Crow Wing River near Pillager water level

Name: Crow Wing River near Pillager 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, Crow Wing River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.57ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 09:45 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 580 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 3.57 ft, the Crow Wing River near Pillager is far 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. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.57 ft and 3.63 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: 12.11 ftApril 12, 2001

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

What happens at each level

3.57 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	12.11 ft	April 12, 2001
2	11.73 ft	April 7, 1997
3	10.77 ft	April 15, 1996
4	10.47 ft	March 28, 2009
5	9.97 ft	May 14, 1999
6	9.41 ft	March 30, 2019
7	9.39 ft	March 17, 2010
8	8.85 ft	April 18, 2023
9	8.42 ft	June 18, 2014
10	8.31 ft	April 25, 2018

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:39 AM Sunset 06:27 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 51%

Map

Other gauges on the Crow Wing River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Crow Wing River at NimrodRiver gauge, Crow Wing River	222 cfs	Low	±0	33 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.24 ft	11 mi
Mille Lacs Lake near GarrisonLake, Mille Lacs Lake	10.16 ft	Very low	+0.02 ft	27 mi
Long Prairie River at Long PrairieRiver gauge, Long Prairie River	1.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	33 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,610 cfs	Low	+10.0 cfs	33 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.28 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	36 mi
Mississippi River Diversion near AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River Diversion	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	38 mi
Straight River near Park RapidsRiver gauge, Straight River	35.3 cfs	Very low	−1.3 cfs	51 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 Crow Wing River near Pillager today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 09:45 AM CDT, the water level was 3.57 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Crow Wing River near Pillager rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Crow Wing River near Pillager normal?

Very 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 Crow Wing River near Pillager?

The highest level on record is 12.11 ft on April 12, 2001.

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:05247500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.30478, -94.37753 (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	3.57 ft	2026-10-18 14:45	Provisional
Flow	580 cfs	2026-10-18 14:45	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Crow Wing River near Pillager (usgs:05247500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/crow-wing-river-near-pillager

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