How high is the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN right now?

The Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN is currently flowing at 638 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 5.23 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as high for October 28. Today's discharge is at the 82th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 5.77 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 11.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN on October 28?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 62 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 17 to 1,500 cfs.

Where is the Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN stream gauge located?

The Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Brown County, MN on the Cottonwood River. USGS site number 05317000 (coordinates 44.2892, -94.4394).

Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN

USGS Site No: 05317000 • Cottonwood River • Brown County, MN

Cottonwood River Near New Ulm, MN on the Cottonwood River is currently at 638 cfs (High — 82th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 5.23 ft.

Reading from 4 months ago

638

CFS Discharge

5.23

Gage Height (ft)

High

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for October 28 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold	Today's Flow
10th	Very Low threshold	17
25th	Low threshold	30
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	62
75th	High threshold	183
95th	Very High threshold	1,500	Today: 638 cfs

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	678	—
May 27, 2026	682	—
May 26, 2026	680	—
May 25, 2026	658	—
May 24, 2026	619	—
May 23, 2026	566	—
May 22, 2026	519	—
May 21, 2026	489	—
May 20, 2026	501	—
May 19, 2026	522	—
May 18, 2026	545	—
May 17, 2026	520	—
May 16, 2026	538	—
May 15, 2026	557	—
Apr 20, 2026	417	—
Apr 19, 2026	450	—
Apr 18, 2026	481	—
Apr 17, 2026	513	—
Apr 16, 2026	446	—
Apr 15, 2026	431	—
Apr 14, 2026	462	—
Apr 13, 2026	476	—
Apr 12, 2026	484	—
Apr 11, 2026	519	—
Apr 10, 2026	570	—
Apr 9, 2026	631	—
Apr 8, 2026	680	—
Apr 7, 2026	736	—
Apr 6, 2026	776	—
Apr 5, 2026	727	—

Station Information

USGS Site No: 05317000
State: MN
County: Brown County
Coordinates: 44.2892, -94.4394
Drainage Area: 1,300 mi²
Datum (ft): 820.0
HUC Code: 07020008

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 9.0 ft
Flood Stage: 11.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 13.0 ft
Major Flood: 16.0 ft

Currently 5.77 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 5,110 cfs

Aug 20, 2025
Min discharge: 132 cfs

Mar 16, 2026
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Minnesota River at New Ulm, MN
0.6 mi · 3,390 cfs

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Little Cottonwood River Near Courtland, MN
5.8 mi · 93 cfs

High
Watonwan River Near Garden City, MN
20.7 mi · 937 cfs

High
Blue Earth River Near Rapidan, MN
21.1 mi · 2,630 cfs

High
Le Sueur River Near Rapidan, MN
22.6 mi · 827 cfs

High