Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Minnesota River at Mankato

Highest listed crest 30.11 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft48 crests since 1881

The Minnesota River at Mankato crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 48 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1881 to 2024. The highest, 30.11 ft on June 21, 1993, was major flooding, 8.11 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Minnesota River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.11 ft
June 21, 1993; 75,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
1
65th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
June 26, 2024
29.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Blue Earth County
Near Mankato (1.4 mi), North Mankato (2.1 mi), St. Peter (11.2 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Minnesota River at Mankato
Action stage15.024Apr 23, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.04May 17, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.013Jun 26, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.01Jun 21, 1993Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

48 crests from 1881 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Minnesota River at Mankato, 1881 to 2024 101520253035ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Apr 26, 1881: 29.90 ft, moderate flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1951: 26.20 ft, moderate flooding; 66,600 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1952: 24.62 ft, minor flooding; 53,500 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1965: 29.09 ft, moderate flooding; 94,100 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1969: 27.07 ft, moderate flooding; 76,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1980: 15.12 ft, action stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1984: 19.20 ft, action stageJun 26, 1984: 24.55 ft, minor flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1985: 17.90 ft, action stageApr 8, 1986: 20.20 ft, action stage; 29,700 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1986: 20.30 ft, action stage; 36,300 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1991: 17.10 ft, action stageApr 4, 1993: 21.00 ft, action stageMay 13, 1993: 21.50 ft, action stageJun 21, 1993: 30.11 ft, major flooding; 75,600 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1995: 19.10 ft, action stageJun 20, 1996: 18.74 ft, action stage; 28,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1996: 18.60 ft, action stageApr 10, 1997: 27.61 ft, moderate flooding; 79,800 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1998: 17.37 ft, action stageApr 16, 2001: 26.96 ft, moderate flooding; 73,700 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2001: 26.50 ft, moderate floodingJun 18, 2001: 19.19 ft, action stageJun 24, 2002: 10.74 ft, below flood stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2003: 11.83 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2004: 15.47 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2005: 15.48 ft, action stage; 23,900 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2006: 18.87 ft, action stage; 33,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2007: 17.31 ft, action stage; 28,700 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2008: 14.84 ft, below flood stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2009: 13.75 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2010: 25.15 ft, moderate flooding; 62,900 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 2010: 28.25 ft, moderate flooding; 84,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2011: 25.51 ft, moderate flooding; 64,900 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2013: 18.30 ft, action stage; 33,625 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2014: 25.85 ft, moderate flooding; 68,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2015: 11.81 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 2016: 19.15 ft, action stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2017: 16.26 ft, action stage; 25,400 cubic feet per secondOct 10, 2017: 16.13 ft, action stage; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 23.33 ft, minor flooding; 53,400 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2019: 26.24 ft, moderate flooding; 69,300 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2020: 17.92 ft, action stage; 30,600 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2021: 10.20 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2022: 17.83 ft, action stage; 30,100 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2023: 20.86 ft, action stage; 42,100 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2023: 24.29 ft, minor flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2024: 29.76 ft, moderate flooding; 98,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.11 ft, Jun 21, 1993 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Minnesota River at Mankato 1880s: 1 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 6 6 2020s: 2 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Minnesota River at Mankato
1Jun 21, 199330.11+8.11Major75,600
2Apr 26, 188129.90+7.90Moderate110,000
3Jun 26, 202429.76+7.76Moderate98,400
4Apr 10, 196529.09+7.09Moderate94,100
5Sep 27, 201028.25+6.25Moderate84,600
6Apr 10, 199727.61+5.61Moderate79,800
7Apr 12, 196927.07+5.07Moderate76,700
8Apr 16, 200126.96+4.96Moderate73,700
9Apr 27, 200126.50+4.50Moderate—
10Mar 22, 201926.24+4.24Moderate69,300
11Apr 9, 195126.20+4.20Moderate66,600
12Jun 23, 201425.85+3.85Moderate68,000
13Mar 26, 201125.51+3.51Moderate64,900
14Mar 21, 201025.15+3.15Moderate62,900
15Apr 14, 195224.62+2.62Minor53,500
16Jun 26, 198424.55+2.55Minor41,000
17May 17, 202324.29+2.29Minor58,300
18Jun 27, 201823.33+1.33Minor53,400
19May 13, 199321.50−0.50Action—
20Apr 4, 199321.00−1.00Action—
21Apr 23, 202320.86−1.14Action42,100
22May 2, 198620.30−1.70Action36,300
23Apr 8, 198620.20−1.80Action29,700
24Apr 4, 198419.20−2.80Action—
25Jun 18, 200119.19−2.81Action—
26Sep 26, 201619.15−2.85Action35,000
27Apr 25, 199519.10−2.90Action—
28Apr 10, 200618.87−3.13Action33,900
29Jun 20, 199618.74−3.26Action28,000
30Jun 26, 199618.60−3.40Action—
31Jun 27, 201318.30−3.70Action33,625
32Apr 2, 202017.92−4.08Action30,600
33Mar 17, 198517.90−4.10Action—
34May 19, 202217.83−4.17Action30,100
35Apr 4, 199817.37−4.63Action—
36Mar 21, 200717.31−4.69Action28,700
37Jun 25, 199117.10−4.90Action—
38May 26, 201716.26−5.74Action25,400
39Oct 10, 201716.13−5.87Action25,000
40May 15, 200515.48−6.52Action23,900
41Jun 15, 200415.47−6.53Action23,700
42Jun 8, 198015.12−6.88Action15,700
43May 6, 200814.84−7.16Below flood stage21,700
44Apr 7, 200913.75−8.25Below flood stage19,000
45May 15, 200311.83−10.17Below flood stage15,000
46Jun 26, 201511.81−10.19Below flood stage13,300
47Jun 24, 200210.74−11.26Below flood stage13,000
48Mar 27, 202110.20−11.80Below flood stage12,000

The worst floods along the Minnesota River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Minnesota River that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 21, 1993: 30.11 ft here, major flooding

  • HendersonMN · Jun 23, 1993 · 739.50 ft · Major
  • SavageMN · Jun 26, 1993 · 713.70 ft · Major
  • JordanMN · Jun 24, 1993 · 33.52 ft · Moderate
  • MontevideoMN · Jun 26, 1993 · 15.61 ft · Minor

June 26, 2024: 29.76 ft here, moderate flooding

  • HendersonMN · Jun 26, 2024 · 741.77 ft · Major · its highest
  • SavageMN · Jun 28, 2024 · 714.50 ft · Major
  • JordanMN · Jun 28, 2024 · 35.12 ft · Major · its highest
  • MortonMN · Jun 24, 2024 · 23.73 ft · Moderate
  • New UlmMN · Jun 25, 2024 · 803.40 ft · Minor

April 10, 1965: 29.09 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Apr 14, 1965 · 892.64 ft · Major
  • HendersonMN · Apr 11, 1965 · 739.65 ft · Major
  • SavageMN · Apr 15, 1965 · 719.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • JordanMN · Apr 11, 1965 · 35.07 ft · Major
  • MontevideoMN · Apr 14, 1965 · 16.64 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Minnesota River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Minnesota River
Big Stone LakeSD970.0973.90 ft, Apr 7, 19971
Granite FallsMN885.0899.84 ft, Apr 7, 199711
HendersonMN732.0741.77 ft, Jun 26, 20245
JordanMN25.035.12 ft, Jun 28, 20242
Mankato this gaugeMN22.030.11 ft, Jun 21, 19931
MontevideoMN14.023.90 ft, Apr 6, 199711
New UlmMN800.0811.03 ft, Apr 9, 19976
OrtonvilleMN10.013.02 ft, Apr 12, 20230
SavageMN702.0719.40 ft, Apr 15, 196510
MortonMN21.029.25 ft, Apr 15, 20018

Other gauges in Blue Earth County

Flood gauges in Blue Earth County
St. Clair25.533.30 ft, Sep 23, 20162

Blue Earth County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MNKM5, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.