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River Keepers

South Branch Buffalo River in Minnesota

River56.1 mi
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Around here

Around South Branch Buffalo River

5 mi

Public land: USGS PAD-US

About this river

South Branch Buffalo River is a 56.1 mile river near River Keepers in North Dakota. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge South Branch Buffalo River at Sabin, MN (site 05061500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 5. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.

Typical flow by month

1945 to 2026

South Branch Buffalo River typically runs highest in April, at a median 126 cfs, and lowest in January, at 3.0 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 8,200 cfs, in 1975.

Show the numbers
Typical flow by month at South Branch Buffalo River at Sabin, MN, in cfs
MonthTypical (cfs)Usual range (cfs)
January3.00.3 to 12
February3.20.0 to 13
March202.1 to 83
April12660 to 389
May6030 to 136
June3812 to 102
July235.7 to 79
August6.12.3 to 18
September7.02.6 to 25
October187.0 to 43
November209.1 to 46
December6.82.5 to 22

Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 80 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for South Branch Buffalo River at Sabin, MN (site 05061500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.

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