River Conditions
Illustrated map of Mississippi River

River stage

Red Wing, Mississippi River

River level
2.31 ft
Status
Below flood stage
7-day change
-0.18 ft
Recent high
3.61 ft
Recent low
2.06 ft

Last reported 2026-10-13 | NWS REDM5

30-day change
-0.13 ft
Average
2.68 ft
Readings
122
Data span
122 days
Record crest
20.70 ft

In brief

The Mississippi River at Red Wing, MN read 2.31 ft on Oct 13, 2026, 9.69 ft below action stage. That is 0.13 ft lower than 30 days earlier.

Source: National Weather Service gauge REDM5

River level timeline

1.92.22.62.93.2SEP 13SEP 18SEP 23SEP 28OCT 03OCT 08OCT 13HIGH 2.85LOW 2.262.35 ftLAST READING

Stage threshold profile

Action stage 12.00 ftMinor flooding 14.00 ftModerate flooding 15.00 ftMajor flooding 16.00 ft CURRENT 2.31 ft

Highest crests on record

RankCrestDate
1 20.70 ft 1965-04-18
2 18.80 ft 1969-04-17
3 18.20 ft 2001-04-28
4 18.10 ft 2001-04-17
5 17.18 ft 1997-04-12
6 17.00 ft 1952-04-18
7 16.55 ft 2023-04-25
8 16.40 ft 1951-04-17

Flood crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service.

What happens at each level

  1. 14.00 ft

    Low lying areas and some roads along the river begin to experience flooding.

  2. 14.30 ft

    Lock and dam 3 may end operations.

  3. 15.00 ft

    The city of Frontenac and Bay City begin flooding.

  4. 16.00 ft

    Red Wing Milling Company may experience basement flooding and begin pumping.

  5. 17.00 ft

    Milwaukee Road railroad between Red Wing and Hastings begins flooding.

  6. 19.70 ft

    Red Wing wastewater treatment plant begins to experience flooding.

Written by the local National Weather Service forecast office for this exact gauge.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mississippi River flooding at Red Wing?

No. The Mississippi River at Red Wing is at 2.31 ft, 9.69 ft below action stage.

What is the flood stage at Red Wing?

The National Weather Service sets action stage 12 ft, minor flooding 14 ft, moderate flooding 15 ft and major flooding 16 ft.

What is the highest the Mississippi River has been at Red Wing?

The highest crest on record is 20.7 ft, on 1965-04-18.

Is the Mississippi River high or low right now at Red Wing?

At 2.31 ft it is higher than 20% of readings over the last 122 days.

Stage and flood information from the NOAA National Weather Service (gauge REDM5); daily history from the U.S. Geological Survey (site 05355250). Last reading 2026-10-13. For flood safety decisions always follow official National Weather Service warnings.