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Minnesota River at Montevideo

Highest listed crest 23.90 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft60 crests since 1919

The Minnesota River at Montevideo crested at major flood stage 11 times among the 60 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1919 to 2024. The highest, 23.90 ft on April 6, 1997, was major flooding, 9.90 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Minnesota River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.90 ft
April 6, 1997; 47,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 17.5 ft
Crests at major
11
8th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
June 7, 2024
15.45 ft, minor flooding
Location
Yellow Medicine County
Minnesota

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 Montevideo
Action stage12.04May 19, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.025Jun 7, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.014May 27, 2022Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.511Apr 17, 2023Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

60 crests from 1919 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Minnesota River at Montevideo, 1919 to 2024 510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 17.5 ft Jun 25, 1919: 17.45 ft, moderate flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1951: 16.80 ft, moderate flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1952: 20.02 ft, major flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1953: 16.08 ft, moderate flooding; 9,770 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1957: 14.82 ft, minor flooding; 5,500 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1960: 14.74 ft, minor flooding; 6,010 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1962: 14.57 ft, minor flooding; 5,790 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1965: 16.64 ft, moderate flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1966: 14.98 ft, minor flooding; 8,280 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1969: 21.68 ft, major flooding; 35,100 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1972: 15.78 ft, minor flooding; 9,170 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1978: 15.42 ft, minor flooding; 8,920 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1979: 16.21 ft, moderate flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1984: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 8,510 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1985: 16.09 ft, moderate flooding; 11,510 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1986: 17.26 ft, moderate flooding; 13,990 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1991: 14.20 ft, minor floodingJun 24, 1992: 15.60 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1993: 14.80 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1993: 14.00 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 1993: 15.61 ft, minor floodingAug 4, 1993: 16.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 25, 1994: 16.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 7, 1994: 15.20 ft, minor floodingApr 26, 1995: 16.00 ft, moderate floodingJul 11, 1995: 15.90 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 1996: 15.30 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1997: 23.90 ft, major flooding; 47,500 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1998: 15.10 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 2001: 22.15 ft, major flooding; 33,900 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2001: 19.20 ft, major floodingApr 11, 2002: 11.44 ft, below flood stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2003: 9.16 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2004: 10.32 ft, below flood stage; 3,010 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2005: 12.72 ft, action stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2006: 15.08 ft, minor flooding; 7,180 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2007: 15.05 ft, minor flooding; 6,750 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2008: 12.34 ft, action stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2009: 18.29 ft, major flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2010: 20.09 ft, major flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2011: 18.58 ft, major flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2011: 19.76 ft, major flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2011: 14.74 ft, minor flooding; 7,654 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2011: 16.28 ft, moderate flooding; 10,003 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2012: 10.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,371 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2013: 13.77 ft, action stage; 5,597 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2014: 17.48 ft, moderate flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2015: 12.65 ft, action stage; 4,530 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 2016: 11.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,060 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2016: 14.16 ft, minor flooding; 3,605 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2017: 14.86 ft, minor flooding; 6,990 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2018: 16.41 ft, moderate flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2019: 21.98 ft, major flooding; 31,400 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2019: 14.79 ft, minor flooding; 6,850 cubic feet per secondOct 30, 2019: 15.47 ft, minor flooding; 8,290 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2020: 15.15 ft, minor flooding; 7,590 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2021: 10.33 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2022: 16.99 ft, moderate flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2023: 19.36 ft, major flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2024: 15.45 ft, minor flooding; 9,060 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.90 ft, Apr 6, 1997 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Minnesota River at Montevideo 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 4 1960s: 5 1970s: 3 1980s: 3 1990s: 13 13 2000s: 5 2010s: 12 2020s: 4 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 60 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Minnesota River at Montevideo
1Apr 6, 199723.90+9.90Major47,500
2Apr 14, 200122.15+8.15Major33,900
3Mar 30, 201921.98+7.98Major31,400
4Apr 12, 196921.68+7.68Major35,100
5Mar 23, 201020.09+6.09Major24,400
6Apr 10, 195220.02+6.02Major24,500
7Apr 7, 201119.76+5.76Major23,700
8Apr 17, 202319.36+5.36Major23,200
9Apr 24, 200119.20+5.20Major—
10Mar 29, 201118.58+4.58Major18,000
11Mar 29, 200918.29+4.29Major16,800
12Jun 24, 201417.48+3.48Moderate14,500
13Jun 25, 191917.45+3.45Moderate22,000
14Apr 8, 198617.26+3.26Moderate13,990
15May 27, 202216.99+2.99Moderate13,900
16Apr 11, 195116.80+2.80Moderate12,200
17Apr 14, 196516.64+2.64Moderate12,900
18Aug 4, 199316.50+2.50Moderate—
19Apr 28, 201816.41+2.41Moderate10,700
20Jul 1, 201116.28+2.28Moderate10,003
21Apr 19, 197916.21+2.21Moderate12,200
22Mar 26, 198516.09+2.09Moderate11,510
23Jun 30, 195316.08+2.08Moderate9,770
24Mar 25, 199416.00+2.00Moderate—
25Apr 26, 199516.00+2.00Moderate—
26Jul 11, 199515.90+1.90Minor—
27Jun 4, 197215.78+1.78Minor9,170
28Jun 25, 198415.68+1.68Minor8,510
29Jun 26, 199315.61+1.61Minor—
30Jun 24, 199215.60+1.60Minor—
31Oct 30, 201915.47+1.47Minor8,290
32Jun 7, 202415.45+1.45Minor9,060
33Apr 6, 197815.42+1.42Minor8,920
34Mar 3, 199615.30+1.30Minor—
35May 7, 199415.20+1.20Minor—
36Apr 3, 202015.15+1.15Minor7,590
37Apr 14, 199815.10+1.10Minor—
38Apr 8, 200615.08+1.08Minor7,180
39Apr 5, 200715.05+1.05Minor6,750
40Mar 24, 196614.98+0.98Minor8,280
41Oct 11, 201714.86+0.86Minor6,990
42Jun 17, 195714.82+0.82Minor5,500
43Apr 8, 199314.80+0.80Minor—
44Sep 24, 201914.79+0.79Minor6,850
45Apr 11, 196014.74+0.74Minor6,010
46Jun 2, 201114.74+0.74Minor7,654
47Jul 26, 196214.57+0.57Minor5,790
48Jun 25, 199114.20+0.20Minor—
49Dec 18, 201614.16+0.16Minor3,605
50May 14, 199314.000.00Minor—

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.

April 6, 1997: 23.90 ft here, major flooding

  • Big Stone LakeSD · Apr 7, 1997 · 973.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • Granite FallsMN · Apr 7, 1997 · 899.84 ft · Major · its highest
  • New UlmMN · Apr 9, 1997 · 811.03 ft · Major · its highest
  • SavageMN · Apr 13, 1997 · 715.20 ft · Major
  • HendersonMN · Apr 11, 1997 · 737.90 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Apr 12, 1997 · 32.24 ft · Moderate
  • MankatoMN · Apr 10, 1997 · 27.61 ft · Moderate
  • OrtonvilleMN · Apr 10, 1997 · 12.85 ft · Minor

April 14, 2001: 22.15 ft here, major flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Apr 15, 2001 · 895.84 ft · Major
  • New UlmMN · Apr 16, 2001 · 808.30 ft · Major
  • SavageMN · Apr 19, 2001 · 714.80 ft · Major
  • MortonMN · Apr 15, 2001 · 29.25 ft · Major · its highest
  • HendersonMN · Apr 18, 2001 · 739.20 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Apr 18, 2001 · 33.11 ft · Moderate
  • MankatoMN · Apr 16, 2001 · 26.96 ft · Moderate
  • Big Stone LakeSD · Apr 14, 2001 · 971.30 ft · Minor
  • OrtonvilleMN · Apr 14, 2001 · 12.06 ft · Minor

March 30, 2019: 21.98 ft here, major flooding

  • Granite FallsMN · Mar 31, 2019 · 893.52 ft · Major
  • New UlmMN · Apr 2, 2019 · 807.55 ft · Major
  • SavageMN · Mar 30, 2019 · 712.60 ft · Major
  • MortonMN · Mar 31, 2019 · 28.85 ft · Major
  • HendersonMN · Mar 24, 2019 · 738.50 ft · Moderate
  • JordanMN · Mar 25, 2019 · 32.11 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
MankatoMN22.030.11 ft, Jun 21, 19931
Montevideo this gaugeMN14.023.90 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 Yellow Medicine County

Flood gauges in Yellow Medicine County
Granite Falls885.0899.84 ft, Apr 7, 199711

Yellow Medicine County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MVOM5, 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.