Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle water level

Name: Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle 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

Low for mid-October

Water level

20.81ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 09:00 AM CDT (43 min ago)

Flow: 72.6 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Low water at Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle: the gauge reads 20.81 ft, 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. The 30-day range is 20.80 ft – 20.82 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

Paddling and fishing conditions

At low levels, plan for shorter paddling trips and expect to walk your boat through a few shoals.

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 71° 42° – Wind 8 mph

19 Mon 67° 39° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 71° 48° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 76° 52° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 76° 57° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 76° 61° 0.19 in Wind 20 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:45 AM Sunset 06:33 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 60%

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	34 mi
Minnesota River at MontevideoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	2.72 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	9 mi
Minnesota River at Highway 212 in Granite FallsRiver gauge, Minnesota River	879.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	22 mi
Minnesota River at MortonRiver gauge, Minnesota River	7.56 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	54 mi
Minnesota River at New UlmRiver gauge, Minnesota River	785.55 ft	Below flood stage	±0	86 mi
Minnesota River at MankatoRiver gauge, Minnesota River	5.20 ft	Below flood stage	+0.28 ft	109 mi
Minnesota River near JordanRiver gauge, Minnesota River	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	+0.44 ft	111 mi
Minnesota River at St. Highway 101 in ShakopeeRiver gauge, Minnesota River	17.01 ft	No reference yet	+0.42 ft	116 mi
Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State ParkRiver gauge, Minnesota River	686.73 ft	No reference yet	−0.01 ft	131 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Chippewa River (Tw) near WatsonRiver gauge, Chippewa River (Tw)	101 cfs	Normal	±0	3.7 mi
Chippewa River near MilanRiver gauge, Chippewa River	200 cfs	Normal	+3.0 cfs	7 mi
Pomme De Terre River at AppletonRiver gauge, Pomme De Terre River	87.0 cfs	Normal	−8.4 cfs	15 mi
Yellow Medicine River near Granite FallsRiver gauge, Yellow Medicine River	31.3 cfs	Normal	+5.6 cfs	26 mi
Yellow Bank River near OdessaRiver gauge, Yellow Bank River	149 cfs	Very high	+6.0 cfs	27 mi
Whetstone River near Big Stone CityRiver gauge, Whetstone River	1.32 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	36 mi
Redwood River near MarshallRiver gauge, Redwood River	6.65 ft	Below flood stage	±0	41 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 Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 09:00 AM CDT, the water level was 20.81 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:05301000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.02121, -95.86850 (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	20.81 ft	2026-10-19 14:00	Provisional
Flow	72.6 cfs	2026-10-19 14:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Minnesota River near Lac Qui Parle (usgs:05301000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/minnesota-river-near-lac-qui-parle

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