Observed and Forecast River Levels

Current River Levels organized roughly from upstream to downstream as the water flows. Rainy Headwaters (Kawishiwi River, Basswood River) Namakan Lake (Crane Lake, Vermillion River) Turtle River (Canada) Rainy Lake Rainy River past International Falls (Little Fork/Big Fork) Lake of the Woods

Rainy Headwaters

Basswood River near Winton AHPS USGS

S. Kawishiwi Above White Iron Lake   USGS

Kawishiwi River near Ely   USGS

Kawishiwi River near Ely AHPS USGS

Namakan Lake

Namakan Lake at Squirrel Island AHPS

• Namakan Lake Levels (daily pdf summary) 
• Namakan Lake at Squirrel Island (Live data - credit Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Vermillion River at Crane Lake AHPS USGS

Turtle River

• Turtle River near Mine Centre (Live data - credit Environment and Climate Change Canada)

Rainy Lake

• Rainy Lake Levels (daily pdf summary) 
• Rainy Lake at Fort Frances Level (Live data - credit Environment and Climate Change Canada)

   

Rainy River past International Falls/Fort Frances

Rainy River Boat Landing Below INL AHPS USGS

Rainy River at Manitou Rapids AHPS USGS

Rainy River near Wheeler's Point AHPS USGS

Rapid River near Clementson AHPS MNDNR

Rapid River near Baudette AHPS USGS

Big Fork River near Bigfork AHPS MNDNR

Big Fork River near Craigville AHPS MNDNR

Big Fork River at Big Falls AHPS USGS

Littlefork River at Littlefork AHPS USGS

Lake of the Woods

• See Lake of the Woods Control Board website for current data

• For official notices and general forecast information, check the Lake of the Woods Control Board Notice page (updated often)

• NWS Grand Forks issues official Flood Warnings for the U.S. side of Lake of the Woods

  • NWS Grand Forks Wind and Wave Forecast for Lake of the Woods

UNOFFICIAL Forecast Hydrographs (US Tributaries)

Basswood River near Winton

Vermillion River near Crane Lake

Littlefork River near Littlefork

Big Fork River at Big Falls

Precipitation & Snowpack Observations

CoCoRaHS Recruitment

National Weather Service Seeks New Volunteer Precipitation Observers to Better Predict Flooding

DULUTH, MN — The National Weather Service is recruiting additional volunteer precipitation observers throughout the Rainy River Basin. From the headwaters of the Kawishiwi River to those on and near Basswood Lake, Lake Vermilion, Kabetogama Lake, Namakan Lake, Rainy Lake, to the Forks rivers and the Rainy River itself downstream of International Falls/Fort Frances - we want to find volunteers to report precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth/snowpack liquid water equivalent. Ideally we would like to find those who can submit daily reports of rain, snow, and snow pack depth, but even those who can volunteer to just send occasional reports of the snow pack depth are welcome to sign up!

Why are we looking for volunteer precipitation observers? We want more observations so we can better predict flooding. We need good “ground truth” observations of the precipitation and snow pack to make better forecasts of lake and river levels - particularly during the spring snowmelt season. While there are already some volunteer observers in this area, more observations are needed, especially in rural areas where we don’t currently have any observers - see the attached flyer and graphic for a map. Without ground truth observations, flooding forecasts and outlooks are based solely on simulated snow cover, interpolated from observations far away, which may not accurately represent regional conditions, and rarely capture local maximums.

Those who are interested in becoming a volunteer observer should do so through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS. Getting started with CoCoRaHS is easy!

In the USA:

• Sign Up: https://cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=application
• Obtain the official CoCoRaHS rain gauge: https://cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=store/
• Questions? Email ketzel.levens@noaa.gov

In Canada:

• Sign Up: https://cocorahs.org/Canada-Application.aspx
• Obtain the official CoCoRaHS rain gauge: http://www.shopcocorahs.ca/
• Questions? Email canada@cocorahs.org

Help us spread the word!

• Press Release
• Recruitment Flyer (PDF)
• Recruitment Graphic PNG / Recruitment Graphic PDF

Recent Precipitation Observations

• MAP: View recent precipitation reports from CoCoRaHS Volunteers (You can view recent precipitation, snowfall, snow pack depth, and snow pack snow water equivalent observations on this interactive map.)
• MAP: NWS Weather & Hazard Viewer - Past 24 hour precipitation observations and radar estimates  (Raw data, not quality-controlled. Observations are from a variety of equipment and may not be accurate, especially in the winter.)
• MAPS: Yesterday, 7-day, 14-day, 30-day, and more precipitation analysis (Human quality-controlled data. Represents our best estimate of recent precipitation.)
• MAPS: North Central River Forecast Center Precipitation Analysis of River Basin Precipitation (Human quality-controlled data.)
• LIST: Past 24 hour Temperature/Precipitation/Snowfall/Snow Depth observations from northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin (NWS Duluth Regional Temperature and Precipitation Table product, issued 3 times daily; the version issued around 9:15am will have the most complete listing of reports from the previous 24 hours.)

Current Snowpack Snow Water Equivalent(SWE)

The Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is amount of water in the snowpack. Our river forecasting models use this value, along with temperature and sunshine information, to estimate the amount of snow melt entering rivers and lakes, helping us to predict flooding and water levels. View interactive map of current modeled snowpack Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). This snowpack model comes from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). 

The North Central River Forecast Center (NCRFC) also models the snowpack across the basin as input into river and lake forecasting.

Current snowpack data for International Falls

The graph below shows the modeled and forecast snowpack information valid at International Falls, MN.

View full snowpack information from the NOHRSC snow model valid for International Falls, MN

Forecast Precipitation

For the latest weather forecast in the US, visit the NWS Forecast Points page: NWS Forecast Points page for International Falls

For the latest weather forecast in Canada, please visit Environment and Climate Change Canada: Forecast for Fort Frances

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3

Days 1-2	Days 1-3	Days 4-5 (Morning Issuance)

Days 1-5 (Evening Issuance)	Days 1-5 (Morning Issuance)	Days 4-5 (Evening Issuance)

Days 6-7	Days 1-7

Day 1 Excessive Rainfall	Day 2 Excessive Rainfall	Day 3 Excessive rainfall

Resources & Official Information

International Joint Commission (IJC) 

• Latest News Releases
• International Rainy Lake - Lake of the Woods Watershed Board Water Level Decisions and Data
• For Lake of the Woods levels, please see Lake of the Woods Control Board Notice page

Local Official Information (Impacts, Closures, Damage Reporting, etc.) 

• Koochiching County
• St Louis County
• Voyageurs National Park
• Superior National Forest 
• Rainy Lake Property Owners Association 
• Ontario Flood Warning Map from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Natural Resources and Forestry
• Lake of the Woods County Emergency Management 

Historical Context: 2014 Flooding

• Report of High Water Levels in the Rainy River Watershed in 2014 - Water Levels Committee of the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board, International Joint Commission

• Year 2014 High Water Levels in the Winnipeg River Basin - Lake of the Woods Control Board

Map of the Rainy River Basin