Rivers in Minnesota

Snake River (NW MN) at Alvarado

Marshall County, MinnesotaNWS ALVM5USGS 05086000Grand Forks office

Below flood stage
95.99ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 12:30 PM CDT

Flood stage
106.00 ft
Record crest
110.88 ft1997

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood110.00 ft
Moderate flood108.00 ft
Minor flood106.00 ft
Action105.00 ft
  1. 116.00 ftWater level reaches First Avenue.
  2. 114.60 ftTop of the levee elevation at gage (814.84 ft).
  3. 114.00 ftWater level reaches Highway 1.
  4. 113.00 ftHighway 220 is overtopped south of Alvarado. Sandbagging begins on South Road.
  5. 112.50 ftWater levels reach East Railroad.
  6. 112.00 ftWater levels reach West Railroad.
  7. 111.00 ftFlooding begins in unprotected areas of Alvarado.
  8. 110.00 ftMAJOR FLOOD STAGE. Flooding between Hwy 1 and railroad grade due to backwater. Inspections of the dike begin.
  9. 108.00 ftMODERATE FLOOD STAGE. Overland flooding of local agricultural land.
  10. 106.00 ftMINOR FLOOD STAGE. Storm sewer flood gates are closed.
  11. 105.00 ftACTION STAGE/FORECAST SERVICE STAGE.
  12. 104.00 ftGatewell "B" elevation (804.24 ft).
  13. 103.00 ftGatewell "A" elevation (803.24 ft).
  14. 93.36 ftChannel bottom (793.6 ft).

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

43 crests on NOAA’s list since 1945.

#DateStage
1April 20, 1997110.88 ft
2April 20, 1979110.84 ft
3April 4, 2006110.75 ft
4March 1, 1966110.34 ft
5May 1, 1950110.04 ft
6March 1, 1969109.94 ft
7May 15, 2022109.85 ft
8April 11, 2020109.84 ft
9March 1, 1965109.84 ft
10October 14, 2019109.68 ft
11March 18, 2010109.66 ft
12August 26, 1999109.64 ft
13March 26, 2009109.63 ft
14April 23, 2018109.61 ft
15April 24, 1956109.33 ft
16April 25, 1956109.29 ft
17March 1, 1975108.94 ft
18March 9, 1983108.84 ft
19April 12, 1955108.79 ft
20April 12, 2019108.54 ft
21April 2, 2005108.30 ft
22March 27, 1987107.84 ft
23March 31, 1986107.84 ft
24April 19, 2023107.65 ft
25April 28, 2013107.60 ft

Most recent crests

  • March 30, 2026: 106.57 ft
  • April 30, 2025: 99.83 ft
  • June 20, 2024: 105.24 ft
  • April 19, 2023: 107.65 ft
  • May 15, 2022: 109.85 ft
  • May 20, 2021: 101.14 ft
  • April 11, 2020: 109.84 ft
  • October 14, 2019: 109.68 ft
  • April 12, 2019: 108.54 ft
  • April 23, 2018: 109.61 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Stage may be affected by ice during winter months.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.