Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin water level

Name: Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin 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

4.31ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 2,470 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin, where the gauge shows 4.31 ft.

It is 7.69 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 7.69 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 4.22 ft – 4.33 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: 17.96 ftApril 12, 1965
Lowest on record: 4.14 ftAugust 17, 2023

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 12.00 ft.

What happens at each level

17.80 ft: Anoka - Rum River begins flooding River Avenue and Madison Street
17.30 ft: Anoka - Rum River begins flooding 2nd Avenue and Adams Street.
17.00 ft: Champlin - water backs up through sewer manholes at Applewood Pointe on Dayton Road
14.60 ft: Anoka - water begins flooding Rice Street and Levee Avenue.
14.20 ft: Anoka - water begins flooding the Rum River boat launch walkway.
13.50 ft: Champlin - flooding begins on West River Parkway upstream from gage
11.26 ft: Watercraft restrictions begin.
11.00 ft: Champlin - flooding begins upstream of gage at Galloway Park
10.80 ft: Champlin - some flooding downstream of gage on Mississippi Drive
9.40 ft: Champlin - some flooding 3-4 miles downstream of gage below West River Road
9.00 ft: Champlin - low parking lot off 411 Dayton Road begins to flood.
8.80 ft: Champlin - low areas of Mississippi Point Park begin to flood.
4.31 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	17.96 ft	April 12, 1965
2	17.66 ft	April 17, 1965
3	17.56 ft	March 6, 1984
4	15.81 ft	March 29, 1957
5	15.46 ft	April 15, 1952
6	14.76 ft	April 9, 1997
7	14.29 ft	April 20, 2023
8	13.66 ft	June 17, 1966
9	13.36 ft	April 15, 2001
10	13.11 ft	January 13, 2020

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.34 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 69° 46° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 63° 41° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 68° 48° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 71° 54° 0.01 in Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 73° 59° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 68° 56° 0.07 in Wind 17 mph

24 Sat 68° 46° 0.01 in, 28% Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	94 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.38 ft	Below flood stage	+0.10 ft	90 mi
Mississippi River near RoyaltonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1,560 cfs	Low	−140.0 cfs	64 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.01 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	44 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.57 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	6 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.64 ft	No reference yet	−0.05 ft	12 mi
Mississippi River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Mississippi River	3.26 ft	Below flood stage	+0.12 ft	23 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	6,760 cfs	Normal	+760 cfs	41 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	10,100 cfs	Normal	+360 cfs	42 mi
Mississippi River at Red WingRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.50 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	60 mi
Mississippi River at Lock and Dam 5A near WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.91 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	114 mi
Mississippi River at WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.73 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	117 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elm Creek near ChamplinRiver gauge, Elm Creek	3.1 cfs	Low	−1.5 cfs	2.8 mi
Sand Creek at Xeon Street in Coon RapidsRiver gauge, Sand Creek	3.2 cfs	Low	±0	4.8 mi
Coon Creek at Vale Street in Coon RapidsRiver gauge, Coon Creek	15.7 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	5.9 mi
Rum River near St. FrancisRiver gauge, Rum River	2.21 ft	Below flood stage	±0	9 mi
Shingle Creek at Queen Ave in MinneapolisRiver gauge, Shingle Creek	0.5 cfs	Very low	−0.4 cfs	11 mi
Rice Creek below Old Highway 8 in Mounds ViewRiver gauge, Rice Creek	5.7 cfs	Low	−0.2 cfs	12 mi
Elk River near Big LakeRiver gauge, Elk River	65.9 cfs	Very low	−3.9 cfs	16 mi
Lake Minnetonka above Grays Bay Otlt in MinnetonkaLake, Lake Minnetonka	928.22 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	17 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 7.69 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 Us Highway 169 at Champlin today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT, the water level was 4.31 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin 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 Us Highway 169 at Champlin?

The highest level on record is 17.96 ft on April 12, 1965. The lowest is 4.14 ft on August 17, 2023.

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:05283500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.19165, -93.39467 (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	4.31 ft	2026-10-19 21:30	Provisional
Flow	2,470 cfs	2026-10-19 21:30	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at Champlin (usgs:05283500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-at-us-highway-169-at-champlin

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