Elk River near Big Lake water level

Name: Elk River near Big Lake 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, Elk River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

0.72ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 08:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 67.9 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Elk River near Big Lake is running far below normal at 0.72 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 0.65 ft and 0.74 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: 10.86 ftApril 16, 1965

Floating and fishing near Elk River near Big Lake

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	10.86 ft	April 16, 1965
2	10.36 ft	April 10, 1952
3	10.10 ft	May 7, 1912
4	10.08 ft	April 10, 1969
5	9.87 ft	June 16, 1984
6	9.46 ft	April 27, 2001
7	8.95 ft	April 7, 1997
8	8.45 ft	April 2, 1950
9	7.68 ft	April 11, 1951
10	7.60 ft	April 14, 2001

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.27 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 67° 43° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 64° 41° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 68° 46° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 71° 50° 0.01 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 73° 57° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 67° 54° 0.05 in Wind 19 mph

24 Sat 65° 45° 0.01 in, 23% Wind 24 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 10 hr, 47 min First quarter 55%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rum River near St. FrancisRiver gauge, Rum River	2.21 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	14 mi
Elm Creek near ChamplinRiver gauge, Elm Creek	4.4 cfs	Low	−1.7 cfs	16 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	16 mi
Crow River at RockfordRiver gauge, Crow River	2.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Sand Creek at Xeon Street in Coon RapidsRiver gauge, Sand Creek	3.2 cfs	Low	±0	21 mi
Coon Creek at Vale Street in Coon RapidsRiver gauge, Coon Creek	16.1 cfs	Very low	−0.9 cfs	22 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	23 mi
Shingle Creek at Queen Ave in MinneapolisRiver gauge, Shingle Creek	0.9 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	26 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 Elk River near Big Lake today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 08:00 PM CDT, the water level was 0.72 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Elk River near Big Lake rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Elk River near Big Lake 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 Elk River near Big Lake?

The highest level on record is 10.86 ft on April 16, 1965.

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:05275000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.33385, -93.66691 (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	0.72 ft	2026-10-19 01:00	Provisional
Flow	67.9 cfs	2026-10-19 01:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Elk River near Big Lake (usgs:05275000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/elk-river-near-big-lake

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