Des Moines River above Windom water level

Name: Des Moines River above Windom 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, Des Moines River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

9.58ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 33.5 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Des Moines River above Windom reads 9.58 ft, a normal level.

It is 9.42 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft.

The water is rising: up 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 9.42 ft of room before flood stage. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 9.47 ft and 9.58 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 25.01 ftJune 25, 2024

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 19.00 ft, still 9.42 ft away.

What happens at each level

30.00 ft: The bridge at the gage location on Country Club Dr is overtopped and nearby homes are flooded. Portions of County Road 13 begin to flood.
27.00 ft: Highway 71 in Windom is flooded and significant flooding of homes and businesses will be ongoing. The main levee at the golf course in Windom is overtopped.
25.00 ft: Water approaches Hwy 71 in Windom as well as the bottom of the railroad bridge. A significant amount of water overtops River Rd and backs up through the Perkins Creek floodplain, flooding nearby homes and outbuildings.
24.00 ft: Water reaches the bottom beams of the bridge on Country Club Dr.
23.00 ft: Water begins to approach at least a couple homes and businesses in Windom. Water also approaches River Rd southeast of 15th Ave and at least one private driveway is flooded off of Country Club Dr.
22.00 ft: Water begins to approach or flood some outbuildings near Valley Ln and also south of 6th St.
21.00 ft: The lower portions of the road through Island Park are overtopped and water approaches a couple of the gravel parking lots on the east side of Hwy 71 in Windom.
19.00 ft: Lowland flooding begins along several stretches of the river and Island Park in Windom floods in several areas.
18.00 ft: The boat launch area off of River Rd begins to flood.
17.00 ft: The lower parking lot on the south side of Island Park begins to flood.
15.00 ft: The lower banks at Island Park begin to overflow.
9.58 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	25.01 ft	June 25, 2024
2	24.70 ft	April 11, 1969
3	23.40 ft	July 7, 2018
4	23.01 ft	March 23, 2019
5	23.00 ft	September 24, 2010
6	21.90 ft	April 4, 1984
7	21.79 ft	March 25, 2011
8	21.57 ft	April 27, 2001
9	21.57 ft	June 22, 2014
10	21.34 ft	March 30, 1997

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.48 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 31° – Wind 23 mph

18 Sun 68° 43° – Wind 21 mph

19 Mon 65° 45° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 67° 49° – Wind 16 mph

21 Wed 71° 55° 0.02 in Wind 16 mph

22 Thu 75° 56° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 75° 62° 0.07 in Wind 23 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:38 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 10 hr, 57 min First quarter 42%

Map

Other gauges on the Des Moines River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Des Moines River at JacksonRiver gauge, Des Moines River	7.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	21 mi
Des Moines River at EsthervilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	2.37 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	37 mi
Des Moines River at EmmetsburgRiver gauge, Des Moines River	1.59 ft	Below flood stage	+0.07 ft	57 mi
Des Moines River at HumboldtRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.39 ft	94 mi
Des Moines River at Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Des Moines River	5.26 ft	Below flood stage	+0.28 ft	107 mi
Des Moines River near StratfordRiver gauge, Des Moines River	9.24 ft	Below flood stage	±0	128 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Spirit Lake near OrleansLake, Spirit Lake	14.20 ft	Very high	−0.05 ft	29 mi
West Okoboji Lake at Lakeside Lab near MilfordLake, West Okoboji Lake	4.16 ft	Very high	−0.06 ft	35 mi
Cottonwood River near New UlmRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.25 ft	Below flood stage	±0	45 mi
Minnesota River at New UlmRiver gauge, Minnesota River	785.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	46 mi
Little Cottonwood River near CourtlandRiver gauge, Little Cottonwood River	14.7 cfs	Normal	+0.3 cfs	48 mi
Redwood River near MarshallRiver gauge, Redwood River	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	50 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Des Moines River above Windom?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 9.42 ft below it.

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 Des Moines River above Windom today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT, the water level was 9.58 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Des Moines River above Windom rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Des Moines River above Windom normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Des Moines River above Windom?

The highest level on record is 25.01 ft on June 25, 2024.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05475350 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.89026, -95.16111 (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	9.58 ft	2026-10-17 16:00	Provisional
Flow	33.5 cfs	2026-10-17 16:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Des Moines River above Windom (usgs:05475350). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/des-moines-river-above-windom

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