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Flow report

Iowa River Levels & Streamflow

As of Sep 24, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 709% of normal across 116 USGS gauges — the highest is 82,600 cfs on the Mississippi River At Clinton. Live discharge, gauge height, and percent-of-normal for every USGS streamgauge in Iowa.

USGS gauges
116
State percent normal
709%
Paddle runs
0
Updated
Sep 24
Open the Iowa flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to Iowa.
Open the map →
September
24
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across Iowa are currently 709% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Clinton reporting the highest discharge in the state at 82,600 cfs and a gauge stage of 12.70 ft.

Meanwhile, the Cedar River At Waverly is seeing a spike today — up 157% 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.

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

709%

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

Highest discharge

Mississippi River At Clinton 82,600 cfs

Gauge stage 12.70 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Cedar River At Waverly +157%

Now 8,200 cfs

Network coverage

Gauges + rivers tracked 116 + 0

USGS gauges feeding 0 named rivers in Iowa.

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.

State average 709%
0% 50% 100% · normal 150% 200%+
Much below normalunder 50% Below normal50–90% Near normal90–110% Above normal110–150% Much above normalover 150%

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 Sep 2023. The dotted line is normal.

709% of normal today
+649pts vs this day last year (60%)
277of 366 days below normal, past year
709% 3-year peak · Sep 2026 · above the axis
50% 100% normal 150% 200% 250%
Sep 2023 202420252026 Sep 23, 2026

799 daily readings from 117 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%: 39 readings above that — including the 709% peak in Sep 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.

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.

116 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Clinton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05420500
77,600 cfs 12.56 ft 66°F 52°F 593 ft Copperas-Duck
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05465500
53,600 cfs 23.71 ft 49°F 52°F 554 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05465000
33,900 cfs 14.53 ft · 51°F 593 ft Lower Cedar
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05490500
24,200 cfs 16.85 ft 68°F 51°F 579 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05489500
24,200 cfs 8.59 ft 69°F 51°F 635 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488110
22,200 cfs 93.09 ft 69°F 53°F 689 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488500
20,800 cfs 9.16 ft · 53°F 676 ft Lower Des Moines
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455700
18,300 cfs 16.42 ft · 50°F 601 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464500
15,800 cfs 8.12 ft 62°F 49°F 712 ft Middle Cedar
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05474000
14,500 cfs 11.70 ft · 51°F 553 ft Skunk
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464000
12,600 cfs 9.06 ft · 47°F 823 ft Middle Cedar
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05422000
12,400 cfs 13.03 ft · 51°F 646 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463050
11,800 cfs 78.70 ft · 47°F 853 ft Middle Cedar
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454500
10,600 cfs 19.27 ft · 51°F 643 ft Lower Iowa
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453520
9,900 cfs 55.74 ft · 51°F 669 ft Middle Iowa
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458500
9,620 cfs 7.74 ft · 49°F 859 ft Upper Cedar
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458300
9,550 cfs 6.12 ft 61°F 49°F 895 ft Upper Cedar
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485500
8,220 cfs 14.68 ft · 54°F 779 ft Lake Red Rock
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05418500
7,680 cfs 18.39 ft · 50°F 646 ft Maquoketa
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412500
6,980 cfs 12.87 ft 60°F 47°F 646 ft Turkey
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453100
6,750 cfs 14.36 ft · 49°F 729 ft Middle Iowa
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05421740
6,450 cfs 12.50 ft · 49°F 779 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
English River At Kalona, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455500
5,860 cfs 16.41 ft · 50°F 655 ft Lower Iowa
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05421000
4,920 cfs 8.41 ft · 47°F 889 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471500
4,820 cfs 16.05 ft · 50°F 692 ft South Skunk
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452500
4,670 cfs 12.81 ft · 48°F 748 ft Middle Iowa
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482000
4,420 cfs 16.92 ft 32°F 54°F 808 ft Middle Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481650
4,390 cfs 6.18 ft · 53°F 819 ft Middle Des Moines
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05457700
4,040 cfs 7.10 ft · 48°F 977 ft Upper Cedar
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484900
4,030 cfs 5.54 ft · 54°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484650
3,860 cfs 23.75 ft · 54°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481300
3,810 cfs 8.17 ft · 48°F 902 ft Middle Des Moines
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05472500
3,480 cfs 14.65 ft · 50°F 664 ft North Skunk
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412020
3,390 cfs 8.84 ft · 46°F 726 ft Turkey
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484500
3,350 cfs 5.87 ft 32°F 54°F 862 ft North Raccoon
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451500
3,050 cfs 13.47 ft · 50°F 853 ft Middle Iowa
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06810000
2,840 cfs 12.41 ft · 58°F 904 ft Nishnabotna
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05411850
2,700 cfs 8.88 ft · 48°F 897 ft Turkey
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05388250
2,620 cfs 9.68 ft · 48°F 668 ft Upper Iowa
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471050
2,470 cfs 12.40 ft · 50°F 793 ft South Skunk
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05387500
2,150 cfs 3.71 ft · 48°F 854 ft Upper Iowa
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05462000
2,130 cfs 9.22 ft · 49°F 882 ft Shell Rock
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471000
2,090 cfs 14.84 ft · 52°F 872 ft South Skunk
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05387440
1,650 cfs 5.74 ft · 48°F 970 ft Upper Iowa
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05418400
1,610 cfs 6.64 ft 39°F 49°F 689 ft Maquoketa
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05412400
1,530 cfs 8.22 ft · 47°F 694 ft Turkey
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05464220
1,430 cfs 5.96 ft · 48°F 835 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05480500
1,400 cfs 4.90 ft · 48°F 974 ft Middle Des Moines
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05416900
1,390 cfs 8.16 ft · 47°F 920 ft Maquoketa
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06898000
1,360 cfs 3.40 ft · 55°F 910 ft Thompson
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05420680
1,310 cfs 12.10 ft · 49°F 1,019 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05486490
1,310 cfs 11.41 ft · 54°F 794 ft Lake Red Rock
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05470000
1,290 cfs 6.37 ft · 52°F 928 ft South Skunk
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463500
1,160 cfs 11.42 ft · 47°F 897 ft Middle Cedar
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458900
1,150 cfs 9.02 ft · 49°F 859 ft West Fork Cedar
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05486000
1,120 cfs 12.89 ft · 54°F 811 ft Lake Red Rock
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481000
1,080 cfs 4.14 ft 35°F 51°F 1,028 ft Boone
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06483500
1,050 cfs 6.76 ft · 65°F 1,238 ft Rock
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06817000
968 cfs 11.60 ft · 56°F 966 ft West Nodaway
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484000
945 cfs 4.03 ft 32°F 54°F 917 ft South Raccoon
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06485500
890 cfs 6.25 ft · 66°F 1,151 ft Lower Big Sioux
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482500
883 cfs 6.18 ft 37°F 54°F 978 ft North Raccoon
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05473400
876 cfs 7.56 ft · 50°F 590 ft Skunk
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452000
863 cfs 10.76 ft · 50°F 802 ft Middle Iowa
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05455100
833 cfs 7.47 ft 46°F 50°F 654 ft Lower Iowa
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05487470
827 cfs 8.44 ft · 54°F 805 ft Lake Red Rock
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06808500
804 cfs 9.25 ft 64°F 58°F 956 ft West Nishnabotna
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05476750
786 cfs 4.47 ft · 53°F 1,066 ft Upper Des Moines
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06809500
786 cfs 8.75 ft · 56°F 1,013 ft East Nishnabotna
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05458000
779 cfs 5.85 ft · 48°F 1,000 ft Upper Cedar
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05463000
774 cfs 5.33 ft · 49°F 890 ft Middle Cedar
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05471200
760 cfs 6.07 ft · 49°F 827 ft South Skunk
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451210
756 cfs 5.92 ft · 46°F 963 ft Upper Iowa
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05411600
721 cfs 4.46 ft · 48°F 1,067 ft Turkey
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05481950
712 cfs 5.94 ft · 53°F 829 ft Middle Des Moines
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05470500
652 cfs 3.36 ft · 52°F 907 ft South Skunk
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06607500
594 cfs 7.31 ft · 56°F 1,029 ft Little Sioux
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06809210
592 cfs 4.45 ft · 56°F 1,109 ft East Nishnabotna
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454300
562 cfs 4.84 ft · 50°F 660 ft Lower Iowa
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05453000
437 cfs 13.16 ft · 49°F 771 ft Middle Iowa
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05459500
398 cfs 5.70 ft · 43°F 1,101 ft Winnebago
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05489000
379 cfs 6.24 ft · 53°F 696 ft Lower Des Moines
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06807410
375 cfs 2.90 ft · 55°F 1,089 ft West Nishnabotna
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06606600
374 cfs 5.01 ft · 56°F 1,106 ft Little Sioux
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05389000
371 cfs 6.71 ft · 47°F 681 ft Coon-Yellow
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05487980
358 cfs 7.88 ft · 53°F 773 ft Lake Red Rock
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06609500
342 cfs 4.08 ft · 54°F 1,014 ft Boyer
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454220
313 cfs 6.05 ft · 50°F 722 ft Lower Iowa
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485640
287 cfs 4.88 ft · 50°F 813 ft Lake Red Rock
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484800
263 cfs 4.63 ft · 54°F 808 ft North Raccoon
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05488200
255 cfs 11.52 ft · 53°F 749 ft Lower Des Moines
Floyd River At James, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06600500
225 cfs 8.54 ft · 53°F 1,117 ft Floyd
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05479000
218 cfs 8.19 ft · 52°F 1,043 ft East Fork Des Moines
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05452200
204 cfs 3.79 ft · 50°F 806 ft Middle Iowa
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451700
204 cfs 4.38 ft · 50°F 862 ft Middle Iowa
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06605850
204 cfs 5.45 ft · 54°F 1,249 ft Little Sioux
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485605
190 cfs 3.32 ft · 53°F 911 ft Lake Red Rock
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06607200
169 cfs 4.65 ft · 54°F 1,114 ft Maple
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
22 hours ago · USGS 06483290
166 cfs 7.65 ft · 64°F 1,316 ft Rock
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05482300
163 cfs 7.46 ft 75°F 54°F 1,179 ft North Raccoon
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05483600
161 cfs 4.57 ft 35°F 55°F 997 ft South Raccoon
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05451900
139 cfs 12.28 ft · 50°F 817 ft Middle Iowa
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05483450
137 cfs 9.77 ft · 55°F 1,054 ft South Raccoon
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06605000
112 cfs 2.62 ft · 53°F 1,317 ft Little Sioux
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06608500
104 cfs 2.94 ft · 56°F 1,047 ft Blackbird-Soldier
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06600100
102 cfs 5.98 ft · 56°F 1,289 ft Floyd
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06602400
102 cfs 4.65 ft · 56°F 1,021 ft Monona-Harrison Ditch
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903400
99 cfs 6.76 ft · 54°F 968 ft Upper Chariton
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05454000
92 cfs 5.38 ft · 51°F 688 ft Lower Iowa
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05449500
77 cfs 3.84 ft · 45°F 1,187 ft Upper Iowa
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06819185
70 cfs 11.35 ft · 53°F 1,084 ft One Hundred And Two
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05473450
56 cfs 4.09 ft · 50°F 672 ft Skunk
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06904010
49 cfs 18.63 ft · 54°F 847 ft Upper Chariton
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903700
45 cfs 3.49 ft · 53°F 922 ft Upper Chariton
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05389400
30 cfs 4.20 ft · 47°F 634 ft Coon-Yellow
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 06903900
15 cfs 2.26 ft · 53°F 855 ft Upper Chariton
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Flow report FAQ

About Iowa streamflow

What are river levels like in Iowa right now?

As of September 24, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 709% of normal across 116 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Clinton is reporting the highest discharge at 82,600 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Iowa river is running highest right now?

As of September 24, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 82,600 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.