Minnesota River at Morton water level

Name: Minnesota River at Morton 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

7.60ft Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 PM CDT (42 min ago)

Flow: 346 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Minnesota River at Morton, where the gauge shows 7.60 ft.

It is 13.40 ft below the flood stage of 21.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.15 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 7.60 ft – 8.34 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: 29.25 ftApril 15, 2001

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 21.00 ft.

What happens at each level

26.00 ft: Numerous roads flooded and impassable between the Minnesota River and Redwood Falls.
24.00 ft: Fleischer Rd flooded in North Redwood; storm sewers closed off and bypass pumping begins.
23.00 ft: Riverside Rd and Front Street flooded in North Redwood.
19.00 ft: Water reaches flood mitigation culverts on Riverside Road
7.60 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: 8 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	29.25 ft	April 15, 2001
2	28.85 ft	March 31, 2019
3	27.53 ft	June 21, 2014
4	27.42 ft	April 4, 2011
5	27.29 ft	March 25, 2010
6	26.71 ft	April 21, 2023
7	26.58 ft	April 23, 2019
8	26.11 ft	July 4, 2018
9	25.55 ft	May 16, 2022
10	24.38 ft	April 28, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.28 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 69° 40° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 69° 48° – Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 74° 53° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 73° 55° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 70° 58° 0.15 in Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 67° 47° 0.31 in, 32% Wind 21 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:32 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 53%

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	−0.01 ft	88 mi
Minnesota River near Lac Qui ParleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	70.5 cfs	Low	−4.1 cfs	54 mi
Minnesota River at MontevideoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	45 mi
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	32 mi
Minnesota River at New UlmRiver gauge, Minnesota River	785.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	33 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	5.08 ft	Below flood stage	+0.50 ft	55 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.27 ft	Below flood stage	+0.18 ft	67 mi
Minnesota River at St. Highway 101 in ShakopeeRiver gauge, Minnesota River	16.63 ft	No reference yet	+0.17 ft	74 mi
Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State ParkRiver gauge, Minnesota River	686.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	91 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Redwood River near Redwood FallsRiver gauge, Redwood River	1.83 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	9 mi
Yellow Medicine River near Granite FallsRiver gauge, Yellow Medicine River	26.4 cfs	Normal	+0.7 cfs	29 mi
Cottonwood River near New UlmRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.27 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	33 mi
Little Cottonwood River near CourtlandRiver gauge, Little Cottonwood River	15.1 cfs	Normal	±0	38 mi
Redwood River near MarshallRiver gauge, Redwood River	6.65 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	42 mi
Chippewa River (Tw) near WatsonRiver gauge, Chippewa River (Tw)	99.4 cfs	Normal	−1.6 cfs	51 mi
Watonwan River near Garden CityRiver gauge, Watonwan River	139 cfs	Normal	+14.0 cfs	52 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Minnesota River at Morton?

The official flood stage is 21.00 ft. The level is currently 13.40 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 Morton today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 05:00 PM CDT, the water level was 7.60 ft. Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Minnesota River at Morton rising or falling?

Down 0.15 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Minnesota River at Morton 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 Morton?

The highest level on record is 29.25 ft on April 15, 2001.

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:05316580 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.54555, -94.99498 (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	7.60 ft	2026-10-18 22:00	Provisional
Flow	346 cfs	2026-10-18 22:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Minnesota River at Morton (usgs:05316580). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/minnesota-river-at-morton

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