Kettle River below Sandstone water level

Name: Kettle River below Sandstone 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, Kettle River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

3.87ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT (38 min ago)

Flow: 87.6 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

At 3.87 ft, the Kettle River below Sandstone 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 3.86 ft and 3.92 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: 18.27 ftJuly 13, 2016

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

12.00 ft: This will cause minor flooding of lowlands.
3.87 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	18.27 ft	July 13, 2016
2	18.22 ft	June 22, 2012
3	15.38 ft	July 23, 1972
4	14.67 ft	April 24, 2001
5	13.40 ft	April 21, 1979
6	12.96 ft	April 1, 1965
7	12.82 ft	October 1, 2019
8	12.56 ft	April 18, 1982
9	12.49 ft	May 11, 1979
10	12.36 ft	April 12, 1971

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 43%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Snake River near Pine CityRiver gauge, Snake River	2.83 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	19 mi
St. Croix River near DanburyRiver gauge, St. Croix River	0.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	30 mi
Rice River at Nature Ave near KimberlyRiver gauge, Rice River	7.99 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	43 mi
St. Louis River at ScanlonRiver gauge, St. Louis River	2.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	46 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.26 ft	Below flood stage	±0	50 mi
Mississippi River Diversion near AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River Diversion	0.0 cfs	Low	±0	52 mi
Nemadji River near South SuperiorRiver gauge, Nemadji River	3.92 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	52 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 Kettle River below Sandstone today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 PM CDT, the water level was 3.87 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Kettle River below Sandstone rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kettle River below Sandstone 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 Kettle River below Sandstone?

The highest level on record is 18.27 ft on July 13, 2016.

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:05336700 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.10519, -92.86431 (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	3.87 ft	2026-10-17 20:00	Provisional
Flow	87.6 cfs	2026-10-17 20:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kettle River below Sandstone (usgs:05336700). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/kettle-river-below-sandstone

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