Redwood River at Redwood Falls

Highest listed crest 18.01 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft67 crests since 1943

The Redwood River at Redwood Falls crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 67 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2024. The highest, 18.01 ft on March 29, 1997, was major flooding, 12.01 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.01 ft
March 29, 1997
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
2
51st of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
June 27, 2024
9.70 ft, minor flooding
Location
Redwood County
Minnesota

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Redwood River at Redwood Falls
Action stage5.04Aug 19, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.051Jun 27, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.04Mar 23, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.02Mar 24, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

67 crests from 1943 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Redwood River at Redwood Falls, 1943 to 2024 05101520ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Mar 29, 1943: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 1,830 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1944: 6.56 ft, minor flooding; 2,800 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1951: 12.68 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1952: 11.84 ft, minor flooding; 6,790 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1957: 15.92 ft, moderate flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 10.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,660 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1962: 12.27 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1965: 15.88 ft, moderate flooding; 7,050 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1966: 11.51 ft, minor flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1969: 14.58 ft, minor flooding; 14,100 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1971: 7.12 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 1972: 7.55 ft, minor flooding; 1,700 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1973: 8.08 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1976: 8.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,530 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1977: 10.89 ft, minor flooding; 3,730 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1978: 10.45 ft, minor flooding; 1,840 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1979: 10.05 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1980: 11.17 ft, minor flooding; 3,250 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1983: 8.96 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1984: 8.43 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1985: 13.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,220 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1986: 11.62 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1989: 11.58 ft, minor flooding; 3,740 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1991: 6.50 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 1993: 6.20 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1993: 12.00 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 1993: 15.73 ft, moderate flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 1993: 10.60 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1994: 7.10 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1994: 9.90 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1995: 7.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,010 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1997: 18.01 ft, major floodingApr 4, 2001: 13.30 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 2001: 10.93 ft, minor flooding; 5,830 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2002: 8.30 ft, minor floodingApr 21, 2003: 4.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2004: 8.08 ft, minor flooding; 3,210 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2005: 3.80 ft, below flood stage; 677 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 5.85 ft, action stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 12.21 ft, minor flooding; 7,619 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2008: 5.05 ft, action stage; 1,230 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2009: 4.56 ft, below flood stage; 974 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2010: 10.41 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 2010: 6.21 ft, minor floodingSep 27, 2010: 12.97 ft, minor flooding; 8,000 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2011: 15.51 ft, moderate floodingApr 10, 2011: 8.03 ft, minor flooding; 3,275 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2011: 6.02 ft, minor flooding; 1,752 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2012: 5.41 ft, action stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2013: 6.93 ft, minor flooding; 2,275 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 10.56 ft, minor flooding; 5,304 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2015: 3.45 ft, below flood stage; 525 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2016: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 887 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2017: 5.88 ft, action stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2018: 10.16 ft, minor flooding; 932 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2018: 9.54 ft, minor flooding; 4,312 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2018: 13.21 ft, minor flooding; 8,280 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2019: 17.82 ft, major flooding; 9,020 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2019: 7.24 ft, minor flooding; 2,510 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2019: 7.19 ft, minor flooding; 2,450 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2019: 9.31 ft, minor flooding; 4,110 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2020: 11.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,150 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2021: 4.35 ft, below flood stage; 590 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 2022: 6.22 ft, minor flooding; 783 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2022: 8.18 ft, minor flooding; 3,190 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2023: 9.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,270 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2024: 9.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,570 cubic feet per second Highest, 18.01 ft, Mar 29, 1997 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Redwood River at Redwood Falls 1940s: 2 1950s: 3 1960s: 5 1970s: 7 1980s: 6 1990s: 9 2000s: 5 2010s: 15 15 2020s: 5 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 67 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Redwood River at Redwood Falls
1Mar 29, 199718.01+12.01Major—
2Mar 24, 201917.82+11.82Major9,020
3Jun 18, 195715.92+9.92Moderate19,700
4Apr 8, 196515.88+9.88Moderate7,050
5Jun 18, 199315.73+9.73Moderate12,600
6Mar 23, 201115.51+9.51Moderate—
7Apr 9, 196914.58+8.58Minor14,100
8Mar 15, 198513.83+7.83Minor3,220
9Apr 4, 200113.30+7.30Minor—
10Jul 3, 201813.21+7.21Minor8,280
11Sep 27, 201012.97+6.97Minor8,000
12Apr 6, 195112.68+6.68Minor—
13Mar 31, 196212.27+6.27Minor—
14Mar 14, 200712.21+6.21Minor7,619
15May 10, 199312.00+6.00Minor—
16Apr 5, 195211.84+5.84Minor6,790
17Mar 8, 202011.82+5.82Minor2,150
18Mar 23, 198611.62+5.62Minor—
19Mar 28, 198911.58+5.58Minor3,740
20Mar 15, 196611.51+5.51Minor1,380
21Mar 20, 198011.17+5.17Minor3,250
22Mar 31, 196010.95+4.95Minor7,660
23Apr 25, 200110.93+4.93Minor5,830
24Mar 15, 197710.89+4.89Minor3,730
25Jul 5, 199310.60+4.60Minor—
26Jun 20, 201410.56+4.56Minor5,304
27Mar 21, 197810.45+4.45Minor1,840
28Mar 18, 201010.41+4.41Minor—
29Mar 26, 201810.16+4.16Minor932
30Apr 2, 197910.05+4.05Minor—
31Mar 15, 19949.90+3.90Minor—
32Jun 27, 20249.70+3.70Minor4,570
33Apr 26, 20189.54+3.54Minor4,312
34Apr 11, 20239.38+3.38Minor4,270
35Sep 16, 20199.31+3.31Minor4,110
36Mar 4, 19838.96+2.96Minor—
37Mar 29, 19848.43+2.43Minor—
38Mar 31, 20028.30+2.30Minor—
39May 15, 20228.18+2.18Minor3,190
40Mar 24, 19768.15+2.15Minor1,530
41Mar 13, 19738.08+2.08Minor—
42May 30, 20048.08+2.08Minor3,210
43Apr 10, 20118.03+2.03Minor3,275
44Mar 18, 19727.55+1.55Minor1,700
45Apr 22, 19957.50+1.50Minor3,010
46May 31, 20197.24+1.24Minor2,510
47Jul 10, 20197.19+1.19Minor2,450
48Mar 18, 19717.12+1.12Minor—
49Mar 10, 19947.10+1.10Minor—
50Mar 29, 19437.01+1.01Minor1,830

The worst floods along the Redwood River

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

March 24, 2019: 17.82 ft here, major flooding

  • MarshallMN · Mar 24, 2019 · 19.76 ft · Major · its highest
  • RussellMN · Mar 28, 2019 · 18.50 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Redwood River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Redwood River
RussellMN14.020.01 ft, Sep 25, 20101
MarshallMN14.019.76 ft, Mar 24, 20191
Redwood Falls this gaugeMN6.018.01 ft, Mar 29, 19972

Redwood County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Minnesota

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RWDM5, 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.