Vermillion River near Empire water level

Name: Vermillion River near Empire 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, Vermillion River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.86ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:15 AM CDT (26 min ago)

Flow: 22.3 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 1.86 ft, the Vermillion River near Empire is below normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.04 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 1.86 ft and 2.19 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: 10.00 ftSeptember 16, 1992

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.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	10.00 ft	September 16, 1992
2	9.17 ft	June 27, 1998
3	8.39 ft	July 14, 2013
4	8.38 ft	June 20, 2014
5	8.37 ft	June 18, 1993
6	8.36 ft	July 16, 2011
7	8.30 ft	September 22, 1986
8	8.19 ft	June 30, 2020
9	7.90 ft	July 24, 1997
10	7.86 ft	June 19, 2012

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 66° 41° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 72° 49° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 74° 54° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 73° 54° 0.06 in Wind 19 mph

24 Sat 72° 59° 0.23 in, 23% Wind 19 mph

25 Sun 60° 46° 0.16 in, 23% Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 10 hr, 46 min First quarter 67%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5,860 cfs	Low	−150.0 cfs	12 mi
Cannon River at 9th St. Bridge in Cannon FallsRiver gauge, Cannon River	511 cfs	Normal	−15.0 cfs	12 mi
St. Croix River at PrescottRiver gauge, St. Croix River	3,330 cfs	Low	−190.0 cfs	14 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	9,190 cfs	Normal	−330.0 cfs	14 mi
Cannon River at NorthfieldRiver gauge, Cannon River	890.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	15 mi
Cannon River at WelchRiver gauge, Cannon River	515 cfs	Normal	−26.0 cfs	17 mi
Minnehaha Creek at Hiawatha Ave. in MinneapolisRiver gauge, Minnehaha Creek	4.6 cfs	Low	−1.2 cfs	19 mi
Mississippi River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Mississippi River	3.33 ft	Below flood stage	+0.13 ft	19 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 Vermillion River near Empire today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:15 AM CDT, the water level was 1.86 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Vermillion River near Empire rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Vermillion River near Empire 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 Vermillion River near Empire?

The highest level on record is 10.00 ft on September 16, 1992.

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:05345000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.66663, -93.05494 (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	1.86 ft	2026-10-20 08:15	Provisional
Flow	22.3 cfs	2026-10-20 08:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Vermillion River near Empire (usgs:05345000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/vermillion-river-near-empire

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