Mississippi River at Red Wing water level

Name: Mississippi River at Red Wing 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

2.56ft Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM CDT (21 min ago)

Flow: 9,460 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.50 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 Red Wing, where the gauge shows 2.56 ft.

It is 11.44 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.06 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.50 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 01:00 PM. There is still 11.44 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 2.29 ft – 2.64 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 20.70 ftApril 18, 1965
Forecast peak: 2.60 ftMonday, October 19 at 07:00 AM

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 14.00 ft.

What happens at each level

19.70 ft: Red Wing wastewater treatment plant begins to experience flooding.
17.00 ft: Milwaukee Road railroad between Red Wing and Hastings begins flooding.
16.00 ft: Red Wing Milling Company may experience basement flooding and begin pumping.
15.00 ft: The city of Frontenac and Bay City begin flooding.
14.30 ft: Lock and dam 3 may end operations.
14.00 ft: Low lying areas and some roads along the river begin to experience flooding.
2.56 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	20.70 ft	April 18, 1965
2	18.80 ft	April 17, 1969
3	18.20 ft	April 28, 2001
4	18.10 ft	April 17, 2001
5	17.18 ft	April 12, 1997
6	17.00 ft	April 18, 1952
7	16.55 ft	April 25, 2023
8	16.40 ft	April 17, 1951
9	16.19 ft	July 1, 2024
10	15.81 ft	April 1, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.20 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 42° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 64° 42° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 68° 45° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 73° 49° 0.01 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 73° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 71° 52° 0.07 in Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 67° 49° 0.02 in Wind 21 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:22 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,700 cfs	Low	+70.0 cfs	124 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	104 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	60 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	54 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.72 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	49 mi
Mississippi River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Mississippi River	3.14 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	37 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	6,000 cfs	Normal	+70.0 cfs	20 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	9,740 cfs	Normal	+60.0 cfs	18 mi
Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 5A near WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.93 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	55 mi
Mississippi River at WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.74 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	57 mi
Mississippi River at BrownsvilleRiver gauge, Mississippi River	31.36 ft	No reference yet	+0.06 ft	87 mi
Mississippi River at McGregorRiver gauge, Mississippi River	6.86 ft	Low	+0.06 ft	126 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cannon River at WelchRiver gauge, Cannon River	541 cfs	Normal	+64.0 cfs	9 mi
St. Croix River at PrescottRiver gauge, St. Croix River	3,730 cfs	Low	+1,710 cfs	18 mi
Cannon River at 9th St. Bridge in Cannon FallsRiver gauge, Cannon River	521 cfs	Normal	−20.0 cfs	19 mi
Zumbro River at Zumbro FallsRiver gauge, Zumbro River	5.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	20 mi
Kinnickinnic River near River FallsRiver gauge, Kinnickinnic River	96.0 cfs	Normal	−5.0 cfs	21 mi
Eau Galle River at Spring ValleyRiver gauge, Eau Galle River	16.1 cfs	Normal	−1.4 cfs	25 mi
Vermillion River near EmpireRiver gauge, Vermillion River	26.0 cfs	Low	−4.0 cfs	26 mi
Chippewa River at DurandRiver gauge, Chippewa River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	+0.06 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Mississippi River at Red Wing?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 11.44 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 Red Wing today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:15 PM CDT, the water level was 2.56 ft. Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at Red Wing rising or falling?

Up 0.06 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at Red Wing 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 Red Wing?

The highest level on record is 20.70 ft on April 18, 1965.

Is Mississippi River at Red Wing expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 2.50 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:05355250 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.56531, -92.54244 (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	2.56 ft	2026-10-18 22:15	Provisional
Flow	9,460 cfs	2026-10-18 22:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at Red Wing (usgs:05355250). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-red-wing

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