River Levels

North Dakota river levels

Live streamflow for 20 gauged North Dakota reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.

40% of gauged North Dakota rivers are running in their normal range for the date, as of October 8, 2026.

Of 15 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 5 are below normal (2 of them much below), 6 are in the normal range, and 4 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/north-dakota. The daily normals behind it are a free download.

River	Flow	Usually today	Vs normal
Missouri Rivernear Lewis and Clark Riverboat	13,000 cfs3.72 ft	17,800 cfs	Below normal21st percentile · 73 yr record
Red River of the Northnear Boathouse on the Red	2,520 cfs16.61 ft	1,330 cfs	Above normal78th percentile · 123 yr record
Red River of the Northnear River Keepers	1,290 cfs16.09 ft	1,010 cfs	No historical record
Red Lake Rivernear Boathouse on the Red	1,100 cfs12.54 ft	652 cfs	Normal74th percentile · 27 yr record
Sheyenne Rivernear River Keepers	815 cfs71.34 ft	412 cfs	No historical record
Red River of the Northnear Scheels	349 cfs10.34 ft	390 cfs	Normal43rd percentile · 51 yr record
Sheyenne Rivernear Fort Ransom State Park	258 cfs17.79 ft	Not recorded	No historical record
James Rivernear Fort Ransom State Park	226 cfs7.90 ft	67 cfs	Above normal80th percentile · 76 yr record
Wild Rice Rivernear River Keepers	69 cfs3.72 ft	78 cfs	Normal45th percentile · 82 yr record
Snake Rivernear Boathouse on the Red	50 cfs61.79 ft	0.7 cfs	Above normal77th percentile · 17 yr record
Sand Hill Rivernear Boathouse on the Red	45 cfs4.48 ft	23 cfs	Above normal76th percentile · 83 yr record
Knife Rivernear Lake Sakakawea State Park	27 cfs0.83 ft	29 cfs	Normal45th percentile · 97 yr record
Heart Rivernear Lewis and Clark Riverboat	22 cfs8.87 ft	46 cfs	Below normal21st percentile · 98 yr record
Buffalo Rivernear River Keepers	12 cfs3.10 ft	31 cfs	Much below normal5th percentile · 81 yr record
Turtle Rivernear Boathouse on the Red	6.3 cfs0.95 ft	13 cfs	Below normal11th percentile · 34 yr record
Square Butte Creeknear Cross Ranch State Park	1.3 cfs1.07 ft	1.6 cfs	Normal28th percentile · 61 yr record
Bear Creeknear Fort Ransom State Park	0.2 cfs5.36 ft	0.4 cfs	Normal37th percentile · 50 yr record
Wild Rice Rivernear Scheels	0.0 cfs23.35 ft	62 cfs	No historical record
South Branch Beaver Creeknear Beaver Lake State Park	0.0 cfs15.80 ft	0.2 cfs	No historical record
Rush Rivernear Scheels	0.0 cfs9.24 ft	0.0 cfs	Much below normal5th percentile · 80 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.

All state river levels·Browse every mapped North Dakota river

North Dakota river levels

Other states

Take every launch with you.

Run your paddling business?
Launch your branded surface.

Other states

Take every launch with you.

Run your paddling business?Launch your branded surface.

Run your paddling business?
Launch your branded surface.