Straight River river
Total streamflow across the Straight River was last observed at 282 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 560 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 822 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2016-09-23 when daily discharge volume was observed at 9,526 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Straight River Near Faribault reporting a streamflow rate of 228 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Straight River, with a gauge stage of 4.43 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 2 different streamgauging stations along the Straight River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,411 ft, the Straight River Near Park Rapids.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Straight River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Straight River
All 2 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Straight River Near Park Rapids
MN
USGS 05243725
|
54 | 1.22 | -4.2 | 88% | 16 | 216 | 1,411 |
|
Straight River Near Faribault
MN
USGS 05353800
|
228 | 4.43 | -3.0 | 36% | 25 | 9,460 | 1,069 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Straight River
The Straight River is a 69-mile-long tributary of the Cannon River in southern Minnesota. The river gets its name from its relatively straight course. It has a rich history, serving as a major transportation route for Native Americans and early settlers. The river's hydrology has been affected by agricultural land use and urbanization. The Faribault Dam was built in 1902 to generate hydroelectric power, and the Cannon River Reservoir was created in 1965 to provide flood control. The river is popular for recreational activities such as fishing, canoeing, and hiking. It also supports agricultural uses such as irrigation, livestock watering, and crop irrigation.
Recreation along the Straight River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Straight River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Straight River
Where does the data for the Straight River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.