2026-03-05T18:00:00-07:00
The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect Thursday afternoon. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 241, 245, 246 and 247. * TIMING...Thursday afternoon. * WINDS...South 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.
Summary
Total streamflow across the
Sauk River
was last observed at
2,220
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
4,403
acre-ft of water today; about 34%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
6,451 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2025-12-11 when daily discharge volume was observed at
101,000 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Sauk River At Darrington
reporting a streamflow rate of 5,220 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Sauk River, with a gauge stage of
8.24 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Sauk River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,024 ft, the
Sauk River Near St. Cloud.
15-Day Weather Outlook
River Details
| Last Updated | 2026-03-03 |
| Discharge Volume | 4,403 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
2,220.0 cfs
-61.0 cfs (-2.67%) |
| Percent of Normal | 34.42% |
| Maximum |
101,000.0 cfs
2025-12-11 |
| Seasonal Avg | 6,451 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sauk River Near St. Cloud
USGS 05270500 |
225 cfs | 2.71 ft | -15.41 | |||||
|
Sauk River Ab Whitechuck River Near Darrington
USGS 12186000 |
400 cfs | 2.96 ft | -2.68 | |||||
|
Sauk River At Darrington
USGS 12187500 |
5220 cfs | 8.24 ft | ||||||
|
Sauk River Near Sauk
USGS 12189500 |
1820 cfs | 3.56 ft | -2.67 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Sauk River is a 122-mile-long (196 km) tributary of the Mississippi River in central Minnesota in the United States. It drains small lakes in Stearns County. In the Ojibwe language it is called Ozaagi-ziibi, meaning "River of the Sauks".It issues from Lake Osakis on the Todd County line and flows east through Guernsey Lake, Little Sauk Lake and Juergens Lake, then south through Sauk Lake and past Sauk Centre, southeast past Melrose and Richmond, then northeast through Cedar Island Lake and Zumwalde Lake, past Cold Spring and Waite Park to the Mississippi River 2 miles (3 km) north of St. Cloud.
The rapids that occur south of the river's mouth on the Mississippi River lent their name to the nearby city of Sauk Rapids.