River Levels
Minnesota river levels
Live streamflow for 36 gauged Minnesota reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.
56% of gauged Minnesota rivers are running below normal for the date, as of October 9, 2026.
Of 34 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 19 are below normal (10 of them much below), 14 are in the normal range, and 1 are above normal (0 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.
To cite: Paddling Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, paddlinghubs.com/flows/minnesota. The daily normals behind it are a free download.
| River | Flow | Usually today | Vs normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Rivernear Broken Paddle Guiding Company | 13,300 cfs5.78 ft | 17,900 cfs | Normal30th percentile · 98 yr record |
| Hay Creeknear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 11,600 cfs2.93 ft | 14,600 cfs | Normal37th percentile · 30 yr record |
| Mississippi Rivernear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 9,740 cfs25.22 ft | 10,500 cfs | Normal44th percentile · 97 yr record |
| Mississippi Rivernear Midwest Lakeside Kayaks | 7,580 cfs3.26 ft | 6,190 cfs | Normal58th percentile · 134 yr record |
| Rainy Rivernear Rainy Lake Aquatics LLC | 6,530 cfs3.38 ft | 8,810 cfs | Normal30th percentile · 98 yr record |
| Minnesota Rivernear Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal | 3,440 cfs7.09 ft | 1,150 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 92 yr record |
| Mississippi Rivernear Paddle Share Station | 3,290 cfs1.92 ft | 4,710 cfs | Below normal24th percentile · 95 yr record |
| Chippewa Rivernear Broken Paddle Guiding Company | 2,400 cfs2.03 ft | 4,700 cfs | Much below normal7th percentile · 98 yr record |
| Saint Croix Rivernear Midwest Lakeside Kayaks | 2,210 cfs25.24 ft | 5,140 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 18 yr record |
| Mississippi Rivernear Clear Waters Outfitting Company | 2,010 cfs4.16 ft | 3,710 cfs | Much below normal7th percentile · 38 yr record |
| Saint Croix Rivernear St. .Croix Stand Up Paddleboard Rental Co. | 1,650 cfs675.58 ft | 4,030 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 13 yr record |
| Saint Croix Rivernear Taylors Falls Canoe & Kayak Rental | 1,490 cfs2.56 ft | 2,730 cfs | Much below normal6th percentile · 124 yr record |
| Saint Croix Rivernear Hard Water Sports | 536 cfs0.46 ft | 1,060 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 112 yr record |
| Belle Creeknear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 438 cfs4.06 ft | 289 cfs | Normal60th percentile · 117 yr record |
| Little Cannon Rivernear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 392 cfs7.91 ft | 363 cfs | Normal50th percentile · 11 yr record |
| South Fork Crow Rivernear Wai Nani Surf Paddle & Pedal | 392 cfs2.70 ft | 173 cfs | Normal64th percentile · 117 yr record |
| Cannon Rivernear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 312 cfs9.97 ft | 200 cfs | Normal52nd percentile · 13 yr record |
| Saint Louis Rivernear Minnesota Whitewater Rafting | 269 cfs2.39 ft | 1,230 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 118 yr record |
| Little Fork Rivernear Rainy Lake Aquatics LLC | 251 cfs2.90 ft | 417 cfs | Normal34th percentile · 117 yr record |
| Apple Rivernear St. .Croix Stand Up Paddleboard Rental Co. | 233 cfs3.13 ft | 336 cfs | No historical record |
| Lewis Narrowsnear Boundary Waters Outfitters | 175 cfs2.18 ft | 668 cfs | Much below normal9th percentile · 95 yr record |
| Rum Rivernear NOMADLüND Outfitters | 153 cfs2.22 ft | 323 cfs | Below normal17th percentile · 97 yr record |
| Sauk Rivernear Clear Waters Outfitting Company | 143 cfs1.59 ft | 145 cfs | Normal49th percentile · 117 yr record |
| South Kawishiwi Rivernear Boundary Waters Outfitters | 124 cfs3.48 ft | 256 cfs | Normal29th percentile · 51 yr record |
| Kinnickinnic Rivernear St. .Croix Stand Up Paddleboard Rental Co. | 91 cfs8.21 ft | 106 cfs | Normal30th percentile · 109 yr record |
| Kettle Rivernear Hard Water Sports | 87 cfs3.87 ft | 311 cfs | Much below normal5th percentile · 59 yr record |
| Snake Rivernear Hard Water Sports | 85 cfs2.77 ft | 184 cfs | Below normal11th percentile · 112 yr record |
| Elk Rivernear Clear Waters Outfitting Company | 58 cfs0.67 ft | 156 cfs | Much below normal7th percentile · 115 yr record |
| Long Prairie Rivernear Hang Loose MN | 51 cfs1.53 ft | 111 cfs | Below normal16th percentile · 55 yr record |
| Vermillion Rivernear Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental | 19 cfs1.78 ft | 41 cfs | Much below normal7th percentile · 84 yr record |
| Kawishiwi Rivernear Boundary Waters Outfitters | 15 cfs2.47 ft | 69 cfs | Below normal10th percentile · 60 yr record |
| Coon Creeknear Paddle Share Station | 14 cfs5.94 ft | 29 cfs | No historical record |
| Knife Rivernear UMD Recreational Sports Outdoor Program | 6.5 cfs25.76 ft | 29 cfs | Much below normal8th percentile · 52 yr record |
| Rice Creeknear Paddle Share Station | 5.9 cfs5.78 ft | 29 cfs | Below normal24th percentile · 16 yr record |
| Rush Creeknear Paddle Share Station | 4.4 cfs3.45 ft | 9.4 cfs | Normal30th percentile · 48 yr record |
| Minnehaha Creeknear Wilderness Inquiry | 2.6 cfs11.75 ft | 24 cfs | Below normal17th percentile · 20 yr record |
Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a run is safe: check the class, the hazards, and a current local report before you put on.
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