Mississippi River at Grand Rapids water level

Name: Mississippi River at Grand Rapids 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, Mississippi River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.45ft Down 1.89 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 06:15 AM CDT (46 min ago)

Flow: 406 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 1.45 ft, the Mississippi River at Grand Rapids is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 1.89 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.42 ft and 3.39 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 15.20 ftSeptember 3, 1948

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 58° 28° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 62° 35° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 68° 42° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 69° 48° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 67° 50° – Wind 13 mph

24 Sat 65° 50° 0.22 in, 26% Wind 15 mph

25 Sun 48° 36° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:19 PM Daylight 10 hr, 39 min First quarter 68%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River near BemidjiRiver gauge, Mississippi River	199 cfs	Normal	−6.0 cfs	59 mi
Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball ClubRiver gauge, Mississippi River	303 cfs	Low	−3.0 cfs	18 mi
Mississippi River at Days High Landing near Deer RiverRiver gauge, Mississippi River	73.10 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	13 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.31 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	49 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.45 ft	Below flood stage	+0.17 ft	67 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,580 cfs	Low	−80.0 cfs	105 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	120 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.28 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	141 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.57 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	146 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.63 ft	No reference yet	±0	152 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Prairie River near TaconiteRiver gauge, Prairie River	2.16 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	13 mi
Ball Club River near Ball ClubRiver gauge, Ball Club River	4.70 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	19 mi
Leech Lake at Sugar Point near Federal DamReservoir, Leech Lake	94.27 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	36 mi
Tamarack R. at 480th St near WrightRiver gauge, Tamarack R.	9.49 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	42 mi

Questions and answers

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 Grand Rapids today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 06:15 AM CDT, the water level was 1.45 ft. Down 1.89 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at Grand Rapids rising or falling?

Down 1.89 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at Grand Rapids normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Mississippi River at Grand Rapids?

The highest level on record is 15.20 ft on September 3, 1948.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05211000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.23312, -93.52290 (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	1.45 ft	2026-10-20 11:15	Provisional
Flow	406 cfs	2026-10-20 10:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at Grand Rapids (usgs:05211000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-grand-rapids

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