Straight River near Faribault water level

Name: Straight River near Faribault 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, Straight River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

4.81ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 09:15 AM CDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 371 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Straight River near Faribault is at 4.81 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.54 ft and 4.86 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: 14.88 ftSeptember 24, 2010

Floating and fishing near Straight River near Faribault

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

What happens at each level

11.80 ft: LEFT BANK WILL OVERFLOW
9.90 ft: RIGHT BANK WILL OVERFLOW
4.81 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.88 ft	September 24, 2010
2	12.88 ft	April 11, 2001
3	12.83 ft	March 25, 1989
4	12.77 ft	June 23, 2024
5	12.74 ft	May 5, 1974
6	12.68 ft	March 8, 1973
7	12.20 ft	June 19, 2014
8	12.19 ft	February 18, 1984
9	11.31 ft	July 7, 1990
10	11.20 ft	May 1, 1990

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.15 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 42° – Wind 21 mph

19 Mon 62° 40° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 67° 46° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 72° 51° 0.13 in Wind 15 mph

22 Thu 72° 57° 0.02 in Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 69° 54° 0.06 in Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 68° 48° 0.01 in Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:25 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 50%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cannon River at Co. Highway 29 below FaribaultRiver gauge, Cannon River	472 cfs	Normal	+43.0 cfs	7 mi
Cannon River at NorthfieldRiver gauge, Cannon River	890.50 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	14 mi
Cannon River at 9th St. Bridge in Cannon FallsRiver gauge, Cannon River	531 cfs	Normal	+86.0 cfs	24 mi
Vermillion River near EmpireRiver gauge, Vermillion River	28.0 cfs	Low	−3.6 cfs	30 mi
Cannon River at WelchRiver gauge, Cannon River	553 cfs	Normal	+118 cfs	32 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.20 ft	Below flood stage	+0.09 ft	36 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5,090 cfs	Low	−1,740.0 cfs	39 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	4.94 ft	Below flood stage	+0.47 ft	39 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 Straight River near Faribault today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 09:15 AM CDT, the water level was 4.81 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Straight River near Faribault rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Straight River near Faribault 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 Straight River near Faribault?

The highest level on record is 14.88 ft on September 24, 2010.

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:05353800 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.25788, -93.23112 (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	4.81 ft	2026-10-18 14:15	Provisional
Flow	371 cfs	2026-10-18 14:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/14307?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Straight River near Faribault water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Straight River near Faribault (usgs:05353800). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/straight-river-near-faribault

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