Minnesota River at New Ulm water level

Name: Minnesota River at New Ulm 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

785.55ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 16, 2026, 09:45 AM CDT (2 days ago)

Flow: 522 cfs

History

Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.

What this means

The Minnesota River at New Ulm is at 785.55 ft, in the normal range.

It is 14.45 ft below the flood stage of 800.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours.

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: 811.03 ftApril 9, 1997
Lowest on record: 0.10 ftSeptember 12, 1976

Floating and fishing near Minnesota River at New Ulm

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

Flood stage here is 800.00 ft, 14.45 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

810.25 ft: Flood waters begin to impact Highway 37.
806.50 ft: Flood waters begin to impact Nicollet County CSAH 21 between MN Hwy 15 and 4.
805.00 ft: Flood gate on South Front Street is closed.
804.00 ft: Flood waters begin to impact Brown County CSAH 13 near Buessmann Bridge.
803.00 ft: Flood gate at C Street is closed.
801.00 ft: Flood gate at 18th South Street is closed.
796.00 ft: Water impacts park land and boat launch access road is closed.
795.00 ft: Water begins to impact the access roads in the floodplain.
785.55 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	811.03 ft	April 9, 1997
2	809.44 ft	April 15, 1969
3	808.30 ft	April 16, 2001
4	807.70 ft	April 26, 2001
5	807.55 ft	April 2, 2019
6	806.02 ft	April 5, 2011
7	805.37 ft	April 22, 2023
8	804.86 ft	March 27, 2010
9	804.78 ft	April 21, 2019
10	804.58 ft	July 7, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.44 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 63° 32° – Wind 21 mph

18 Sun 70° 42° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 67° 39° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 69° 48° – Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 73° 53° 0.06 in Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 76° 62° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 75° 60° 0.08 in Wind 19 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:37 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 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	−0.01 ft	120 mi
Minnesota River near Lac Qui ParleRiver gauge, Minnesota River	72.6 cfs	Low	+2.1 cfs	86 mi
Minnesota River at MontevideoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	2.65 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	78 mi
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	65 mi
Minnesota River at MortonRiver gauge, Minnesota River	7.69 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	33 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	4.83 ft	Below flood stage	+0.41 ft	23 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.17 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	48 mi
Minnesota River at St. Highway 101 in ShakopeeRiver gauge, Minnesota River	16.57 ft	No reference yet	+0.03 ft	57 mi
Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State ParkRiver gauge, Minnesota River	686.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	73 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cottonwood River near New UlmRiver gauge, Cottonwood River	3.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	0.6 mi
Little Cottonwood River near CourtlandRiver gauge, Little Cottonwood River	14.4 cfs	Normal	+0.8 cfs	5.8 mi
Watonwan River near Garden CityRiver gauge, Watonwan River	133 cfs	Normal	+22.0 cfs	21 mi
Blue Earth River near RapidanRiver gauge, Blue Earth River	1,280 cfs	Normal	+338 cfs	22 mi
Le Sueur River near RapidanRiver gauge, Le Sueur River	1,020 cfs	High	+299 cfs	23 mi
High Island Creek near HendersonRiver gauge, High Island Creek	59.0 cfs	Normal	−2.2 cfs	32 mi
Redwood River near Redwood FallsRiver gauge, Redwood River	1.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	40 mi
Des Moines River above WindomRiver gauge, Des Moines River	9.47 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	46 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Minnesota River at New Ulm?

The official flood stage is 800.00 ft. The level is currently 14.45 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 New Ulm today?

On Oct 16, 2026, 09:45 AM CDT, the water level was 785.55 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Minnesota River at New Ulm rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Minnesota River at New Ulm 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 New Ulm?

The highest level on record is 811.03 ft on April 9, 1997. The lowest is 0.10 ft on September 12, 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:05316770 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.29694, -94.43361 (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	785.55 ft	2026-10-16 14:45	Provisional
Flow	522 cfs	2026-10-18 09:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Minnesota River at New Ulm (usgs:05316770). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/minnesota-river-at-new-ulm

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