Cannon River at Welch water level

Name: Cannon River at Welch 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

Normal for mid-October

Water level

4.26ft Up 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 541 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Cannon River at Welch, where the gauge shows 4.26 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.15 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 4.06 ft – 4.28 ft.

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

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 15.05 ftJune 27, 1998

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

What happens at each level

10.00 ft: Hidden Valley Campground floods.
4.26 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	15.05 ft	June 27, 1998
2	14.37 ft	September 25, 2010
3	14.35 ft	June 15, 2012
4	14.01 ft	April 8, 1965
5	13.93 ft	February 10, 1966
6	13.80 ft	September 22, 1986
7	13.19 ft	June 17, 1993
8	12.31 ft	June 20, 2014
9	12.02 ft	March 31, 2013
10	12.00 ft	April 2, 1952

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.13 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 65° 44° – Wind 19 mph

19 Mon 64° 41° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 68° 45° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 73° 50° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 73° 55° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 71° 59° 0.02 in Wind 18 mph

24 Sat 66° 48° 0.38 in, 20% Wind 23 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 53%

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	−11.0 cfs	29 mi
Cannon River at NorthfieldRiver gauge, Cannon River	890.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	22 mi
Cannon River at 9th St. Bridge in Cannon FallsRiver gauge, Cannon River	526 cfs	Normal	−15.0 cfs	10 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River at Red WingRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.56 ft	Below flood stage	+0.09 ft	9 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	8,940 cfs	Normal	−690.0 cfs	13 mi
St. Croix River at PrescottRiver gauge, St. Croix River	2,870 cfs	Low	−650.0 cfs	13 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5,940 cfs	Normal	−160.0 cfs	14 mi
Vermillion River near EmpireRiver gauge, Vermillion River	26.0 cfs	Low	−4.5 cfs	17 mi
Kinnickinnic River near River FallsRiver gauge, Kinnickinnic River	97.2 cfs	Normal	−2.4 cfs	18 mi
Zumbro River at Zumbro FallsRiver gauge, Zumbro River	5.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	24 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 Cannon River at Welch today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:00 PM CDT, the water level was 4.26 ft. Up 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cannon River at Welch rising or falling?

Up 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cannon River at Welch normal?

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

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

The highest level on record is 15.05 ft on June 27, 1998.

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:05355200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.56423, -92.73158 (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	4.26 ft	2026-10-18 21:00	Provisional
Flow	541 cfs	2026-10-18 21:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cannon River at Welch (usgs:05355200). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/cannon-river-at-welch

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