Mississippi River at Brainerd water level

Name: Mississippi River at Brainerd 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

Below flood stage

Water level

4.28ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT (32 min ago)

Flow: 470 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 09:23 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Mississippi River at Brainerd, where the gauge shows 4.28 ft.

It is 11.72 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM. The 30-day range is 4.19 ft – 4.52 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 17.61 ftJune 28, 2012
Forecast peak: 4.30 ftSunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 16.00 ft.

What happens at each level

17.00 ft: Community Garden indated near Kiwanis Park.
16.00 ft: East River Road near Kiwanis park becomes inundated.
13.00 ft: This will cause flooding of low lying agricultural areas ajacent to the river.
4.28 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	17.61 ft	June 28, 2012
2	16.70 ft	April 30, 2001
3	16.03 ft	April 10, 1997
4	15.61 ft	April 26, 2023
5	14.59 ft	April 30, 1996
6	14.52 ft	May 18, 1999
7	14.39 ft	May 18, 2022
8	14.10 ft	May 15, 2014
9	14.01 ft	April 11, 2020
10	13.81 ft	July 17, 2016

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 62° 33° – Wind 17 mph

18 Sun 67° 44° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 63° 37° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 66° 43° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 72° 49° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 75° 53° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 69° 57° 0.04 in Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:39 AM Sunset 06:26 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River near BemidjiRiver gauge, Mississippi River	205 cfs	Normal	±0	81 mi
Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball ClubRiver gauge, Mississippi River	303 cfs	Low	−8.0 cfs	65 mi
Mississippi River at Days High Landing near Deer RiverRiver gauge, Mississippi River	73.11 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	63 mi
Mississippi River at Grand RapidsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	401 cfs	Very low	−25.0 cfs	67 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	25 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,700 cfs	Low	+90.0 cfs	39 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	57 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	90 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	96 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.72 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	102 mi
Mississippi River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Mississippi River	3.21 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	112 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5,940 cfs	Normal	−160.0 cfs	130 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Crow Wing River near PillagerRiver gauge, Crow Wing River	580 cfs	Very low	±0	11 mi
Mille Lacs Lake near GarrisonLake, Mille Lacs Lake	10.13 ft	Very low	−0.06 ft	18 mi
Mississippi River Diversion near AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River Diversion	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	28 mi
Rice River at Nature Ave near KimberlyRiver gauge, Rice River	7.99 ft	No reference yet	±0	36 mi
Crow Wing River at NimrodRiver gauge, Crow Wing River	222 cfs	Low	±0	38 mi
Long Prairie River at Long PrairieRiver gauge, Long Prairie River	1.46 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	43 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Mississippi River at Brainerd?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 11.72 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 Mississippi River at Brainerd today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT, the water level was 4.28 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at Brainerd rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at Brainerd normal?

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

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

The highest level on record is 17.61 ft on June 28, 2012.

Is Mississippi River at Brainerd expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 4.30 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05242300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.37769, -94.18265 (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	4.28 ft	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional
Flow	470 cfs	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at Brainerd (usgs:05242300). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-brainerd

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