Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club water level

Name: Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club 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

Low for mid-October

Water level

4.01ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 301 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club: the gauge reads 4.01 ft, below normal for mid-October.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 3.98 ft – 4.09 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: 11.50 ftFebruary 18, 2011

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

What happens at each level

4.01 ft: Right now
0.00 ft: No known impacts at this location.

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	11.50 ft	February 18, 2011
2	10.66 ft	February 5, 2017
3	10.61 ft	October 27, 2019
4	10.53 ft	July 12, 2022
5	10.46 ft	July 25, 2014
6	10.33 ft	June 23, 2024
7	10.01 ft	June 26, 2013
8	9.82 ft	May 26, 2009
9	9.27 ft	June 16, 2008
10	9.21 ft	June 7, 2019

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 62° 35° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 60° 42° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 71° 46° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 67° 53° 0.02 in, 26% Wind 16 mph

24 Sat 66° 49° 0.11 in, 28% Wind 16 mph

25 Sun 49° 37° – Wind 13 mph

26 Mon 44° 30° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 39 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River near BemidjiRiver gauge, Mississippi River	190 cfs	Normal	−12.0 cfs	41 mi
Mississippi River at Days High Landing near Deer RiverRiver gauge, Mississippi River	73.09 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	5.7 mi
Mississippi River at Grand RapidsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	411 cfs	Low	+5.0 cfs	18 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	53 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.66 ft	Below flood stage	+0.28 ft	65 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,400 cfs	Very low	−180.0 cfs	104 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	122 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.30 ft	Below flood stage	±0	148 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	153 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Ball Club River near Ball ClubRiver gauge, Ball Club River	4.70 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	2.1 mi
Leech Lake at Sugar Point near Federal DamReservoir, Leech Lake	94.27 ft	No reference yet	±0	20 mi
Prairie River near TaconiteRiver gauge, Prairie River	2.16 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	25 mi
Tamarack R. at 480th St near WrightRiver gauge, Tamarack R.	9.49 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	57 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 Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT, the water level was 4.01 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club 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 Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club?

The highest level on record is 11.50 ft on February 18, 2011.

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:05207600 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 47.30222, -93.90139 (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	4.01 ft	2026-10-20 19:15	Provisional
Flow	301 cfs	2026-10-20 19:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball Club (usgs:05207600). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-willow-beach-at-ball-club

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