Thief River near Thief River Falls water level

Name: Thief River near Thief River Falls 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, Thief River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

8.55ft Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 03:15 AM CDT (24 min ago)

Flow: 1,070 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The gauge at Thief River near Thief River Falls shows 8.55 ft, well above normal for mid-October.

The level is falling, down 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 8.55 ft and 8.81 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

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

High water at Thief River near Thief River Falls

The National Weather Service splits flooding into minor, moderate and major flood stage, each tied to what starts to go under water at this particular gauge. Minor flooding usually means low roads, parks and farmland; major flooding reaches homes and businesses.

Keep children and dogs well back from the edge, and stay off flooded footpaths and towpaths.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.03 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 44° – Wind 21 mph

19 Mon 58° 34° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 66° 37° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 63° 48° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 71° 48° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 66° 58° 0.04 in, 29% Wind 22 mph

24 Sat 67° 40° – Wind 24 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:51 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 10 hr, 39 min First quarter 57%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Clearwater River at PlummerRiver gauge, Clearwater River	57.1 cfs	Normal	−8.1 cfs	19 mi
Red Lake River at High Landing near GoodridgeRiver gauge, Red Lake River	2.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	19 mi
Clearwater River at Red Lake FallsRiver gauge, Clearwater River	164 cfs	Normal	+3.0 cfs	21 mi
Snake River above WarrenRiver gauge, Snake River	62.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.43 ft	25 mi
Middle River at ArgyleRiver gauge, Middle River	9.5 cfs	Normal	+0.6 cfs	32 mi
Red Lake River at CrookstonRiver gauge, Red Lake River	6.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	35 mi
Red Lake River at FisherRiver gauge, Red Lake River	1,500 cfs	Normal	−20.0 cfs	40 mi
Red River of The North at Grand ForksRiver gauge, Red River of The North	16.51 ft	High	+0.01 ft	44 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 Thief River near Thief River Falls today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 03:15 AM CDT, the water level was 8.55 ft. Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Thief River near Thief River Falls rising or falling?

Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Thief River near Thief River Falls normal?

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

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:05076000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 48.18618, -96.16995 (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	8.55 ft	2026-10-19 08:15	Provisional
Flow	1,070 cfs	2026-10-19 07:15	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/13967?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Thief River near Thief River Falls water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Thief River near Thief River Falls (usgs:05076000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/thief-river-near-thief-river-falls

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