Mississippi River at Aitkin Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Mississippi River at Aitkin in MN, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location MN, United States
- Watershed elk nokasippi
- Primary gauge 05227500 (USGS)
About Mississippi River at Aitkin
The watershed
The Mississippi River at Aitkin sits in the Elk-Nokasippi watershed in Minnesota.
This is a gauge with a long record: more than 50 years. For people along the shore, that means the range is not a guess. It has a high side, a low side, and a typical seasonal shape that repeats often enough to matter for docks, intakes, and shore access.
The station’s upstream area is 6140 sq mi (15903 km2), so changes here reflect a large catchment above this point.
What the numbers say
The record high is 18.62 ft (5.68 m), set in June 2012. The record low is 0.93 ft (0.28 m), set in August 2021. That spread is what this reach can ask of a dock line, a launch, or a shoreline pump over time.
The usual seasonal high comes in May at 10.13 ft (3.09 m). The usual seasonal low comes in September at 4.57 ft (1.39 m). The typical annual swing is 5.6 ft (1.7 m). In plain terms, late spring is when the river asks for extra clearance, while late summer is when shallow spots and access points can be most exposed.
The regional pattern fits the numbers here: spring snowmelt sets the annual peaks, with sharp rises on frozen ground, and summer storm rises can still move the river quickly. Long winter ice cover is part of the seasonal setting for this part of the country.
Reading the hero number
Today’s reading should be read against the median for this calendar day in the USGS record, not just as a raw elevation. That comparison shows whether the river is running near its usual level for this date, or standing above or below its normal seasonal position.
USGS is the operating agency here, and the station has more than 50 years on record. For cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching access, that context matters more than the number by itself.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
Water Stories
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
