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Mississippi River at Fort Ripley

Highest listed crest 14.15 ftFlood stage 10.5 ft33 crests since 1943

The Mississippi River at Fort Ripley crested above flood stage 20 times among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2020. The highest, 14.15 ft on April 8, 1997, was moderate flooding, 3.65 feet above flood stage. 25 other gauges on the Mississippi River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
14.15 ft
April 8, 1997; 32,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.5 ft
Major flooding from 26.0 ft
Crests at major
0
20 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
April 8, 2020
11.36 ft, minor flooding
Location
Crow Wing County
Near Brainerd (14.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Mississippi River at Fort Ripley
Action stage9.07May 22, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.512Apr 8, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.58Apr 13, 2001Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage26.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1943 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Mississippi River at Fort Ripley, 1943 to 2020 0102030ft Flood stage 10.5 ftMajor 26.0 ft Jun 17, 1943: 11.80 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1950: 13.30 ft, moderate floodingMay 2, 1962: 11.20 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1965: 13.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 4, 1967: 10.50 ft, minor floodingApr 13, 1969: 13.11 ft, moderate floodingApr 14, 1971: 10.00 ft, action stageJul 25, 1972: 11.83 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 10.60 ft, minor flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1974: 13.26 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1975: 12.66 ft, moderate flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1982: 13.21 ft, moderate flooding; 26,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1986: 11.70 ft, minor flooding; 21,600 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1986: 10.31 ft, action stageMar 19, 1990: 2.00 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1993: 9.70 ft, action stage; 16,700 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1993: 10.70 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1995: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1996: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 21,200 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1996: 11.25 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1997: 14.15 ft, moderate flooding; 32,200 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1998: 10.16 ft, action stageMay 16, 1999: 12.19 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2000: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 10,600 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2000: 8.75 ft, below flood stageApr 13, 2001: 13.84 ft, moderate flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2002: 9.66 ft, action stage; 14,700 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2003: 8.59 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2004: 6.90 ft, below flood stage; 7,540 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2005: 9.71 ft, action stage; 15,400 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2015: 10.34 ft, action stage; 17,461 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2016: 11.05 ft, minor flooding; 17,500 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2020: 11.36 ft, minor flooding Highest, 14.15 ft, Apr 8, 1997 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Mississippi River at Fort Ripley 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 4 1970s: 4 1980s: 2 1990s: 5 5 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 14.30 ft on Mar 23, 1966.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Mississippi River at Fort Ripley
1Apr 8, 199714.15+3.65Moderate32,200
2Apr 13, 200113.84+3.34Moderate31,200
3Apr 16, 196513.60+3.10Moderate—
4May 22, 195013.30+2.80Moderate—
5Apr 17, 197413.26+2.76Moderate27,000
6Apr 17, 198213.21+2.71Moderate26,600
7Apr 13, 196913.11+2.61Moderate—
8Apr 28, 197512.66+2.16Moderate24,800
9May 16, 199912.19+1.69Minor24,300
10Jul 25, 197211.83+1.33Minor22,200
11Jun 17, 194311.80+1.30Minor—
12Apr 5, 198611.70+1.20Minor21,600
13Apr 8, 202011.36+0.86Minor—
14Dec 7, 199611.25+0.75Minor—
15May 2, 196211.20+0.70Minor—
16Apr 22, 199611.10+0.60Minor21,200
17Jul 17, 201611.05+0.55Minor17,500
18Dec 22, 199310.70+0.20Minor—
19Mar 17, 197310.60+0.10Minor12,200
20Apr 4, 196710.500.00Minor—
21May 22, 201510.34−0.16Action17,461
22Sep 25, 198610.31−0.19Action—
23Jan 1, 199810.16−0.34Action—
24Apr 14, 197110.00−0.50Action—
25Jun 15, 20059.71−0.79Action15,400
26Jul 14, 19939.70−0.80Action16,700
27Apr 14, 20029.66−0.84Action14,700
28May 17, 19958.97−1.53Below flood stage13,300
29Dec 23, 20008.75−1.75Below flood stage—
30Jun 29, 20038.59−1.91Below flood stage11,500
31May 14, 20007.98−2.52Below flood stage10,600
32Apr 5, 20046.90−3.60Below flood stage7,540
33Mar 19, 19902.00−8.50Below flood stage12,700

The worst floods along the Mississippi River

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

April 8, 1997: 14.15 ft here, moderate flooding

April 13, 2001: 13.84 ft here, moderate flooding

April 16, 1965: 13.60 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Mississippi River

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

Flood gauges on the Mississippi River
TiptonvilleMO37.048.35 ft, May 5, 20112
Alma - Pool 5MN672.0672.13 ft, Apr 16, 20010
AltonIL21.039.55 ft, Aug 1, 19937
Baton RougeLA35.047.28 ft, May 15, 192731
BellevueIL17.023.51 ft, Apr 26, 196511
BrainerdMN16.017.61 ft, Jun 28, 20120
BrownsvilleMN635.0640.20 ft, Apr 22, 19650
BurlingtonIL15.025.73 ft, Jun 17, 200836
CamancheIA17.024.65 ft, Apr 28, 196520
Canton Lock and Dam 20MO15.027.88 ft, Jul 9, 19933
Cape GirardeauMO32.048.86 ft, Jan 2, 201615
CaruthersvilleMO32.047.61 ft, May 7, 20112
ChesterIL27.049.74 ft, Aug 7, 19939
Clarksville Lock and Dam 24MO25.037.73 ft, Jul 29, 199310
ClaytonIA620.0627.28 ft, Apr 24, 19650
DakotaMN644.0649.08 ft, Apr 21, 19650
DonaldsonvilleLA27.036.01 ft, May 15, 19273
Dubuque (LD11)IA16.025.69 ft, Apr 26, 196513
Dubuque (Railroad Bridge)IA17.026.81 ft, Apr 26, 196518
Fort Ripley this gaugeMN10.514.15 ft, Apr 8, 19970
Fridley abv 37th Ave NEMN16.020.00 ft, Apr 17, 19656
FultonIL16.024.75 ft, Apr 28, 196513
GladstoneIL10.022.46 ft, Jun 17, 200824
GraftonIL20.038.17 ft, Aug 1, 199315
Gregory LandingMO15.028.49 ft, Jul 9, 19934
HannibalMO17.031.80 ft, Jul 15, 199310
HelenaAR44.060.21 ft, Feb 12, 19374
HerculaneumMO26.029.79 ft, Jul 10, 20240
HickmanKY34.054.29 ft, May 2, 20113
Hwy 169 at ChamplinMN12.017.96 ft, Apr 12, 19653
Hwy 610 in Brooklyn ParkMN12.019.53 ft, Apr 17, 19654
Illinois CityIA15.024.10 ft, Jul 9, 199321
KeithsburgIA14.024.49 ft, Jun 17, 200822
KeokukIA16.027.58 ft, Jul 10, 199324
La Crosse - Pool 8WI12.017.89 ft, Apr 22, 19654
LaGrangeMO17.030.00 ft, Jul 13, 19934
Lake CityWI16.022.18 ft, Apr 19, 19653
Lansing - Pool 9IA17.022.50 ft, Apr 24, 19651
LeClaireIA11.017.75 ft, Apr 28, 196516
LouisianaMO15.028.40 ft, Jul 28, 19934
McGregorIA16.025.38 ft, Apr 24, 19653
Mel Price (Alton) Lock and DamIL21.042.72 ft, Aug 1, 19938
MemphisTN34.048.70 ft, Feb 10, 19372
MuscatineIA16.025.61 ft, Jul 9, 199321
NatchezMS48.061.95 ft, May 19, 20116
New BostonIL15.025.90 ft, Jul 9, 199322
New MadridMO34.048.35 ft, May 6, 20114
New OrleansLA17.021.27 ft, Apr 25, 19225
OsceolaAR28.050.90 ft, Feb 7, 193742
QuincyIL19.032.13 ft, Jul 13, 19937
Quincy Lock and Dam 21IL18.031.30 ft, Jul 13, 19937
Red River LandingLA48.063.39 ft, May 18, 20110
Red WingMN14.020.70 ft, Apr 18, 19659
ReserveLA22.026.00 ft, Jun 11, 19291
Rock IslandIL15.022.70 ft, May 2, 201920
Saverton Lock and Dam 22MO16.029.58 ft, Jul 25, 19939
St. CloudMN9.011.44 ft, Apr 8, 19971
St. LouisMO30.049.58 ft, Aug 1, 19939
St. PaulMN14.026.01 ft, Apr 16, 196516
ThebesIL33.047.74 ft, Jan 2, 201612
Tunica Mhoon LandingMS30.053.20 ft, Feb 10, 19375
VicksburgLA43.057.10 ft, May 19, 201112
Wabasha - Pool 4MN12.020.05 ft, Apr 19, 19657
Winfield Lock and Dam 25MO26.039.62 ft, Aug 1, 19939
Winona - Pool 6MN13.020.77 ft, Apr 19, 19655
Lock and Dam 10 - GuttenbergIA15.023.65 ft, Apr 24, 19652
Lock and Dam 2 - HastingsMN15.025.90 ft, Apr 17, 196512
Lock and Dam 3 - Red WingMN680.5687.77 ft, Apr 19, 19658
Lock and Dam 4 - AlmaWI16.019.78 ft, Apr 19, 19652
Lock and Dam 5 - Minnesota CityMN660.0667.85 ft, Apr 19, 19654
Lock and Dam 5a - WinonaMN655.0663.35 ft, Apr 19, 19654
Lock and Dam 6 - TrempealeauMN647.0653.02 ft, Apr 21, 19654
Lock and Dam 7 - La CrescentMN641.0647.38 ft, Apr 21, 19652
Lock and Dam 8 - GenoaWI631.0638.40 ft, Apr 22, 19653
Lock and Dam 9 - LynxvilleWI625.0633.16 ft, Apr 24, 19653
AitkinMN13.022.49 ft, May 20, 195011
Arkansas CityAR37.059.20 ft, Apr 21, 192715
GreenvilleAR48.065.40 ft, Apr 21, 192718

Other gauges in Crow Wing County

Flood gauges in Crow Wing County
Brainerd16.017.61 ft, Jun 28, 20120

Crow Wing County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FTRM5, 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.