Iowa River Levels & Streamflow
As of Oct 11, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 454% of normal across 116 USGS gauges — the highest is 38,100 cfs on the Iowa River At Wapello. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Iowa.
Iowa river map
See Iowa’s rivers on a live map
Every gauge, river and reservoir, one tap each:
- Rivers now — which are running high or low
- Reservoirs — how full each one is vs normal
- Rain — past 24 hrs and the 72-hr forecast, press play
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Iowa river conditions today
Where rivers are running versus normal, what’s spiking and what’s coming — refreshed daily from USGS and NOAA.
Streamflow levels across Iowa are currently 454% of normal, with the Iowa River At Wapello reporting the highest discharge in the state at 38,100 cfs and a gauge stage of 21.29 ft.
Meanwhile, the Walnut Creek At Des Moines is seeing a spike today — up 259% 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.
How Iowa’s rivers compare to normal
Every gauge placed by its own percent of normal, and three years of the statewide trend.
Where every gauge actually sits
One dot per Iowa streamgauge, placed by its own percent of normal. The state average is a single line through all of it.
Percent of normal compares today's discharge with the historical average for this calendar day. Tap any dot to open that gauge.
Iowa streamflow, three water years
Statewide percent of normal, every day since Oct 2023. The dotted line is normal.
799 daily readings from 116 reporting gauges. Percent of normal is today's statewide discharge against the historical average for the same calendar day — 100% is normal, not "good". The axis tops out at 250%: 56 readings above that — including the 1110% peak in Oct 2026 — are drawn along the top edge, so a few flood days cannot flatten three years of everything else. The line breaks in 2 places where the record skips more than five days — those are gaps in reporting, not readings of zero.
Iowa flow report
| Streamgage | Streamflow | Gage height | Water temp | Air temp | Elevation | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi River At Clinton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05420500 |
36,900 cfs | 9.81 ft | 64°F | 60°F | 593 ft | Copperas-Duck |
|
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05465500 |
29,900 cfs | 19.77 ft | 49°F | 61°F | 554 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05490500 |
27,100 cfs | 17.50 ft | 66°F | 62°F | 579 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05489500 |
26,400 cfs | 9.21 ft | 67°F | 61°F | 635 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488500 |
25,200 cfs | 9.96 ft | · | 61°F | 676 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488110 |
24,600 cfs | 93.83 ft | 65°F | 61°F | 689 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05465000 |
15,700 cfs | 11.38 ft | · | 61°F | 593 ft | Lower Cedar |
|
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05474000 |
14,500 cfs | 11.81 ft | · | 62°F | 553 ft | Skunk |
|
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464500 |
11,400 cfs | 6.78 ft | 62°F | 62°F | 712 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485500 |
11,400 cfs | 16.29 ft | · | 62°F | 779 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05422000 |
9,600 cfs | 12.55 ft | · | 61°F | 646 ft | Lower Wapsipinicon |
|
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455700 |
9,580 cfs | 12.14 ft | · | 63°F | 601 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454500 |
8,430 cfs | 17.43 ft | · | 62°F | 643 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453520 |
8,160 cfs | 54.76 ft | · | 62°F | 669 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453100 |
7,930 cfs | 15.47 ft | · | 61°F | 729 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471500 |
6,430 cfs | 17.87 ft | · | 62°F | 692 ft | South Skunk |
|
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464000 |
6,390 cfs | 7.36 ft | · | 61°F | 823 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482000 |
6,320 cfs | 16.85 ft | 32°F | 63°F | 808 ft | Middle Des Moines |
|
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484900 |
6,130 cfs | 6.89 ft | · | 63°F | 797 ft | North Raccoon |
|
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484650 |
5,930 cfs | 25.31 ft | · | 63°F | 797 ft | North Raccoon |
|
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463050 |
5,340 cfs | 78.70 ft | · | 61°F | 853 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481300 |
5,290 cfs | 9.04 ft | · | 62°F | 902 ft | Middle Des Moines |
|
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484500 |
5,290 cfs | 7.27 ft | 32°F | 63°F | 862 ft | North Raccoon |
|
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452500 |
5,030 cfs | 13.22 ft | · | 61°F | 748 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481650 |
4,690 cfs | 6.40 ft | · | 63°F | 819 ft | Middle Des Moines |
|
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05421740 |
4,050 cfs | 10.06 ft | · | 61°F | 779 ft | Lower Wapsipinicon |
|
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06810000 |
3,900 cfs | 13.79 ft | · | 64°F | 904 ft | Nishnabotna |
|
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471050 |
3,840 cfs | 14.37 ft | · | 61°F | 793 ft | South Skunk |
|
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471000 |
3,670 cfs | 17.57 ft | · | 61°F | 872 ft | South Skunk |
|
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451500 |
3,030 cfs | 13.88 ft | · | 61°F | 853 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412500 |
2,760 cfs | 9.15 ft | 59°F | 59°F | 646 ft | Turkey |
|
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05472500 |
2,460 cfs | 12.20 ft | · | 62°F | 664 ft | North Skunk |
|
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05418500 |
2,300 cfs | 13.16 ft | · | 60°F | 646 ft | Maquoketa |
|
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05470500 |
2,260 cfs | 5.67 ft | · | 61°F | 907 ft | South Skunk |
|
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06808500 |
2,160 cfs | 10.78 ft | 64°F | 64°F | 956 ft | West Nishnabotna |
|
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482500 |
1,930 cfs | 7.34 ft | 37°F | 63°F | 978 ft | North Raccoon |
|
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05480500 |
1,920 cfs | 4.93 ft | · | 62°F | 974 ft | Middle Des Moines |
|
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458500 |
1,890 cfs | 2.70 ft | · | 60°F | 859 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05421000 |
1,770 cfs | 6.37 ft | · | 60°F | 889 ft | Upper Wapsipinicon |
|
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05470000 |
1,660 cfs | 7.48 ft | · | 61°F | 928 ft | South Skunk |
|
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458300 |
1,550 cfs | 4.34 ft | 62°F | 60°F | 895 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05462000 |
1,400 cfs | 8.71 ft | · | 60°F | 882 ft | Shell Rock |
|
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481950 |
1,310 cfs | 7.73 ft | · | 63°F | 829 ft | Middle Des Moines |
|
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484000 |
1,300 cfs | 4.55 ft | 32°F | 64°F | 917 ft | South Raccoon |
|
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471200 |
1,270 cfs | 7.41 ft | · | 61°F | 827 ft | South Skunk |
|
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412020 |
1,240 cfs | 6.90 ft | · | 58°F | 726 ft | Turkey |
|
English River At Kalona, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455500 |
1,230 cfs | 8.02 ft | · | 62°F | 655 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458900 |
1,090 cfs | 8.90 ft | · | 60°F | 859 ft | West Fork Cedar |
|
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06485500 |
1,080 cfs | 6.25 ft | · | 75°F | 1,151 ft | Lower Big Sioux |
|
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06607500 |
969 cfs | 7.97 ft | · | 66°F | 1,029 ft | Little Sioux |
|
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06807410 |
919 cfs | 4.41 ft | · | 63°F | 1,089 ft | West Nishnabotna |
|
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481000 |
878 cfs | 3.83 ft | 35°F | 61°F | 1,028 ft | Boone |
|
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05457700 |
851 cfs | 3.29 ft | · | 60°F | 977 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05388250 |
799 cfs | 7.75 ft | · | 57°F | 668 ft | Upper Iowa |
|
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482300 |
782 cfs | 9.76 ft | 75°F | 64°F | 1,179 ft | North Raccoon |
|
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451210 |
774 cfs | 6.20 ft | · | 60°F | 963 ft | Upper Iowa |
|
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06606600 |
770 cfs | 5.70 ft | · | 70°F | 1,106 ft | Little Sioux |
|
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05411850 |
769 cfs | 6.58 ft | · | 58°F | 897 ft | Turkey |
|
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463500 |
766 cfs | 9.51 ft | · | 61°F | 897 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06809500 |
762 cfs | 8.69 ft | · | 63°F | 1,013 ft | East Nishnabotna |
|
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463000 |
727 cfs | 5.14 ft | · | 60°F | 890 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05473400 |
725 cfs | 7.02 ft | · | 62°F | 590 ft | Skunk |
|
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05486490 |
672 cfs | 9.56 ft | · | 63°F | 794 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464220 |
655 cfs | 4.23 ft | · | 61°F | 835 ft | Middle Cedar |
|
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06904010 |
634 cfs | 22.10 ft | · | 60°F | 847 ft | Upper Chariton |
|
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903900 |
624 cfs | 5.30 ft | · | 60°F | 855 ft | Upper Chariton |
|
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06809210 |
623 cfs | 4.52 ft | · | 63°F | 1,109 ft | East Nishnabotna |
|
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06483500 |
611 cfs | 5.52 ft | · | 67°F | 1,238 ft | Rock |
|
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412400 |
588 cfs | 6.05 ft | · | 59°F | 694 ft | Turkey |
|
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05483450 |
587 cfs | 11.92 ft | · | 66°F | 1,054 ft | South Raccoon |
|
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05418400 |
586 cfs | 4.09 ft | 39°F | 60°F | 689 ft | Maquoketa |
|
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05476750 |
586 cfs | 4.13 ft | · | 63°F | 1,066 ft | Upper Des Moines |
|
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06898000 |
553 cfs | 2.31 ft | · | 61°F | 910 ft | Thompson |
|
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05387500 |
542 cfs | 2.29 ft | · | 58°F | 854 ft | Upper Iowa |
|
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05486000 |
530 cfs | 9.68 ft | · | 63°F | 811 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06609500 |
526 cfs | 4.69 ft | · | 64°F | 1,014 ft | Boyer |
|
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05483600 |
524 cfs | 5.33 ft | 35°F | 65°F | 997 ft | South Raccoon |
|
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05489000 |
449 cfs | 6.46 ft | · | 64°F | 696 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05416900 |
447 cfs | 5.37 ft | · | 60°F | 920 ft | Maquoketa |
|
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452000 |
445 cfs | 8.56 ft | · | 60°F | 802 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453000 |
444 cfs | 13.19 ft | · | 61°F | 771 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05479000 |
437 cfs | 8.71 ft | · | 62°F | 1,043 ft | East Fork Des Moines |
|
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05387440 |
367 cfs | 3.79 ft | · | 58°F | 970 ft | Upper Iowa |
|
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06605850 |
351 cfs | 6.09 ft | · | 62°F | 1,249 ft | Little Sioux |
|
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05420680 |
337 cfs | 9.00 ft | · | 60°F | 1,019 ft | Upper Wapsipinicon |
|
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455100 |
322 cfs | 4.44 ft | 46°F | 62°F | 654 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451700 |
313 cfs | 5.41 ft | · | 61°F | 862 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05389000 |
285 cfs | 6.46 ft | · | 57°F | 681 ft | Coon-Yellow |
|
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485640 |
284 cfs | 4.73 ft | · | 62°F | 813 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05411600 |
248 cfs | 2.91 ft | · | 59°F | 1,067 ft | Turkey |
|
Floyd River At James, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06600500 |
247 cfs | 8.63 ft | · | 74°F | 1,117 ft | Floyd |
|
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06607200 |
238 cfs | 4.93 ft | · | 65°F | 1,114 ft | Maple |
|
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05487470 |
230 cfs | 6.32 ft | · | 62°F | 805 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05459500 |
227 cfs | 5.11 ft | · | 59°F | 1,101 ft | Winnebago |
|
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454300 |
207 cfs | 2.65 ft | · | 62°F | 660 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458000 |
194 cfs | 4.15 ft | · | 60°F | 1,000 ft | Upper Cedar |
|
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485605 |
181 cfs | 3.24 ft | · | 62°F | 911 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05473450 |
159 cfs | 5.00 ft | · | 62°F | 672 ft | Skunk |
|
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451900 |
150 cfs | 12.40 ft | · | 60°F | 817 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06608500 |
149 cfs | 3.15 ft | · | 65°F | 1,047 ft | Blackbird-Soldier |
|
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452200 |
145 cfs | 3.21 ft | · | 60°F | 806 ft | Middle Iowa |
|
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454220 |
141 cfs | 3.74 ft | · | 62°F | 722 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484800 |
141 cfs | 4.11 ft | · | 63°F | 808 ft | North Raccoon |
|
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06605000 |
132 cfs | 2.76 ft | · | 66°F | 1,317 ft | Little Sioux |
|
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06602400 |
119 cfs | 4.70 ft | · | 65°F | 1,021 ft | Monona-Harrison Ditch |
|
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05487980 |
115 cfs | 6.77 ft | · | 62°F | 773 ft | Lake Red Rock |
|
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06483290 |
105 cfs | 7.32 ft | · | 64°F | 1,316 ft | Rock |
|
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488200 |
99 cfs | 9.93 ft | · | 62°F | 749 ft | Lower Des Moines |
|
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05449500 |
94 cfs | 3.99 ft | · | 64°F | 1,187 ft | Upper Iowa |
|
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06600100 |
83 cfs | 5.89 ft | · | 67°F | 1,289 ft | Floyd |
|
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454000 |
62 cfs | 4.57 ft | · | 62°F | 688 ft | Lower Iowa |
|
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06817000 |
44 cfs | 11.47 ft | · | 62°F | 966 ft | West Nodaway |
|
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06819185 |
35 cfs | 11.09 ft | · | 65°F | 1,084 ft | One Hundred And Two |
|
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903700 |
27 cfs | 3.32 ft | · | 62°F | 922 ft | Upper Chariton |
|
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05389400 |
26 cfs | 4.15 ft | · | 57°F | 634 ft | Coon-Yellow |
|
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903400 |
22 cfs | 5.04 ft | · | 62°F | 968 ft | Upper Chariton |
About Iowa streamflow
What are river levels like in Iowa right now?
As of October 11, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 454% of normal across 116 USGS streamgauges, and the Iowa River At Wapello is reporting the highest discharge at 38,100 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.
Which Iowa river is running highest right now?
As of October 11, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 38,100 cfs on the Iowa River At Wapello. 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.