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Mississippi River at McGregor water level

River gauge, Mississippi River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

6.95ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

10 20 Highest onrecord 25.38 ft Minor floodstage 16.00 ft

History

1015ftOct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Minor flood stage1015ftOct 16Oct 21Oct 27Minor flood stage
1015ftSep 21Sep 30Oct 9Oct 18Oct 27Minor flood stage1015ftSep 21Oct 9Oct 27Minor flood stage
5101520ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage5101520ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
5101520ftJanMarMayJulSepNov20265101520ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to rise to 7.10 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 07:00 PM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 07:58 PM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Low water at Mississippi River at McGregor: the gauge reads 6.95 ft, below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 7.87 ft, based on 15 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.92 ft below typical. It is 9.05 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 7.10 ft, a difference of −0.15 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 7.10 ft by Tuesday, October 20 at 07:00 PM. The 30-day range is 6.64 ft – 8.68 ft.

Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
7.87 ft0.92 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
6.75 ft – 15.80 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (15 years of records)
Same day last year
7.10 ft−0.15 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
6.64 ft – 8.68 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
6.07 ft – 15.24 ft
Highest on record
25.38 ftApril 24, 1965
Forecast peak
7.10 ftTuesday, October 20 at 07:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

For reference, flood stage is 16.00 ft.

What happens at each level

27.90 ft
The water overtops the levee.
25.40 ft
The water reaches the flood of record set in 1965.
25.00 ft
Major flooding occurs in McGregor.
23.50 ft
The road near the casino in Marquette is closed.
22.00 ft
Water covers the north end of Main Street.
21.50 ft
Railroad tracks near the casino in Marquette are closed.
19.60 ft
The road to the Prairie du Chien waste water treatment facility is flooded.
19.00 ft
Flooding of some residential areas begin.
18.00 ft
Pumping operations begin at the Prairie du Chien waste water treatment facility.
17.00 ft
Minor lowland flooding begins, and access to parks near the river in Prairie du Chien is affected.
16.50 ft
Water may begin to go over the road covering part of Highway C near Highway 18.
16.00 ft
The Washington Street Bridge to Saint Feriole Island begins to flood and is closed. Pumping operations are underway.
6.95 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: < 5 %.

RankLevelDate
125.38 ftApril 24, 1965
223.75 ftApril 20, 2001
322.91 ftApril 28, 2023
421.98 ftJune 29, 1993
521.75 ftApril 26, 2019
621.58 ftApril 22, 1969
721.38 ftApril 15, 1997
821.32 ftApril 18, 2011
921.12 ftMay 5, 1975
1021.00 ftJune 22, 1880

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 57° 32° – Wind 11 mph
18 Sun 60° 39° – Wind 13 mph
19 Mon 65° 41° – Wind 8 mph
20 Tue 66° 44° – Wind 7 mph
21 Wed 68° 46° 0.00 in Wind 11 mph
22 Thu 65° 53° 0.02 in Wind 6 mph
23 Fri 70° 51° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:15 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River 5,970 cfs Low +730 cfs 145 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River 9,510 cfs Normal +1,390 cfs 144 mi
Mississippi River at Red WingRiver gauge, Mississippi River 2.47 ft Below flood stage −0.07 ft 126 mi
Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 5A near WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River 5.88 ft No reference yet −0.03 ft 77 mi
Mississippi River at WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River 5.72 ft Below flood stage −0.03 ft 75 mi
Mississippi River at BrownsvilleRiver gauge, Mississippi River 31.36 ft No reference yet −0.04 ft 46 mi
Mississippi River at ClaytonRiver gauge, Mississippi River 11.59 ft Low +0.05 ft 9 mi
Mississippi River at Dam 13 near FultonRiver gauge, Mississippi River 5.03 ft Below flood stage +0.16 ft 94 mi
Mississippi River at ClintonRiver gauge, Mississippi River 9.54 ft Below flood stage +0.08 ft 98 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Bloody Run Creek near MarquetteRiver gauge, Bloody Run Creek 4.11 ft Below flood stage −0.02 ft 2.0 mi
Yellow River near IonRiver gauge, Yellow River 6.18 ft Below flood stage −0.03 ft 7 mi
Turkey River above French Hollow Cr at ElkaderRiver gauge, Turkey River 6.69 ft Below flood stage −0.07 ft 17 mi
Kickapoo River at SteubenRiver gauge, Kickapoo River 6.80 ft Below flood stage −0.12 ft 19 mi
Turkey River at GarberRiver gauge, Turkey River 8.84 ft Below flood stage −0.23 ft 20 mi
Volga River at LittleportRiver gauge, Volga River 6.32 ft Below flood stage −0.26 ft 21 mi
Grant River at BurtonRiver gauge, Grant River 6.12 ft Below flood stage −0.07 ft 28 mi
Upper Iowa River near DorchesterRiver gauge, Upper Iowa River 7.66 ft Below flood stage +0.01 ft 32 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Mississippi River at McGregor higher than last year?

No, it is 0.15 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 7.10 ft.

What is flood stage for the Mississippi River at McGregor?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 9.05 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Mississippi River at McGregor in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 7.87 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.75 ft and 15.80 ft, based on 15 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 Mississippi River at McGregor today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 10:45 PM CDT, the water level was 6.95 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at McGregor rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.29 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Mississippi River at McGregor normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 15 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:05389500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
43.02701, -91.17263 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 6.95 ft 2026-10-20 03:45 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at McGregor (usgs:05389500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/mississippi-river-at-mcgregor

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