Red River of The North at Wahpeton water level

Name: Red River of The North at Wahpeton water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Red River of The North, North Dakota, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

3.90ft Down 0.14 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 12:30 AM CDT (48 min ago)

Flow: 272 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

The Red River of The North at Wahpeton is running below normal at 3.90 ft.

The median for late October is 4.90 ft, based on 26 years of readings, so the river stage is 1.00 ft below typical. It is 7.10 ft below the flood stage of 11.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 4.94 ft, a difference of −1.04 ft.

It has dropped 0.14 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.90 ft and 4.28 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 4.90 ft1.00 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 3.76 ft – 7.32 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (26 years of records)
Same day last year: 4.94 ft−1.04 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.90 ft – 4.28 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.25 ft – 8.39 ft
Highest on record: 19.42 ftApril 6, 1997

Floating and fishing near Red River of The North at Wahpeton

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 11.00 ft, 7.10 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

22.50 ft: Top of the permanent dike.
18.00 ft: Close dike openings at Minnesota St (MN) and Dakota St (ND). Close dike openings at railroad bridge (requires removal of railroad tracks).
17.50 ft: RECORD FLOOD. Post-Diversion Flood of Record (March 24, 2009). Post-1900 Flood Flow of Record (10.4 kcfs on March 24, 2009).
16.50 ft: City mobilizes as patrolling of levees and storm sewer outlets begins.
16.00 ft: Wells Park floods. Flooding of a portion of the sanitary sewer system begins.
15.00 ft: MAJOR FLOOD. Wahpeton storm sewer outlets and Main Sreet closed.
13.50 ft: North Main Street and bridge closed (Breckenridge).
13.00 ft: MODERATE FLOOD. Start to put up flood wall (Breckenridge) if river is forecast to go above 15 feet.
12.00 ft: Storm sewer valves are closed and interior pumping begins (Breckenridge).
11.60 ft: Otter Tail River water starts to flow into the Breckenridge Diversion. Water on Main Street (Breckenridge).
11.00 ft: MINOR FLOOD.
9.50 ft: ACTION STAGE/FORECAST SERVICE STAGE.
3.90 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 11 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	19.42 ft	April 6, 1997
2	17.95 ft	April 5, 1989
3	17.50 ft	March 24, 2009
4	17.00 ft	January 1, 1897
5	16.94 ft	April 9, 2001
6	16.49 ft	March 16, 2010
7	16.34 ft	April 10, 1969
8	15.93 ft	April 1, 2006
9	15.69 ft	April 7, 2011
10	15.60 ft	June 3, 2007

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.16 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 68° 36° – Wind 20 mph

18 Sun 71° 41° – Wind 11 mph

19 Mon 67° 38° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 71° 47° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 73° 51° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 76° 54° – Wind 13 mph

23 Fri 76° 62° 0.30 in, 20% Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:31 PM Daylight 10 hr, 39 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on the Red River of The North

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Red River of The North at EnloeRiver gauge, Red River of The North	14.40 ft	Low	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Red River of The North at HicksonRiver gauge, Red River of The North	10.27 ft	Low	+0.02 ft	29 mi
Red River of The North near Wild RiceRiver gauge, Red River of The North	23.00 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	33 mi
Red River of The North at FargoRiver gauge, Red River of The North	14.11 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	42 mi
Red River of The North near GeorgetownRiver gauge, Red River of The North	14.11 ft	Very low	±0	58 mi
Red River of The North at HalstadRiver gauge, Red River of The North	3.78 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	76 mi
Red River of The North near ThompsonRiver gauge, Red River of The North	17.01 ft	Low	−0.08 ft	104 mi
Red River of The North at Grand ForksRiver gauge, Red River of The North	16.42 ft	High	−0.05 ft	117 mi
Red River of The North at OsloRiver gauge, Red River of The North	7.35 ft	Normal	+0.03 ft	136 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Bois De Sioux River near DoranRiver gauge, Bois De Sioux River	0.7 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	8 mi
Wild Rice River near AbercrombieRiver gauge, Wild Rice River	9.82 ft	High	±0	17 mi
Otter Tail River below Orwell D near Fergus FallsRiver gauge, Otter Tail River	215 cfs	Normal	−41.0 cfs	20 mi
Wild Rice River near MantadorRiver gauge, Wild Rice River	1.3 cfs	Low	−0.1 cfs	21 mi
Bois De Sioux River near White RockRiver gauge, Bois De Sioux River	3.44 ft	Below flood stage	±0	28 mi
Mud Lake above White Rock Dam near White RockReservoir, Mud Lake	70.05 ft	Very low	+0.10 ft	28 mi
Otter Tail River near ElizabethRiver gauge, Otter Tail River	214 cfs	Normal	−3.0 cfs	29 mi
Sheyenne River on Gol Road near KindredRiver gauge, Sheyenne River on Gol Road	35.67 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Red River of The North at Wahpeton higher than last year?

No, it is 1.04 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 4.94 ft.

What is flood stage for the Red River of The North at Wahpeton?

The official flood stage is 11.00 ft. The level is currently 7.10 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Red River of The North at Wahpeton in late October?

The median for late October is 4.90 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.76 ft and 7.32 ft, based on 26 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Red River of The North at Wahpeton today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 12:30 AM CDT, the water level was 3.90 ft. Down 0.14 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Red River of The North at Wahpeton rising or falling?

Down 0.14 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.08 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Red River of The North at Wahpeton normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 26 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05051500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.26611, -96.59833 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.90 ft	2026-10-21 05:30	Provisional
Flow	272 cfs	2026-10-21 05:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Red River of The North at Wahpeton (usgs:05051500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-dakota/red-river-of-the-north-at-wahpeton

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer