Cottonwood River near New Ulm, MN

Brown County, Minnesota · USGS gauge 05317000 · NWS NWUM5 · Minnesota river levels

Nearby: river levels near New Ulm

Is Cottonwood River near New Ulm, MN flooding right now?

Cottonwood River near New Ulm, MN measured 3.19 ft on 2026-09-11 01:00:00 UTC. That observation was 7.8 ft below its 11 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
3.19 ft
as of 67 min ago
Streamflow
56 cfs
data refreshed 5 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 11 ft, with major flooding at 16 ft. The highest crest on record was 20.86 ft on Thu, Apr 8, 1965.

Streamflow outlook

NOAA National Water Model forecast, issued 14 hours ago. The NWM models discharge for every river reach in the country, including the many gauges the National Weather Service does not forecast individually. It is a model, not an official NWS river forecast, and it predicts flow rather than water level.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action9 ft5.8 ft below
Minor flood11 ft7.8 ft below
Moderate flood13 ft9.8 ft below
Major flood16 ft12.8 ft below

New to these numbers? What does flood stage mean? · How to read a river gauge · Why is the river rising?

Highest crests on record

StageDate
20.86 ft1965-04-08
19.72 ft2024-06-24
19.64 ft2018-07-06
19.15 ft1969-04-10
18.95 ft2010-09-26

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 3.08–3.27 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Minnesota River at New Ulm, MN0.6 miNicollet County
Little Cottonwood River near Courtland, MN5.8 miBlue Earth County
Watonwan River near Garden City, MN20.7 miBlue Earth County
Blue Earth River near Rapidan, MN21.1 miBlue Earth County
Le Sueur River near Rapidan, MN22.6 miBlue Earth County
Provisional data: Real-time readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS — sensors can be affected by ice, debris, or equipment malfunction. Do not rely on this site for decisions involving personal safety; follow official guidance from the National Weather Service and local authorities.

Sources: USGS monitoring location · NWS gauge & forecast