Rivers in Minnesota

Root River (MN) at Houston

Houston County, MinnesotaNWS HOUM5USGS 05385000La Crosse office

Below flood stage
11.42ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
15.00 ft
Forecast crest
12.70 ftTue, Sep 22, 7:00 AM CDT
Record crest
19.28 ft2019

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood17.00 ft
Minor flood15.00 ft
Action12.00 ft
  1. 20.00 ftThe water may overtop the protective levee.
  2. 15.00 ftMinor lowland flooding occurs.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding6%
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

24 crests on NOAA’s list since 1950.

#DateStage
1March 15, 201919.28 ft
2March 2, 196518.32 ft
3August 19, 200718.15 ft
4June 2, 200017.59 ft
5September 24, 201617.01 ft
6June 24, 202416.57 ft
7March 27, 195016.56 ft
8September 17, 200416.56 ft
9February 23, 198516.50 ft
10May 21, 201316.37 ft
11March 15, 200716.18 ft
12April 2, 199316.14 ft
13June 10, 200816.13 ft
14July 12, 200016.00 ft
15July 4, 202615.81 ft
16September 27, 201015.54 ft
17April 13, 200115.51 ft
18September 21, 198015.29 ft
19March 27, 196115.10 ft
20March 24, 201114.85 ft
21September 23, 198614.73 ft
22March 30, 196214.36 ft
23July 13, 198113.99 ft
24April 1, 195213.90 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 4, 2026: 15.81 ft
  • June 24, 2024: 16.57 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 19.28 ft
  • September 24, 2016: 17.01 ft
  • May 21, 2013: 16.37 ft
  • March 24, 2011: 14.85 ft
  • September 27, 2010: 15.54 ft
  • June 10, 2008: 16.13 ft
  • August 19, 2007: 18.15 ft
  • March 15, 2007: 16.18 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.

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.