Cannon River at Northfield water level

Name: Cannon River at Northfield 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, Cannon River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

890.50ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 16, 2026, 10:30 AM CDT (2 days ago)

Flow: 481 cfs

History

Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Cannon River at Northfield, where the gauge shows 890.50 ft.

It is 6.50 ft below the flood stage of 897.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 6.50 ft of room before flood stage.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 901.52 ftJune 23, 2024
Lowest on record: 889.41 ftSeptember 5, 2023

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 897.00 ft.

What happens at each level

903.00 ft: Hwy 3 floods north of 5th Street.
902.00 ft: Hwy 19 Bridge over Spring Creek on Carleton campus floods.
901.50 ft: Water reaches bottom of deck on 2nd Street bridge.
901.00 ft: Lower windows breached on buildings on west side of river (Froggy's, Law offices).
900.50 ft: Northfield Fire building threatened by flood waters; parking lot flooded, water reaches building.
900.00 ft: A few properties on east side of river, above the dam, flood near downtown Northfield.
899.50 ft: Water reaches top of wall on east side of town near dam, as well as west side downstream of dam below Froggy's.
899.00 ft: Laird Stadium at Carleton College begins to flood; west gymnasium threatened.
897.50 ft: Flood waters reach Carleton College soccer fields. Babcock Park north of downtown begins to flood.
897.00 ft: Water backs up into businesses along river in downtown Northfield. Riverwalk on west side of town begins to flood.
890.50 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 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	901.52 ft	June 23, 2024
2	901.50 ft	September 24, 2010
3	901.30 ft	September 24, 2016
4	899.70 ft	June 20, 2014
5	899.45 ft	July 13, 2013
6	899.10 ft	March 22, 2019
7	898.13 ft	October 6, 2019
8	898.04 ft	May 15, 2023
9	896.77 ft	April 3, 2023
10	896.30 ft	September 6, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.98 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 45° – Wind 22 mph

19 Mon 65° 42° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 68° 46° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 72° 52° 0.02 in Wind 15 mph

22 Thu 73° 58° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 67° 54° 0.06 in Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 69° 48° 0.01 in Wind 24 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Cannon River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cannon River at Co. Highway 29 below FaribaultRiver gauge, Cannon River	461 cfs	Normal	−3.0 cfs	8 mi
Cannon River at 9th St. Bridge in Cannon FallsRiver gauge, Cannon River	531 cfs	Normal	−15.0 cfs	13 mi
Cannon River at WelchRiver gauge, Cannon River	541 cfs	Normal	+89.0 cfs	22 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Straight River near FaribaultRiver gauge, Straight River	367 cfs	Normal	−16.0 cfs	14 mi
Vermillion River near EmpireRiver gauge, Vermillion River	26.5 cfs	Low	−4.5 cfs	15 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4,550 cfs	Low	−2,330.0 cfs	25 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	8,830 cfs	Normal	−1,570.0 cfs	27 mi
St. Croix River at PrescottRiver gauge, St. Croix River	4,280 cfs	Low	+770 cfs	27 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.25 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	29 mi
Mississippi River at Red WingRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.57 ft	Below flood stage	+0.10 ft	31 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Cannon River at Northfield?

The official flood stage is 897.00 ft. The level is currently 6.50 ft below it.

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 Cannon River at Northfield today?

On Oct 16, 2026, 10:30 AM CDT, the water level was 890.50 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cannon River at Northfield rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cannon River at Northfield normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cannon River at Northfield?

The highest level on record is 901.52 ft on June 23, 2024. The lowest is 889.41 ft on September 5, 2023.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05355024 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.45858, -93.15967 (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	890.50 ft	2026-10-16 15:30	Provisional
Flow	481 cfs	2026-10-18 19:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cannon River at Northfield (usgs:05355024). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/cannon-river-at-northfield

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