Minnesota River at Montevideo water level

Name: Minnesota River at Montevideo 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, Minnesota River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.65ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT (36 min ago)

Flow: 303 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Minnesota River at Montevideo reads 2.65 ft, a normal level.

It is 11.35 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 2.57 ft and 2.66 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: 23.90 ftApril 6, 1997
Lowest on record: 0.01 ftJuly 1, 1933

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 14.00 ft, still 11.35 ft away.

What happens at each level

23.10 ft: Low bridge steel elevation on the highway 59/212 bridge.
18.00 ft: Sanitary sewers begin to be affected at this level.
17.00 ft: Storm sewers may need to be plugged to prevent water from backing up into streets.
14.00 ft: Low lying areas and some roads along the river begin flooding, along with some basements of houses along the river.
2.65 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	23.90 ft	April 6, 1997
2	22.15 ft	April 14, 2001
3	21.98 ft	March 30, 2019
4	21.68 ft	April 12, 1969
5	20.09 ft	March 23, 2010
6	20.02 ft	April 10, 1952
7	19.76 ft	April 7, 2011
8	19.36 ft	April 17, 2023
9	19.20 ft	April 24, 2001
10	18.58 ft	March 29, 2011

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.04 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 66° 33° – Wind 20 mph

18 Sun 72° 41° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 67° 39° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 71° 48° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 76° 52° 0.00 in Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 76° 58° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 76° 61° 0.18 in Wind 20 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 48%

Map

Other gauges on the Minnesota River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Minnesota River at OrtonvilleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	1.24 ft	Below flood stage	±0	43 mi
Minnesota River near Lac Qui ParleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	72.6 cfs	Low	+2.1 cfs	9 mi
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	13 mi
Minnesota River at MortonRiver gauge, Minnesota River	7.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	45 mi
Minnesota River at New UlmRiver gauge, Minnesota River	785.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	78 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	4.79 ft	Below flood stage	+0.39 ft	100 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.15 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	104 mi
Minnesota River at St. Highway 101 in ShakopeeRiver gauge, Minnesota River	16.56 ft	No reference yet	+0.02 ft	108 mi
Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State ParkRiver gauge, Minnesota River	686.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	124 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River (Tw) near WatsonRiver gauge, Chippewa River (Tw)	98.0 cfs	Normal	−3.0 cfs	7 mi
Chippewa River near MilanRiver gauge, Chippewa River	200 cfs	Normal	−4.0 cfs	13 mi
Yellow Medicine River near Granite FallsRiver gauge, Yellow Medicine River	27.1 cfs	Normal	±0	18 mi
Pomme De Terre River at AppletonRiver gauge, Pomme De Terre River	94.1 cfs	Normal	+4.0 cfs	23 mi
Redwood River near MarshallRiver gauge, Redwood River	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	±0	35 mi
Yellow Bank River near OdessaRiver gauge, Yellow Bank River	146 cfs	Very high	+2.0 cfs	36 mi
Redwood River near Redwood FallsRiver gauge, Redwood River	1.79 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	40 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Minnesota River at Montevideo?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 11.35 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 Minnesota River at Montevideo today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT, the water level was 2.65 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Minnesota River at Montevideo rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Minnesota River at Montevideo normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Minnesota River at Montevideo?

The highest level on record is 23.90 ft on April 6, 1997. The lowest is 0.01 ft on July 1, 1933.

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:05311000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.93331, -95.73364 (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	2.65 ft	2026-10-18 08:00	Provisional
Flow	303 cfs	2026-10-18 08:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Minnesota River at Montevideo (usgs:05311000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/minnesota-river-at-montevideo

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