Cannon River at Northfield, MN
River level and flood forecast · Dakota County
Normal890.2 ftas of Mon 3:30 PM
The river is 6.8 ft below flood stage (897 ft).
Flow: 276 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sat, Sep 19, 2:34 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 900 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 899 ft |
| Flood stage | 897 ft |
| Action stage | 895 ft |
| Record crest (June 23, 2024) | 901.52 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 903 ftHwy 3 floods north of 5th Street.
- 902 ftHwy 19 Bridge over Spring Creek on Carleton campus floods.
- 901.5 ftWater reaches bottom of deck on 2nd Street bridge.
- 901 ftLower windows breached on buildings on west side of river (Froggy's, Law offices).
- 900.5 ftNorthfield Fire building threatened by flood waters; parking lot flooded, water reaches building.
- 900 ftA few properties on east side of river, above the dam, flood near downtown Northfield.
- 899.5 ftWater reaches top of wall on east side of town near dam, as well as west side downstream of dam below Froggy's.
- 899 ftLaird Stadium at Carleton College begins to flood; west gymnasium threatened.
- 897.5 ftFlood waters reach Carleton College soccer fields. Babcock Park north of downtown begins to flood.
- 897 ftWater backs up into businesses along river in downtown Northfield. Riverwalk on west side of town begins to flood.
Highest crests on record
- 901.52 ft — June 23, 2024
- 901.5 ft — September 24, 2010
- 901.3 ft — September 24, 2016
- 899.7 ft — June 20, 2014
- 899.45 ft — July 13, 2013
Recent crests: 901.52 ft (June 23, 2024) · 898.04 ft (May 15, 2023) · 896.77 ft (April 3, 2023) · 894.95 ft (June 14, 2022) · 893.96 ft (March 25, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamStraight River near Faribault, MN
- DownstreamCannon River at Welch, MN
- Prairie Creek (MN) near Cannon Falls 4WSW, MN
- Cannon River at Hwy 29 below Faribault, MN
- Cannon River at 9th St Bridge in Cannon Falls, MN
- Vermillion River near Empire, MN
- Minnesota River at Savage, MN
- Minnesota River at Fort Snelling State Park, MN
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (NRFM5); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.