft · 49°F 670 ft Root
Mississippi River At Aitkin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05227500
725 cfs 2.30 ft · 31°F 1,206 ft Elk-Nokasippi
Crow Wing River Near Pillager, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05247500
686 cfs 3.60 ft · 34°F 1,161 ft Crow Wing
Thief River Near Thief River Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05076000
620 cfs 7.56 ft · 24°F 1,129 ft Thief
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05320500
552 cfs 6.91 ft · 45°F 776 ft Le Sueur
Mississippi River At Grand Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05211000
483 cfs 3.49 ft · 28°F 1,246 ft Prairie-Willow
Cannon River At Welch, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05355200
424 cfs 4.04 ft · 46°F 741 ft Cannon
St. Louis River At Scanlon, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04024000
414 cfs 2.61 ft 52°F 34°F 1,109 ft St. Louis
Root River Near Pilot Mound, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05383950
393 cfs 8.36 ft · 49°F 855 ft Root
Minnesota River At New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316770
355 cfs 784.94 ft · 43°F 794 ft Middle Minnesota
Minnesota River At Morton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316580
329 cfs 7.52 ft · 42°F 824 ft Middle Minnesota
Minnesota River At Montevideo, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05311000
294 cfs 2.61 ft · 42°F 928 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Cedar River Near Austin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05457000
277 cfs 3.51 ft 69°F 46°F 1,163 ft Upper Cedar
Rapid River Near Baudette, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05134200
267 cfs 3.98 ft · 27°F 1,116 ft Rapid
Crow River At Rockford, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05280000
265 cfs 2.45 ft · 44°F 932 ft Crow
Mississippi River Near Bemidji, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05200510
244 cfs 3.43 ft · 33°F 1,318 ft Mississippi Headwaters
Little Fork River At Littlefork, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05131500
221 cfs 2.83 ft · 30°F 1,083 ft Little Fork
Otter Tail River Bl Orwell D Nr Fergus Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05046000
215 cfs 2.37 ft · 40°F 1,032 ft Otter Tail
Gold Portage Outlet From Kabetogama Lk Nr Ray, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129290
212 cfs 15.76 ft · 29°F 1,132 ft Rainy Lake
Big Fork River At Big Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05132000
210 cfs 3.17 ft · 25°F 1,182 ft Big Fork
Crow Wing River At Nimrod, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05244000
207 cfs 2.49 ft · 37°F 1,326 ft Crow Wing
Yellow Bank River Near Odessa, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05293000
201 cfs 3.67 ft · 40°F 955 ft Upper Minnesota
Straight River Near Faribault, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05353800
195 cfs 4.39 ft · 46°F 1,069 ft Cannon
South Fork Root River Near Houston, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05385500
190 cfs 2.17 ft · 46°F 692 ft Root
Chippewa River Near Milan, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05304500
185 cfs 1.43 ft · 41°F 975 ft Chippewa
Otter Tail River Near Elizabeth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05030500
168 cfs 4.90 ft · 39°F 1,272 ft Otter Tail
Red Lake River At High Landing Nr Goodridge, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05075000
159 cfs 2.32 ft · 25°F 1,151 ft Red Lake
Basswood River Near Winton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05127500
141 cfs 2.07 ft · 30°F 1,299 ft Rainy Headwaters
Rum River Near St. Francis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05286000
140 cfs 2.17 ft · 40°F 866 ft Rum
Clearwater River At Red Lake Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078500
130 cfs 5.55 ft · 27°F 955 ft Clearwater
South Kawishiwi R Abv White Iron Lake Nr Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05126210
120 cfs 3.46 ft · 29°F 1,391 ft Rainy Headwaters
Roseau River Below State Ditch 51 Nr Caribou, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05112000
113 cfs 2.56 ft · 24°F 1,008 ft Roseau
South Fork Zumbro River At Rochester, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05372995
111 cfs 2.66 ft · 48°F 951 ft Zumbro
Sauk River Near St. Cloud, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05270500
108 cfs 1.42 ft · 43°F 1,024 ft Sauk
Roseau River At Ross, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05107500
103 cfs 2.93 ft · 24°F 1,031 ft Roseau
Chippewa River Near Watson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05305000
97 cfs 36.91 ft · 41°F 941 ft Chippewa
Kettle River Below Sandstone, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05336700
96 cfs 3.89 ft · 35°F 936 ft Kettle
Snake River Near Pine City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05338500
95 cfs 2.80 ft · 37°F 922 ft Snake
Pomme De Terre River At Appleton, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05294000
93 cfs 4.45 ft · 41°F 984 ft Pomme De Terre
Watonwan River Near Garden City, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05319500
89 cfs 1.08 ft · 45°F 931 ft Watonwan
Minnesota River Near Lac Qui Parle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05301000
73 cfs 20.81 ft · 41°F 923 ft Lac Qui Parle
South Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05125000
64 cfs 1.74 ft · 29°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Wild Rice River At Twin Valley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062500
64 cfs 2.04 ft · 31°F 1,016 ft Eastern Wild Rice
Elk River Near Big Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05275000
58 cfs · · 45°F 932 ft Clearwater-Elk
Vermilion River Nr Crane Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05129115
55 cfs 3.98 ft · 24°F 1,183 ft Vermilion
Prairie River Near Taconite, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05212700
54 cfs 2.16 ft · 28°F 1,332 ft Prairie-Willow
Yellow Medicine River Near Granite Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05313500
52 cfs 3.36 ft · 42°F 986 ft Hawk-Yellow Medicine
Wild Rice River At Hendrum, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05064000
51 cfs 3.50 ft · 29°F 851 ft Eastern Wild Rice
High Island Creek Near Henderson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05327000
49 cfs 3.92 ft · 45°F 731 ft Lower Minnesota
Long Prairie River At Long Prairie, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05245100
47 cfs 1.49 ft · 35°F 1,297 ft Long Prairie
Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317000
44 cfs 3.30 ft · 44°F 800 ft Cottonwood
Pigeon River At Middle Falls Nr Grand Portage Mn, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04010500
44 cfs 1.99 ft · 31°F 807 ft Baptism-Brule
Buffalo River Near Dilworth, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05062000
43 cfs 3.20 ft · 34°F 892 ft Buffalo
Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05317200
41 cfs 3.43 ft · 43°F 810 ft Middle Minnesota
Clearwater River At Plummer, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078000
39 cfs 2.72 ft · 26°F 1,105 ft Clearwater
Straight River Near Park Rapids, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05243725
37 cfs 1.11 ft · 35°F 1,411 ft Crow Wing
Des Moines River At Jackson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05476000
35 cfs 6.95 ft · 40°F 1,315 ft Upper Des Moines
Red Lake River Near Red Lake, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05074500
33 cfs 68.26 ft · 26°F 1,175 ft Red Lake
Lost River At Oklee, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05078230
33 cfs 4.82 ft · 26°F 1,133 ft Clearwater
Buffalo River Near Hawley, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05061000
28 cfs 3.15 ft · 34°F 1,121 ft Buffalo
Sand Hill River At Climax, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05069000
27 cfs 4.24 ft · 27°F 829 ft Sandhill-Wilson
Redwood River Near Redwood Falls, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05316500
27 cfs 1.66 ft · 42°F 988 ft Redwood
Sprague Creek Near Sprague, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05106000
25 cfs 3.15 ft · 27°F 1,050 ft Roseau
Vermillion River Near Empire, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05345000
20 cfs 1.80 ft · 46°F 863 ft Rush-Vermillion
Kawishiwi River Near Ely, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05124480
13 cfs 2.43 ft 51°F 30°F 1,427 ft Rainy Headwaters
Redwood River Near Marshall, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05315000
9 cfs 6.65 ft · 38°F 1,199 ft Redwood
Minnesota River At Ortonville, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05292000
8 cfs 1.24 ft · 41°F 972 ft Upper Minnesota
Middle River At Argyle, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05087500
8 cfs 3.33 ft · 18°F 839 ft Snake
Knife River Near Two Harbors, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 04015330
8 cfs 25.80 ft 38°F 38°F 620 ft Beaver-Lester
Bois De Sioux River Near Doran, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05051300
8 cfs 5.92 ft · 40°F 957 ft Bois De Sioux
Elm Creek Nr Champlin, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05287890
5 cfs 3.46 ft · 45°F 870 ft Twin Cities
South Branch Two Rivers At Lake Bronson, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05094000
3 cfs 3.40 ft · 22°F 955 ft Two Rivers
Shingle Creek At Queen Ave In Minneapolis, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05288705
1 cfs 9.30 ft 54°F 43°F 905 ft Twin Cities
Marsh River Near Shelly, Mn
1 day ago · USGS 05067500
0 cfs 3.47 ft · 28°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 27, 2026, Minnesota rivers are running at 57% of normal across 88 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Winona is reporting the highest discharge at 11,800 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Minnesota river is running highest right now?

As of October 27, 2026, the highest discharge in Minnesota is 11,800 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.