South Fork Root River near Houston, MN

Houston County, Minnesota · USGS gauge 05385500 · NWS HUSM5 · Minnesota river levels

Nearby: river levels near Houston

Is South Fork Root River near Houston, MN flooding right now?

South Fork Root River near Houston, MN measured 2.18 ft on 2026-09-11 01:30:00 UTC. That observation was 7.8 ft below its 10 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
2.18 ft
as of 48 min ago
Streamflow
192 cfs
data refreshed 16 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 10 ft, with major flooding at 14 ft. The highest crest on record was 14.9 ft on Fri, Jun 2, 2000.

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 ft6.8 ft below
Minor flood10 ft7.8 ft below
Moderate flood12 ft9.8 ft below
Major flood14 ft11.8 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
14.9 ft2000-06-02
14.75 ft1976-03-12
14.35 ft2008-06-09
13.81 ft1974-06-21
13.79 ft1978-07-01

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 2.12–2.28 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Root River near Houston, MN2.1 miHouston County
Campbell Creek near Money Creek, MN6.1 miHouston County
Rush Creek near Rushford, MN12.4 miFillmore County
Root River above Rushford, MN12.6 miFillmore County
Crooked Creek at Freeburg MN13.4 miHouston 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