Mississippi River at St. Paul water level

Name: Mississippi River at St. Paul 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, Mississippi River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.19ft Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT (32 min ago)

Flow: 6,860 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 07:00 PM. Issued Sunday, October 18 at 07:38 PM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Mississippi River at St. Paul is at 3.19 ft, in the normal range.

It is 10.81 ft below the flood stage of 14.00 ft.

It has risen 0.18 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 07:00 PM. There is still 10.81 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 2.95 ft and 3.21 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 26.01 ftApril 16, 1965
Lowest on record: 2.65 ftJanuary 20, 1976
Forecast peak: 3.10 ftMonday, October 19 at 01:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Mississippi River at St. Paul

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

Flood stage here is 14.00 ft, 10.81 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

31.00 ft: Top of Right Bank Levee in St Paul across from the city side.
29.00 ft: **Updated level from the USACE - Top of Right Bank Levee in the city of South St Paul
18.00 ft: Warner Road may become impassable due to high water.
17.50 ft: Harriet Island begins to become submerged.
14.00 ft: Portions of the Lilydale park area begin to experience flooding.
13.30 ft: Water begins to encroach on Water St.
3.19 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	26.01 ft	April 16, 1965
2	24.52 ft	April 15, 1969
3	23.76 ft	April 18, 2001
4	23.20 ft	April 30, 2001
5	22.37 ft	April 13, 1997
6	22.02 ft	April 16, 1952
7	20.19 ft	March 31, 2019
8	20.17 ft	June 29, 2024
9	20.13 ft	June 26, 2014
10	19.15 ft	June 26, 1993

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.43 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 67° 42° – Wind 12 mph

19 Mon 65° 42° – Wind 5 mph

20 Tue 69° 48° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 72° 51° 0.01 in Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 74° 61° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 71° 55° 0.07 in Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 69° 49° 0.02 in Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:22 PM Daylight 10 hr, 49 min First quarter 56%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.29 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	114 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.28 ft	Below flood stage	±0	112 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,700 cfs	Low	+40.0 cfs	87 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	66 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	23 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	16 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.66 ft	No reference yet	−0.07 ft	12 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5,240 cfs	Low	+480 cfs	18 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	8,120 cfs	Low	+610 cfs	20 mi
Mississippi River at Red WingRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.41 ft	Below flood stage	−0.20 ft	37 mi
Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 5A near WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.91 ft	No reference yet	+0.01 ft	92 mi
Mississippi River at WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.76 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	94 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Minnehaha Creek at Hiawatha Ave. in MinneapolisRiver gauge, Minnehaha Creek	6.0 cfs	Low	−1.5 cfs	6 mi
Rice Creek below Old Highway 8 in Mounds ViewRiver gauge, Rice Creek	5.4 cfs	Low	−2.5 cfs	12 mi
Shingle Creek at Queen Ave in MinneapolisRiver gauge, Shingle Creek	0.8 cfs	Very low	−0.5 cfs	13 mi
St. Croix River at StillwaterRiver gauge, St. Croix River	1,790 cfs	Very low	−790.0 cfs	16 mi
Coon Creek at Vale Street in Coon RapidsRiver gauge, Coon Creek	16.1 cfs	Very low	−0.9 cfs	17 mi
Kinnickinnic River near River FallsRiver gauge, Kinnickinnic River	97.2 cfs	Normal	±0	19 mi
Vermillion River near EmpireRiver gauge, Vermillion River	25.1 cfs	Low	−3.9 cfs	19 mi
St. Croix River at PrescottRiver gauge, St. Croix River	2,880 cfs	Very low	+130 cfs	19 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Mississippi River at St. Paul?

The official flood stage is 14.00 ft. The level is currently 10.81 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 Mississippi River at St. Paul today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT, the water level was 3.19 ft. Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at St. Paul rising or falling?

Up 0.18 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at St. Paul normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Mississippi River at St. Paul?

The highest level on record is 26.01 ft on April 16, 1965. The lowest is 2.65 ft on January 20, 1976.

Is Mississippi River at St. Paul expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 3.00 ft by Thursday, October 22 at 07:00 PM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05331000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.94444, -93.08811 (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	3.19 ft	2026-10-19 04:00	Provisional
Flow	6,860 cfs	2026-10-19 04:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at St. Paul (usgs:05331000). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-st-paul

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