Flow report

Iowa River Levels & Streamflow

As of Jul 26, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 79% of normal across 117 USGS gauges — the highest is 32,400 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
79%
Paddle runs
0
Updated
Jul 26
Open the Iowa flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to Iowa.
Open the map →
July
26
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across Iowa are currently 79% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Clinton reporting the highest discharge in the state at 32,400 cfs and a gauge stage of 9.23 ft.

Meanwhile, the Skunk River At Augusta is seeing a spike today — up 34% 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

79%

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

Highest discharge

Mississippi River At Clinton 32,400 cfs

Gauge stage 9.23 ft

Biggest 24h spike

Skunk River At Augusta +34%

Now 4,060 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
14 hours ago · USGS 05420500
32,500 cfs 9.16 ft 80°F 71°F 593 ft Copperas-Duck
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05465500
11,900 cfs 15.32 ft 49°F 73°F 554 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05465000
9,270 cfs 9.25 ft · 72°F 593 ft Lower Cedar
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05464500
7,670 cfs 5.66 ft 62°F 73°F 712 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05490500
5,430 cfs 12.06 ft 80°F 77°F 579 ft Lower Des Moines
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05464000
4,890 cfs 6.81 ft · 73°F 823 ft Middle Cedar
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05463050
4,050 cfs 78.70 ft · 73°F 853 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05488500
3,830 cfs 3.87 ft · 74°F 676 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05489500
3,550 cfs 2.78 ft 80°F 76°F 635 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05488110
3,490 cfs 85.70 ft 80°F 74°F 689 ft Lower Des Moines
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05474000
3,270 cfs 4.61 ft · 73°F 553 ft Skunk
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05455700
2,820 cfs 7.14 ft · 73°F 601 ft Lower Iowa
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05485500
2,280 cfs 10.48 ft · 78°F 779 ft Lake Red Rock
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05422000
2,100 cfs 7.82 ft · 71°F 646 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05453520
2,020 cfs 50.72 ft · 73°F 669 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05454500
2,010 cfs 11.57 ft · 73°F 643 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05458500
1,730 cfs 2.56 ft · 72°F 859 ft Upper Cedar
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05453100
1,660 cfs 8.34 ft · 73°F 729 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05452500
1,630 cfs 8.29 ft · 76°F 748 ft Middle Iowa
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05421740
1,600 cfs 6.68 ft · 71°F 779 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05471500
1,570 cfs 11.69 ft · 76°F 692 ft South Skunk
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05482000
1,440 cfs 13.61 ft 32°F 78°F 808 ft Middle Des Moines
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05462000
1,400 cfs 8.71 ft · 73°F 882 ft Shell Rock
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05458300
1,390 cfs 5.06 ft 76°F 72°F 895 ft Upper Cedar
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05418500
1,380 cfs 11.88 ft · 71°F 646 ft Maquoketa
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05412500
1,190 cfs 7.58 ft 75°F 72°F 646 ft Turkey
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05481650
1,160 cfs 3.22 ft · 78°F 819 ft Middle Des Moines
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06485500
968 cfs 5.72 ft · 76°F 1,151 ft Lower Big Sioux
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06810000
966 cfs 8.99 ft · 79°F 904 ft Nishnabotna
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05388250
922 cfs 7.92 ft · 72°F 668 ft Upper Iowa
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05471050
899 cfs 9.34 ft · 74°F 793 ft South Skunk
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05481300
890 cfs 5.61 ft · 75°F 902 ft Middle Des Moines
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05458900
857 cfs 8.34 ft · 73°F 859 ft West Fork Cedar
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05412020
830 cfs 6.14 ft · 72°F 726 ft Turkey
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05457700
813 cfs 3.23 ft · 73°F 977 ft Upper Cedar
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05480500
812 cfs 4.10 ft · 75°F 974 ft Middle Des Moines
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06607500
728 cfs 7.52 ft · 76°F 1,029 ft Little Sioux
Raccoon River Near West Des Moines, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484600
709 cfs 26.90 ft · 76°F 844 ft North Raccoon
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05421000
704 cfs 5.48 ft · 72°F 889 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05451500
640 cfs 10.69 ft · 73°F 853 ft Middle Iowa
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05387500
632 cfs 2.41 ft · 72°F 854 ft Upper Iowa
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484650
562 cfs 20.64 ft · 76°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484500
548 cfs 2.98 ft 32°F 76°F 862 ft North Raccoon
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06808500
528 cfs 8.39 ft 82°F 80°F 956 ft West Nishnabotna
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05387440
514 cfs 4.08 ft · 72°F 970 ft Upper Iowa
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06606600
444 cfs 5.13 ft · 76°F 1,106 ft Little Sioux
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05411850
426 cfs 5.86 ft · 72°F 897 ft Turkey
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05418400
380 cfs 3.32 ft 39°F 71°F 689 ft Maquoketa
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05412400
369 cfs 5.44 ft · 71°F 694 ft Turkey
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05476750
348 cfs 3.57 ft · 75°F 1,066 ft Upper Des Moines
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484900
337 cfs 1.68 ft · 79°F 797 ft North Raccoon
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05471000
318 cfs 11.01 ft · 74°F 872 ft South Skunk
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05479000
316 cfs 8.29 ft · 75°F 1,043 ft East Fork Des Moines
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05416900
265 cfs 4.55 ft · 71°F 920 ft Maquoketa
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06609500
254 cfs 3.88 ft · 77°F 1,014 ft Boyer
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05464220
244 cfs 3.16 ft · 74°F 835 ft Middle Cedar
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05471200
242 cfs 4.40 ft · 74°F 827 ft South Skunk
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05472500
240 cfs 4.83 ft · 74°F 664 ft North Skunk
Floyd River At James, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06600500
237 cfs 8.64 ft · 76°F 1,117 ft Floyd
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06605850
222 cfs 5.41 ft · 75°F 1,249 ft Little Sioux
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05463500
215 cfs 6.60 ft · 75°F 897 ft Middle Cedar
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06809500
200 cfs 5.86 ft · 79°F 1,013 ft East Nishnabotna
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05482500
199 cfs 5.08 ft 37°F 75°F 978 ft North Raccoon
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05463000
189 cfs 2.58 ft · 73°F 890 ft Middle Cedar
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06483500
187 cfs 4.67 ft · 75°F 1,238 ft Rock
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05458000
181 cfs 4.09 ft · 72°F 1,000 ft Upper Cedar
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05420680
177 cfs 8.07 ft · 72°F 1,019 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06807410
169 cfs 2.26 ft · 79°F 1,089 ft West Nishnabotna
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05470000
163 cfs 3.59 ft · 75°F 928 ft South Skunk
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05486000
158 cfs 6.68 ft · 75°F 811 ft Lake Red Rock
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05452000
149 cfs 6.61 ft · 75°F 802 ft Middle Iowa
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06602400
149 cfs 4.87 ft · 76°F 1,021 ft Monona-Harrison Ditch
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06607200
142 cfs 4.57 ft · 76°F 1,114 ft Maple
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05470500
139 cfs 1.96 ft · 75°F 907 ft South Skunk
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05459500
131 cfs 4.94 ft · 73°F 1,101 ft Winnebago
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05485640
130 cfs 4.43 ft · 78°F 813 ft Lake Red Rock
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06817000
130 cfs 10.74 ft · 78°F 966 ft West Nodaway
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05481000
124 cfs 2.04 ft 35°F 75°F 1,028 ft Boone
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484000
124 cfs 2.49 ft 32°F 76°F 917 ft South Raccoon
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05389000
121 cfs 5.76 ft · 71°F 681 ft Coon-Yellow
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05449500
116 cfs 4.08 ft · 75°F 1,187 ft Upper Iowa
English River At Kalona, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05455500
116 cfs 4.17 ft · 73°F 655 ft Lower Iowa
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05411600
112 cfs 2.54 ft · 72°F 1,067 ft Turkey
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05481950
100 cfs 3.73 ft · 78°F 829 ft Middle Des Moines
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05484800
89 cfs 3.78 ft · 76°F 808 ft North Raccoon
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05455100
87 cfs 2.27 ft 46°F 73°F 654 ft Lower Iowa
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05485605
84 cfs 2.95 ft · 75°F 911 ft Lake Red Rock
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06809210
83 cfs 2.51 ft · 76°F 1,109 ft East Nishnabotna
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05486490
83 cfs 7.47 ft · 75°F 794 ft Lake Red Rock
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06904010
78 cfs 18.74 ft · 74°F 847 ft Upper Chariton
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05473400
78 cfs 2.99 ft · 73°F 590 ft Skunk
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05451700
75 cfs 2.89 ft · 73°F 862 ft Middle Iowa
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05483600
70 cfs 4.21 ft 35°F 76°F 997 ft South Raccoon
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05453000
61 cfs 11.07 ft · 73°F 771 ft Middle Iowa
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05483450
60 cfs 9.06 ft · 76°F 1,054 ft South Raccoon
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06608500
59 cfs 2.79 ft · 76°F 1,047 ft Blackbird-Soldier
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05451210
55 cfs 2.63 ft · 73°F 963 ft Upper Iowa
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05482300
54 cfs 6.85 ft 75°F 76°F 1,179 ft North Raccoon
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05487470
50 cfs 5.01 ft · 75°F 805 ft Lake Red Rock
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06605000
43 cfs 2.10 ft · 75°F 1,317 ft Little Sioux
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06483290
32 cfs 6.67 ft · 74°F 1,316 ft Rock
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05389400
30 cfs 4.20 ft · 71°F 634 ft Coon-Yellow
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06903400
30 cfs 4.33 ft · 74°F 968 ft Upper Chariton
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05454300
30 cfs 1.06 ft · 73°F 660 ft Lower Iowa
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06898000
28 cfs 1.06 ft · 77°F 910 ft Thompson
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05489000
25 cfs 4.60 ft · 74°F 696 ft Lower Des Moines
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06600100
20 cfs 5.43 ft · 75°F 1,289 ft Floyd
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05454220
18 cfs 1.95 ft · 73°F 722 ft Lower Iowa
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05487980
16 cfs 6.07 ft · 77°F 773 ft Lake Red Rock
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05451900
15 cfs 10.50 ft · 72°F 817 ft Middle Iowa
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05452200
15 cfs 1.04 ft · 72°F 806 ft Middle Iowa
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06903900
14 cfs 2.21 ft · 75°F 855 ft Upper Chariton
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05473450
8 cfs 3.23 ft · 73°F 672 ft Skunk
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05454000
7 cfs 3.87 ft · 73°F 688 ft Lower Iowa
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06903700
6 cfs 3.04 ft · 74°F 922 ft Upper Chariton
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 06819185
5 cfs 10.74 ft · 78°F 1,084 ft One Hundred And Two
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
14 hours ago · USGS 05488200
4 cfs 8.10 ft · 77°F 749 ft Lower Des Moines
🔒 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 26, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 79% of normal across 117 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Clinton is reporting the highest discharge at 32,400 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Iowa river is running highest right now?

As of July 26, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 32,400 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.