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South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester

Highest listed crest 20.77 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft44 crests since 1981

The South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 44 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1981 to 2022. The highest, 20.77 ft on September 21, 1986, was major flooding, 6.77 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.77 ft
September 21, 1986; 10,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
1
65th of 120 gauges in Minnesota
Most recent flood crest
July 6, 2019
16.29 ft, minor flooding
Location
Olmsted County
Near Rochester (3.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester
Action stage11.010Sep 5, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.08Jul 6, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Sep 21, 1986Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

44 crests from 1981 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester, 1981 to 2022 0510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Jul 11, 1981: 15.98 ft, minor flooding; 6,610 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1982: 10.11 ft, below flood stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1983: 14.93 ft, minor flooding; 5,450 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1984: 8.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1985: 9.11 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1986: 20.77 ft, major flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 1986: 12.82 ft, action stage; 4,260 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1988: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 886 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1989: 11.87 ft, action stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1990: 8.02 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1991: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 13.06 ft, action stage; 6,260 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1994: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1995: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1996: 9.66 ft, below flood stage; 3,510 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1997: 9.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1998: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1999: 8.86 ft, below flood stage; 2,990 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2000: 9.36 ft, below flood stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2001: 13.67 ft, action stage; 7,290 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2002: 8.14 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2003: 7.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2004: 13.92 ft, action stage; 6,402 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2004: 15.57 ft, minor flooding; 9,940 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 9.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,310 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2006: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2007: 16.68 ft, minor flooding; 11,500 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2008: 13.27 ft, action stage; 6,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2009: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 2010: 17.08 ft, minor flooding; 12,100 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2011: 12.38 ft, action stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 2012: 6.62 ft, below flood stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2013: 11.10 ft, action stage; 4,690 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2014: 12.19 ft, action stage; 5,470 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2015: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2016: 14.95 ft, minor flooding; 8,880 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2017: 9.01 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondSep 5, 2018: 11.45 ft, action stage; 5,100 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2019: 16.59 ft, minor flooding; 11,946 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2019: 16.29 ft, minor flooding; 11,458 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2020: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2021: 4.77 ft, below flood stage; 846 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2022: 6.14 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.77 ft, Sep 21, 1986 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester 1980s: 3 1990s: 0 2000s: 2 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 10 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 17.50 ft on Jul 21, 1951; 13.26 ft on Mar 31, 1952; 13.54 ft on Jun 4, 1958; 15.43 ft on Mar 26, 1961; 18.46 ft on Mar 29, 1962; 19.12 ft on Mar 1, 1965; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester
1Sep 21, 198620.77+6.77Major10,000
2Sep 24, 201017.08+3.08Minor12,100
3Aug 19, 200716.68+2.68Minor11,500
4Jun 28, 201916.59+2.59Minor11,946
5Jul 6, 201916.29+2.29Minor11,458
6Jul 11, 198115.98+1.98Minor6,610
7Sep 16, 200415.57+1.57Minor9,940
8Sep 23, 201614.95+0.95Minor8,880
9Jul 1, 198314.93+0.93Minor5,450
10Jun 10, 200413.92−0.08Action6,402
11Apr 12, 200113.67−0.33Action7,290
12Jun 13, 200813.27−0.73Action6,690
13Apr 1, 199313.06−0.94Action6,260
14Oct 12, 198612.82−1.18Action4,260
15Jul 16, 201112.38−1.62Action5,670
16Jun 17, 201412.19−1.81Action5,470
17Mar 24, 198911.87−2.13Action3,650
18Sep 5, 201811.45−2.55Action5,100
19Mar 31, 201311.10−2.90Action4,690
20May 31, 198210.11−3.89Below flood stage2,280
21Mar 29, 20059.78−4.22Below flood stage3,310
22Mar 25, 19969.66−4.34Below flood stage3,510
23Jul 9, 20009.36−4.64Below flood stage2,970
24Mar 22, 19979.25−4.75Below flood stage3,000
25Mar 12, 19859.11−4.89Below flood stage2,030
26Mar 6, 20179.01−4.99Below flood stage2,850
27May 18, 19998.86−5.14Below flood stage2,990
28May 2, 19848.77−5.23Below flood stage1,820
29May 6, 19918.49−5.51Below flood stage2,640
30Aug 17, 20028.14−5.86Below flood stage2,400
31Apr 24, 19908.02−5.98Below flood stage2,260
32Mar 9, 20207.88−6.12Below flood stage2,690
33Jun 27, 19987.66−6.34Below flood stage2,010
34May 12, 20037.49−6.51Below flood stage2,110
35Apr 8, 20067.30−6.70Below flood stage1,820
36Apr 21, 19927.22−6.78Below flood stage1,850
37Apr 25, 19946.94−7.06Below flood stage1,690
38Feb 29, 20126.62−7.38Below flood stage1,520
39Jun 30, 20226.14−7.86Below flood stage1,570
40Mar 12, 19955.86−8.14Below flood stage1,160
41Feb 11, 20095.84−8.16Below flood stage1,070
42Mar 1, 19885.80−8.20Below flood stage886
43Jun 7, 20155.80−8.20Below flood stage1,130
44Aug 7, 20214.77−9.23Below flood stage846

Other gauges in Olmsted County

Flood gauges in Olmsted County
Rochester13.016.54 ft, Aug 19, 20070
Rochester49.049.68 ft, Jun 16, 20140
Whitewater State Park13.519.13 ft, Aug 19, 20071
Pine Island17.023.45 ft, Sep 23, 20102
Oronoco 1W951.0954.96 ft, Jun 28, 20190
Oronoco949.0953.91 ft, Jun 28, 20190

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RCHM5, 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.