Root River above Rushford water level

Name: Root River above Rushford 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, Root River, Minnesota, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

9.84ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Root River above Rushford is at 9.84 ft, in the normal range.

It is 11.16 ft below the flood stage of 21.00 ft.

It has risen 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 11.16 ft of room before flood stage. In the last month it has stayed between 9.78 ft and 9.85 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: 28.98 ftAugust 19, 2007

Floating and fishing near Root River above Rushford

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

Flood stage here is 21.00 ft, 11.16 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	28.98 ft	August 19, 2007
2	27.28 ft	September 16, 2004
3	26.52 ft	June 10, 2008
4	26.35 ft	June 2, 2000
5	26.10 ft	April 1, 1993
6	25.75 ft	September 24, 2010
7	25.32 ft	March 24, 2011
8	25.26 ft	September 21, 1986
9	24.86 ft	April 7, 2001
10	24.06 ft	March 29, 2005

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.68 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

16 Fri 52° 40° – Wind 21 mph

17 Sat 53° 35° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 62° 37° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 64° 43° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 65° 43° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 67° 48° 0.02 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 73° 55° 0.01 in Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:22 PM Daylight 10 hr, 57 min First quarter 39%

Map

Other gauges on the Root River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Root River near Pilot MoundRiver gauge, Root River	8.56 ft	Below flood stage	+0.06 ft	11 mi
Root River near HoustonRiver gauge, Root River	3.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork Root River near HoustonRiver gauge, South Fork Root River	2.24 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	13 mi
Mississippi River at WinonaRiver gauge, Mississippi River	5.73 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	20 mi
Crooked Creek at FreeburgRiver gauge, Crooked Creek	6.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	26 mi
Trempealeau River at DodgeRiver gauge, Trempealeau River	6.08 ft	Below flood stage	+0.08 ft	26 mi
Upper Iowa River at BlufftonRiver gauge, Upper Iowa River	3.75 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	27 mi
Waterloo Creek near DorchesterRiver gauge, Waterloo Creek	7.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	28 mi
La Crosse River near La CrosseRiver gauge, La Crosse River	3.54 ft	Below flood stage	+0.21 ft	30 mi
Upper Iowa River near DorchesterRiver gauge, Upper Iowa River	7.61 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	30 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Root River above Rushford?

The official flood stage is 21.00 ft. The level is currently 11.16 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 Root River above Rushford today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 03:00 AM CDT, the water level was 9.84 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Root River above Rushford rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Root River above Rushford normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Root River above Rushford?

The highest level on record is 28.98 ft on August 19, 2007.

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:05384350 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.79778, -91.80389 (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	9.84 ft	2026-10-17 08:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Root River above Rushford (usgs:05384350). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/minnesota/root-river-above-rushford

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