Chippewa River near Milan water level

Name: Chippewa River near Milan 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, Chippewa River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.44ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 08:45 AM CDT (40 min ago)

Flow: 200 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Chippewa River near Milan, where the gauge shows 1.44 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.39 ft – 1.45 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: 18.03 ftApril 6, 1997

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	18.03 ft	April 6, 1997
2	15.45 ft	April 9, 1969
3	14.63 ft	April 10, 2001
4	13.76 ft	March 25, 2019
5	13.48 ft	July 6, 1995
6	12.12 ft	April 6, 1952
7	12.10 ft	March 18, 2010
8	11.93 ft	April 11, 1965
9	11.57 ft	March 25, 2009
10	11.00 ft	March 17, 1985

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 66° 33° – Wind 21 mph

18 Sun 70° 43° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 67° 39° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 70° 47° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 75° 52° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 76° 57° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 76° 61° 0.23 in Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min First quarter 50%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River (Tw) near WatsonRiver gauge, Chippewa River (Tw)	101 cfs	Normal	+3.0 cfs	6.1 mi
Minnesota River near Lac Qui ParleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	72.6 cfs	Low	±0	7 mi
Minnesota River at MontevideoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	13 mi
Pomme De Terre River at AppletonRiver gauge, Pomme De Terre River	95.4 cfs	Normal	+5.5 cfs	13 mi
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	24 mi
Yellow Bank River near OdessaRiver gauge, Yellow Bank River	143 cfs	Very high	−4.0 cfs	28 mi
Yellow Medicine River near Granite FallsRiver gauge, Yellow Medicine River	27.1 cfs	Normal	−0.7 cfs	30 mi
Minnesota River at OrtonvilleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	1.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	34 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 Chippewa River near Milan today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 08:45 AM CDT, the water level was 1.44 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Chippewa River near Milan rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Chippewa River near Milan 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 Chippewa River near Milan?

The highest level on record is 18.03 ft on April 6, 1997.

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:05304500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.10854, -95.79877 (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	1.44 ft	2026-10-18 13:45	Provisional
Flow	200 cfs	2026-10-18 13:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Chippewa River near Milan (usgs:05304500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/chippewa-river-near-milan

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