West Fork Des Moines River above Windom, MN
River level and flood forecast · Cottonwood County
Normal9.7 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 9.3 ft below flood stage (19 ft).
Flow: 42 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 21 ft |
| Flood stage | 19 ft |
| Action stage | 17 ft |
| Record crest (June 25, 2024) | 25.01 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 30 ftThe bridge at the gage location on Country Club Dr is overtopped and nearby homes are flooded. Portions of County Road 13 begin to flood.
- 27 ftHighway 71 in Windom is flooded and significant flooding of homes and businesses will be ongoing. The main levee at the golf course in Windom is overtopped.
- 25 ftWater approaches Hwy 71 in Windom as well as the bottom of the railroad bridge. A significant amount of water overtops River Rd and backs up through the Perkins Creek floodplain, flooding nearby homes and outbuildings.
- 24 ftWater reaches the bottom beams of the bridge on Country Club Dr.
- 23 ftWater begins to approach at least a couple homes and businesses in Windom. Water also approaches River Rd southeast of 15th Ave and at least one private driveway is flooded off of Country Club Dr.
- 22 ftWater begins to approach or flood some outbuildings near Valley Ln and also south of 6th St.
- 21 ftThe lower portions of the road through Island Park are overtopped and water approaches a couple of the gravel parking lots on the east side of Hwy 71 in Windom.
- 19 ftLowland flooding begins along several stretches of the river and Island Park in Windom floods in several areas.
- 18 ftThe boat launch area off of River Rd begins to flood.
- 17 ftThe lower parking lot on the south side of Island Park begins to flood.
- 15 ftThe lower banks at Island Park begin to overflow.
Highest crests on record
- 25.01 ft — June 25, 2024
- 24.7 ft — April 11, 1969
- 23.4 ft — July 7, 2018
- 23.01 ft — March 23, 2019
- 23 ft — September 24, 2010
Recent crests: 14.84 ft (July 4, 2025) · 25.01 ft (June 25, 2024) · 18.13 ft (April 17, 2023) · 17.64 ft (June 13, 2022) · 12.57 ft (April 12, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WDOM5); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.