Mississippi River near Royalton water level

Name: Mississippi River near Royalton 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

Very low for mid-October

Water level

8.15ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:15 PM CDT (31 min ago)

Flow: 1,400 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Mississippi River near Royalton is running far below normal at 8.15 ft.

The lowest reading on record is 7.46 ft (August 14, 2021).

It has dropped 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 8.15 ft and 8.37 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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 16.65 ftMarch 30, 2009
Lowest on record: 7.46 ftAugust 14, 2021

Floating and fishing near Mississippi River near Royalton

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	16.65 ft	March 30, 2009
2	16.40 ft	April 18, 2023
3	15.48 ft	June 25, 2012
4	15.30 ft	May 16, 2022
5	15.12 ft	April 7, 2020
6	15.00 ft	March 25, 2019
7	14.66 ft	June 21, 2014
8	14.50 ft	July 17, 2016
9	14.34 ft	March 18, 2010
10	14.10 ft	April 25, 2018

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 66° 35° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 67° 37° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 67° 43° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 74° 53° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 73° 54° 0.01 in Wind 20 mph

24 Sat 69° 48° 0.29 in, 40% Wind 20 mph

25 Sun 56° 39° – Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:41 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 10 hr, 43 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Mississippi River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Mississippi River at Willow Beach at Ball ClubRiver gauge, Mississippi River	301 cfs	Low	−5.0 cfs	104 mi
Mississippi River at Days High Landing near Deer RiverRiver gauge, Mississippi River	73.10 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	102 mi
Mississippi River at Grand RapidsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	411 cfs	Low	+5.0 cfs	105 mi
Mississippi River at AitkinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	2.30 ft	Below flood stage	±0	58 mi
Mississippi River at BrainerdRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.73 ft	Below flood stage	+0.35 ft	39 mi
Mississippi River at St. CloudRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	±0	22 mi
Mississippi River at Us Highway 169 at ChamplinRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.30 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	64 mi
Mississippi River at Highway 610 in Brooklyn ParkRiver gauge, Mississippi River	1.54 ft	Below flood stage	±0	70 mi
Mississippi River above 37th Ave. Ne in FridleyRiver gauge, Mississippi River	88.64 ft	No reference yet	−0.02 ft	75 mi
Mississippi River at St. PaulRiver gauge, Mississippi River	3.42 ft	Below flood stage	+0.18 ft	87 mi
Mississippi River below L&d 2 at HastingsRiver gauge, Mississippi River	7,590 cfs	Normal	+940 cfs	105 mi
Mississippi River at PrescottRiver gauge, Mississippi River	9,750 cfs	Normal	+80.0 cfs	106 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sauk River near St. CloudRiver gauge, Sauk River	1.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	19 mi
Long Prairie River at Long PrairieRiver gauge, Long Prairie River	1.44 ft	Below flood stage	±0	27 mi
Crow Wing River near PillagerRiver gauge, Crow Wing River	580 cfs	Low	±0	33 mi
Mille Lacs Lake near GarrisonLake, Mille Lacs Lake	10.12 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	42 mi
Elk River near Big LakeRiver gauge, Elk River	60.3 cfs	Very low	−5.6 cfs	48 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 Mississippi River near Royalton today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:15 PM CDT, the water level was 8.15 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Mississippi River near Royalton rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Mississippi River near Royalton normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Mississippi River near Royalton?

The highest level on record is 16.65 ft on March 30, 2009. The lowest is 7.46 ft on August 14, 2021.

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:05267000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.82577, -94.35558 (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	8.15 ft	2026-10-20 18:15	Provisional
Flow	1,400 cfs	2026-10-20 18:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Mississippi River near Royalton (usgs:05267000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/mississippi-river-near-royalton

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