Rivers in Minnesota

Mississippi River at Winona - Pool 6

Winona County, MinnesotaNWS WNAM5USGS 05378500La Crosse office

Below flood stage
5.72ftStage

Observed Sat, Sep 26, 6:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
13.00 ft
Forecast crest
5.70 ftSun, Sep 27, 1:00 AM CDT
Record crest
20.77 ft1965

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood15.00 ft
Minor flood13.00 ft
Action11.00 ft
  1. 25.00 ftWater levels reach the top of the emergency dike.
  2. 24.00 ftWater overtops the levee downtown.
  3. 22.00 ftWater levels reach the designed dike protection level.
  4. 20.77 ftThe water reaches the flood of record set in 1965.
  5. 20.50 ftRailroad lines go under water.
  6. 17.00 ftSome railroad lines may become inoperative.
  7. 16.60 ftLock and Dam 6 goes out of operation.
  8. 16.00 ftLock and Dam 5A goes out of operation.
  9. 13.00 ftPrairie Island Park begins to flood. Pumping operations are underway by the city of Winona, and dike patrols are started.
  10. 12.50 ftSpillway lot and Saint Charles Street boat launch is barricaded.
  11. 10.50 ftPumping stations are put into operation along Washington, Kansas, and High Forest streets.
  12. 10.00 ftOlmstead Street Pumping Station is put into operation.
  13. 9.00 ftEast Riverfront Street along Levee Park is closed due to flooding.

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 September 25, 2026.

Crest history

38 crests on NOAA’s list since 1880.

#DateStage
1April 19, 196520.77 ft
2April 17, 200120.07 ft
3April 19, 196919.44 ft
4April 26, 202318.81 ft
5April 11, 199718.30 ft
6April 20, 195217.93 ft
7April 18, 195117.36 ft
8April 3, 201917.30 ft
9April 7, 196716.92 ft
10June 18, 188016.87 ft
11May 2, 197516.60 ft
12April 15, 201116.58 ft
13April 7, 198616.53 ft
14June 26, 199316.53 ft
15April 9, 189716.50 ft
16May 7, 195416.30 ft
17April 27, 191616.20 ft
18July 2, 202416.14 ft
19April 1, 192016.00 ft
20July 2, 201415.52 ft
21April 15, 192215.20 ft
22May 25, 201915.13 ft
23April 25, 199614.95 ft
24May 4, 188814.92 ft
25June 22, 194314.80 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 2, 2024: 16.14 ft
  • April 26, 2023: 18.81 ft
  • May 25, 2019: 15.13 ft
  • April 3, 2019: 17.30 ft
  • May 24, 2017: 13.44 ft
  • July 2, 2014: 15.52 ft
  • April 15, 2011: 16.58 ft
  • September 29, 2010: 13.70 ft
  • May 17, 2003: 13.12 ft
  • April 19, 2002: 13.51 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely during the navigation season, and as needed at other times of the year. 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.

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.