Long Prairie River at Long Prairie water level

Name: Long Prairie River at Long Prairie 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, Long Prairie River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.46ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 44.2 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Long Prairie River at Long Prairie is at 1.46 ft, in the normal range.

It is 5.54 ft below the flood stage of 7.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.45 ft and 1.48 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: 9.37 ftJuly 22, 1972
Lowest on record: 0.60 ftSeptember 19, 1976

Floating and fishing near Long Prairie River at Long Prairie

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 7.00 ft, 5.54 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

10.90 ft: Water reaches low bridge steel on Riverside Drive bridge just below gage.
9.30 ft: Water begins to flow over Riverside Drive west of the bridge.
9.20 ft: Water begins to flow over Highway 71 about 2000 feet north of Highway 27.
8.00 ft: Commercial businesses are impacted on Riverside Drive and 1st Avenue SW. Sandbags deployed to protect commercial structures.
7.00 ft: 1st Avenue SW becomes innundated. Lumber yard and produce store parking lots flood due to water backing up Venewitz Creek. Lions Westside park impacted.
6.00 ft: Low area north side of the river across from Lions Westside Park partially inundated.
5.00 ft: Canoe Landing at Riverside Park starts to flood.
1.46 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	9.37 ft	July 22, 1972
2	8.91 ft	April 9, 2001
3	8.78 ft	June 26, 2003
4	7.90 ft	April 8, 1997
5	7.58 ft	March 26, 2009
6	7.56 ft	April 14, 2023
7	7.55 ft	April 20, 1979
8	7.54 ft	April 5, 1982
9	7.29 ft	March 28, 2019
10	7.10 ft	April 1, 1986

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 10 hr, 49 min First quarter 52%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,700 cfs	Low	+100 cfs	27 mi
Crow Wing River near PillagerRiver gauge, Crow Wing River	580 cfs	Very low	±0	33 mi
Sauk River near St. CloudRiver gauge, Sauk River	1.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	42 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.28 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	43 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.06 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	46 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Long Prairie River at Long Prairie?

The official flood stage is 7.00 ft. The level is currently 5.54 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 Long Prairie River at Long Prairie today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT, the water level was 1.46 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Long Prairie River at Long Prairie rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Long Prairie River at Long Prairie normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Long Prairie River at Long Prairie?

The highest level on record is 9.37 ft on July 22, 1972. The lowest is 0.60 ft on September 19, 1976.

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:05245100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.97509, -94.86593 (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	1.46 ft	2026-10-18 19:15	Provisional
Flow	44.2 cfs	2026-10-18 19:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Long Prairie River at Long Prairie (usgs:05245100). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/long-prairie-river-at-long-prairie

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