EARTH · RIVERS & FLOODS · UNITED STATES
Mississippi River Level & Flow
The latest reading on the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, LA — from the USGS streamgage, reporting gage height (feet) and streamflow (cubic feet per second). The great river of North America; this lower-river gage near Baton Rouge carries the drainage of nearly half the continental US.The figure below is live, shown with the time it was taken, and framed as a measurement of flow — never a flood verdict.
What this reading means
Gage height is how high the water stands at the gage, in feet; streamflow is how much water is moving past, in cubic feet per second. Both rise and fall with rain, snowmelt and upstream dams. A high number here means the Mississippi River is running full — but whether that is flooding depends on this river’s own banks and its official flood stage, which this page does not assert. It shows the measurement and its context, not a safe/unsafe verdict.
About this reading
This reading comes from a US Geological Survey streamgage on the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, LA. USGS gages report instantaneous values every 15–60 minutes; the newest figure above is the most recent the gage has transmitted. US federal data, public domain.
Nearby rivers
The closest rivers to the Mississippi River— compare how much water each is moving.