Flow report

Iowa River Levels & Streamflow

As of Jul 25, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 85% of normal across 117 USGS gauges — the highest is 36,000 cfs on the Mississippi River At Clinton. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Iowa.

USGS gauges
117
State percent normal
85%
Paddle runs
0
Updated
Jul 25
Open the Iowa flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to Iowa.
Open the map →
July
25
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across Iowa are currently 85% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Clinton reporting the highest discharge in the state at 36,000 cfs and a gauge stage of 9.44 ft.

Meanwhile, the Des Moines River At Keosauqua is seeing a spike today — up 41% since yesterday and currently running near peak.

Tap any gauge below for the full hydrograph, paired weather forecast, and historical context. Use the rivers panel to jump into Iowa's named rivers.

Active weather warnings for Iowa

# Iowa Storm Center & Natural Disaster Report

Iowa is experiencing a dangerous heat emergency across multiple regions through Sunday evening. An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect for portions of northwest and west-central Iowa, with heat index values reaching 109-112°F, particularly threatening communities in the Des Moines area, Sioux City region, and central counties including Grundy, Black Hawk, and Marion. Heat Advisories cover additional areas with index values up to 105°F. Dense fog through 10 AM this morning may create hazardous driving conditions. An Extreme Heat Watch extends through Monday evening with indices near 110°F possible. Heat-related illnesses are significantly elevated; residents should limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, check on vulnerable populations, and seek air-conditioned shelter. Additionally, 13 state beaches are unsafe for swimming due to E. coli contamination, and critical fire danger exists due to dry conditions and gusty winds.

Source: National Weather Service

Iowa at a glance

State-wide streamflow overview

The Iowa flow picture in four data points -- where the state sits versus historical norms, what's flowing hardest, and what's spiking fastest.

Percent of normal

85%

100% is the historical norm. Below 70% indicates drought; above 130% can flag elevated flood risk.

Highest discharge

Mississippi River At Clinton 36,000 cfs

Gauge stage 9.44 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Des Moines River At Keosauqua +41%

Now 10,300 cfs

Network coverage

Gauges + rivers tracked 117 + 0

USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in Iowa.

Full streamgauge inventory

Iowa USGS streamgauges

Every USGS gauge Snoflo tracks in Iowa. Sortable, quickly filterable. Numeric columns heat-mapped from light to deep. Tap any gauge for its full hydrograph and forecast.

117 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Clinton, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05420500
32,400 cfs 9.23 ft 79°F 68°F 593 ft Copperas-Duck
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05465500
11,800 cfs 15.31 ft 49°F 67°F 554 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05465000
9,300 cfs 9.26 ft · 67°F 593 ft Lower Cedar
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05464500
8,930 cfs 6.03 ft 62°F 70°F 712 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05490500
7,300 cfs 12.64 ft 78°F 67°F 579 ft Lower Des Moines
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05464000
6,000 cfs 7.13 ft · 66°F 823 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05489500
5,190 cfs 3.28 ft 80°F 66°F 635 ft Lower Des Moines
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05463050
4,850 cfs 78.70 ft · 69°F 853 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05488500
4,700 cfs 4.17 ft · 67°F 676 ft Lower Des Moines
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05474000
4,060 cfs 5.24 ft · 66°F 553 ft Skunk
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05488110
3,950 cfs 86.00 ft 81°F 67°F 689 ft Lower Des Moines
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05455700
2,890 cfs 7.21 ft · 67°F 601 ft Lower Iowa
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05485500
2,370 cfs 10.56 ft · 68°F 779 ft Lake Red Rock
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05422000
2,260 cfs 8.00 ft · 69°F 646 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05453520
2,080 cfs 50.77 ft · 70°F 669 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05454500
2,080 cfs 11.64 ft · 67°F 643 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05458500
1,970 cfs 2.77 ft · 68°F 859 ft Upper Cedar
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05471500
1,840 cfs 12.13 ft · 66°F 692 ft South Skunk
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05421740
1,770 cfs 6.92 ft · 69°F 779 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05453100
1,730 cfs 8.46 ft · 70°F 729 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05452500
1,680 cfs 8.39 ft · 70°F 748 ft Middle Iowa
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05458300
1,570 cfs 5.07 ft 74°F 68°F 895 ft Upper Cedar
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05462000
1,540 cfs 8.82 ft · 68°F 882 ft Shell Rock
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05418500
1,500 cfs 12.06 ft · 66°F 646 ft Maquoketa
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05482000
1,490 cfs 13.64 ft 32°F 68°F 808 ft Middle Des Moines
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05412500
1,360 cfs 7.79 ft 74°F 69°F 646 ft Turkey
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05481650
1,170 cfs 3.24 ft · 68°F 819 ft Middle Des Moines
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05471050
1,040 cfs 9.61 ft · 67°F 793 ft South Skunk
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05458900
1,020 cfs 8.73 ft · 68°F 859 ft West Fork Cedar
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06485500
1,010 cfs 5.82 ft · 68°F 1,151 ft Lower Big Sioux
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05481300
992 cfs 5.73 ft · 66°F 902 ft Middle Des Moines
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05388250
983 cfs 8.00 ft · 68°F 668 ft Upper Iowa
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06810000
975 cfs 9.01 ft · 72°F 904 ft Nishnabotna
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05457700
931 cfs 3.41 ft · 69°F 977 ft Upper Cedar
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05412020
908 cfs 6.26 ft · 68°F 726 ft Turkey
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05480500
852 cfs 4.14 ft · 66°F 974 ft Middle Des Moines
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05421000
825 cfs 5.60 ft · 69°F 889 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06607500
767 cfs 7.59 ft · 70°F 1,029 ft Little Sioux
Raccoon River Near West Des Moines, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05484600
764 cfs 27.01 ft · 68°F 844 ft North Raccoon
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05387500
707 cfs 2.50 ft · 68°F 854 ft Upper Iowa
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05451500
694 cfs 10.79 ft · 66°F 853 ft Middle Iowa
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05484650
617 cfs 20.73 ft · 68°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05387440
566 cfs 4.18 ft · 68°F 970 ft Upper Iowa
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05484500
566 cfs 3.01 ft 32°F 68°F 862 ft North Raccoon
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06808500
544 cfs 8.43 ft 73°F 71°F 956 ft West Nishnabotna
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05411850
482 cfs 5.98 ft · 68°F 897 ft Turkey
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06606600
461 cfs 5.16 ft · 67°F 1,106 ft Little Sioux
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05484900
457 cfs 1.86 ft · 68°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05412400
439 cfs 5.63 ft · 69°F 694 ft Turkey
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05418400
383 cfs 3.33 ft 39°F 66°F 689 ft Maquoketa
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05476750
379 cfs 3.64 ft · 67°F 1,066 ft Upper Des Moines
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05471000
347 cfs 11.10 ft · 67°F 872 ft South Skunk
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05479000
308 cfs 8.27 ft · 67°F 1,043 ft East Fork Des Moines
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05416900
292 cfs 4.66 ft · 68°F 920 ft Maquoketa
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05471200
270 cfs 4.52 ft · 67°F 827 ft South Skunk
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05464220
265 cfs 3.21 ft · 70°F 835 ft Middle Cedar
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05472500
253 cfs 4.90 ft · 67°F 664 ft North Skunk
Floyd River At James, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06600500
242 cfs 8.66 ft · 68°F 1,117 ft Floyd
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06609500
242 cfs 3.83 ft · 70°F 1,014 ft Boyer
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06605850
234 cfs 5.48 ft · 65°F 1,249 ft Little Sioux
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05463500
233 cfs 6.73 ft · 68°F 897 ft Middle Cedar
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05420680
208 cfs 8.27 ft · 65°F 1,019 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05458000
208 cfs 4.21 ft · 69°F 1,000 ft Upper Cedar
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05482500
208 cfs 5.10 ft 37°F 69°F 978 ft North Raccoon
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06809500
203 cfs 5.87 ft · 71°F 1,013 ft East Nishnabotna
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05463000
202 cfs 2.67 ft · 68°F 890 ft Middle Cedar
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06483500
195 cfs 4.70 ft · 68°F 1,238 ft Rock
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05486000
180 cfs 6.90 ft · 68°F 811 ft Lake Red Rock
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05470000
171 cfs 3.63 ft · 67°F 928 ft South Skunk
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05485640
161 cfs 4.57 ft · 67°F 813 ft Lake Red Rock
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06807410
159 cfs 2.21 ft · 70°F 1,089 ft West Nishnabotna
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05452000
158 cfs 6.68 ft · 67°F 802 ft Middle Iowa
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05470500
148 cfs 2.00 ft · 67°F 907 ft South Skunk
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06607200
147 cfs 4.59 ft · 70°F 1,114 ft Maple
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06602400
145 cfs 4.86 ft · 70°F 1,021 ft Monona-Harrison Ditch
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05459500
141 cfs 4.99 ft · 65°F 1,101 ft Winnebago
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06817000
139 cfs 10.76 ft · 71°F 966 ft West Nodaway
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05411600
134 cfs 2.64 ft · 67°F 1,067 ft Turkey
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05481000
130 cfs 2.06 ft 35°F 66°F 1,028 ft Boone
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05389000
121 cfs 5.76 ft · 68°F 681 ft Coon-Yellow
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05449500
121 cfs 4.12 ft · 66°F 1,187 ft Upper Iowa
English River At Kalona, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05455500
118 cfs 4.19 ft · 70°F 655 ft Lower Iowa
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05484000
115 cfs 2.46 ft 32°F 68°F 917 ft South Raccoon
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05485605
115 cfs 3.20 ft · 67°F 911 ft Lake Red Rock
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05481950
113 cfs 3.82 ft · 70°F 829 ft Middle Des Moines
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05486490
101 cfs 7.57 ft · 68°F 794 ft Lake Red Rock
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05484800
97 cfs 3.82 ft · 68°F 808 ft North Raccoon
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05455100
88 cfs 2.29 ft 46°F 67°F 654 ft Lower Iowa
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06809210
82 cfs 2.50 ft · 68°F 1,109 ft East Nishnabotna
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05473400
79 cfs 3.00 ft · 66°F 590 ft Skunk
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 06904010
78 cfs 18.74 ft · 66°F 847 ft Upper Chariton
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05451700
77 cfs 2.92 ft · 68°F 862 ft Middle Iowa
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05483600
66 cfs 4.19 ft 35°F 70°F 997 ft South Raccoon
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05453000
62 cfs 11.08 ft · 70°F 771 ft Middle Iowa
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05483450
59 cfs 9.05 ft · 67°F 1,054 ft South Raccoon
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05451210
57 cfs 2.65 ft · 66°F 963 ft Upper Iowa
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05482300
54 cfs 6.85 ft 75°F 67°F 1,179 ft North Raccoon
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05487470
54 cfs 5.05 ft · 70°F 805 ft Lake Red Rock
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06608500
53 cfs 2.76 ft · 70°F 1,047 ft Blackbird-Soldier
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06605000
44 cfs 2.11 ft · 65°F 1,317 ft Little Sioux
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 06903400
38 cfs 4.53 ft · 69°F 968 ft Upper Chariton
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06898000
34 cfs 1.11 ft · 70°F 910 ft Thompson
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06483290
33 cfs 6.69 ft · 67°F 1,316 ft Rock
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05454300
33 cfs 1.10 ft · 66°F 660 ft Lower Iowa
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05389400
30 cfs 4.20 ft · 68°F 634 ft Coon-Yellow
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05489000
30 cfs 4.66 ft · 67°F 696 ft Lower Des Moines
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06600100
21 cfs 5.45 ft · 67°F 1,289 ft Floyd
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05454220
19 cfs 1.98 ft · 70°F 722 ft Lower Iowa
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05487980
18 cfs 6.10 ft · 67°F 773 ft Lake Red Rock
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05451900
16 cfs 10.51 ft · 67°F 817 ft Middle Iowa
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05452200
15 cfs 1.05 ft · 67°F 806 ft Middle Iowa
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06903900
14 cfs 2.21 ft · 67°F 855 ft Upper Chariton
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05454000
8 cfs 3.91 ft · 70°F 688 ft Lower Iowa
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 05473450
8 cfs 3.23 ft · 66°F 672 ft Skunk
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
12 hours ago · USGS 06819185
6 cfs 10.77 ft · 68°F 1,084 ft One Hundred And Two
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 05488200
5 cfs 8.14 ft · 67°F 749 ft Lower Des Moines
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
11 hours ago · USGS 06903700
4 cfs 3.01 ft · 67°F 922 ft Upper Chariton
🔒 Premium

See every Iowa gauge ranked against normal.

  • Percentile rank & % of median for all 117 gauges
  • 15-day PULSE forecast on every gauge
  • Custom flow alerts & full daily history
Start my free 7-day trial 7-day free trial · cancel anytime
Flow report FAQ

About Iowa streamflow

What are river levels like in Iowa right now?

As of July 25, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 85% of normal across 117 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Clinton is reporting the highest discharge at 36,000 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Iowa river is running highest right now?

As of July 25, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 36,000 cfs on the Mississippi River At Clinton. See the sortable gauge table for the full statewide ranking.

Are Iowa rivers high or low right now?

Compare the statewide percent-of-normal on this page: above 100% means Iowa rivers are running higher than the seasonal average for the date, below 100% means lower (a dry spell or drought). Each gauge also shows its own percent of median.

Where does the Iowa streamflow data come from?

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. USGS streamgauges report continuously (every 15 minutes) and the data is the canonical real-time record for U.S. rivers. Snoflo pulls the latest readings and joins them to a 7-day NOAA weather forecast for each station.

What is cfs?

Cubic feet per second — the standard unit for streamflow. One cfs is about 7.5 gallons per second. Small creeks run at single-digit cfs; the Mississippi at hundreds of thousands.

What does Gauge Height mean?

The water level at the gauge in feet above the reference datum. Used together with discharge to track river state. Flood stage and runnable levels are typically expressed in gauge height (e.g., "flood at 16 ft").

How fresh is the Iowa data?

USGS streamgauges report every 15 minutes; Snoflo re-pulls throughout the day. The AI briefing regenerates daily.

Can I get a flow alert for a Iowa gauge?

Yes. Save any USGS gauge as a favorite in the Snoflo iOS app, set a discharge or stage threshold (e.g. "alert me when discharge crosses 2,000 cfs"), and you'll get a push the moment it crosses.

Is this a substitute for an NWS flood warning?

No. Snoflo is informational. For flood life-safety decisions always follow guidance from your local NWS forecast office and state emergency management. Snoflo data is one input among several.