Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls water level

Name: Yellow Medicine River near Granite 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, Yellow Medicine River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

3.17ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 AM CDT (47 min ago)

Flow: 35.8 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls is at 3.17 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

It has risen 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.93 ft and 3.17 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: 17.95 ftMarch 26, 2019

Floating and fishing near Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	17.95 ft	March 26, 2019
2	14.90 ft	April 10, 1969
3	13.15 ft	June 19, 2014
4	12.41 ft	June 18, 1957
5	11.80 ft	March 31, 1997
6	11.46 ft	June 21, 1993
7	11.39 ft	June 9, 2012
8	10.50 ft	April 9, 1952
9	10.48 ft	June 27, 2013
10	9.90 ft	May 23, 2017

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 69° 40° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 70° 44° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 77° 57° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 74° 58° 0.01 in Wind 21 mph

24 Sat 70° 51° 0.08 in, 45% Wind 21 mph

25 Sun 64° 44° – Wind 18 mph

26 Mon 47° 36° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:45 AM Sunset 06:31 PM Daylight 10 hr, 46 min First quarter 67%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	6.2 mi
Minnesota River at MontevideoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	2.76 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	18 mi
Redwood River near Redwood FallsRiver gauge, Redwood River	1.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.18 ft	23 mi
Redwood River near MarshallRiver gauge, Redwood River	6.65 ft	Below flood stage	±0	24 mi
Chippewa River (Tw) near WatsonRiver gauge, Chippewa River (Tw)	102 cfs	Normal	±0	24 mi
Minnesota River near Lac Qui ParleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	72.6 cfs	Low	±0	26 mi
Minnesota River at MortonRiver gauge, Minnesota River	7.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	29 mi
Chippewa River near MilanRiver gauge, Chippewa River	185 cfs	Normal	−15.0 cfs	30 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 Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:45 AM CDT, the water level was 3.17 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls 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 Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls?

The highest level on record is 17.95 ft on March 26, 2019.

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:05313500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.71533, -95.54394 (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	3.17 ft	2026-10-20 08:45	Provisional
Flow	35.8 cfs	2026-10-20 08:45	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/10992?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Yellow Medicine River near Granite Falls (usgs:05313500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/yellow-medicine-river-near-granite-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