Flow report

Iowa River Levels & Streamflow

As of Aug 2, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 72% of normal across 117 USGS gauges — the highest is 36,800 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
72%
Paddle runs
0
Updated
Aug 2
Open the Iowa flow layer on the map Every USGS streamgauge filtered to Iowa.
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August
2
2026
Flow briefing

Streamflow levels across Iowa are currently 72% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Clinton reporting the highest discharge in the state at 36,800 cfs and a gauge stage of 8.90 ft.

Meanwhile, the South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames is seeing a spike today — up 50% 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

72%

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

Highest discharge

Mississippi River At Clinton 36,800 cfs

Gauge stage 8.90 ft

Biggest 24h spike

South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames +50%

Now 334 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
23 hours ago · USGS 05420500
36,000 cfs 9.09 ft 78°F 68°F 593 ft Copperas-Duck
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05465500
8,500 cfs 14.12 ft 49°F 69°F 554 ft Lower Iowa
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05465000
7,440 cfs 8.53 ft · 69°F 593 ft Lower Cedar
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05464500
6,250 cfs 5.24 ft 62°F 64°F 712 ft Middle Cedar
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05464000
3,970 cfs 6.65 ft · 62°F 823 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05488500
3,660 cfs 3.81 ft · 63°F 676 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05488110
3,560 cfs 85.75 ft 80°F 63°F 689 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05490500
3,470 cfs 11.37 ft 80°F 68°F 579 ft Lower Des Moines
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05463050
3,240 cfs 78.70 ft · 62°F 853 ft Middle Cedar
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05418500
2,500 cfs 13.40 ft · 64°F 646 ft Maquoketa
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05412500
2,390 cfs 8.94 ft 67°F 62°F 646 ft Turkey
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05421740
2,330 cfs 7.89 ft · 66°F 779 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05455700
2,090 cfs 6.39 ft · 69°F 601 ft Lower Iowa
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05489500
2,050 cfs 2.25 ft 80°F 64°F 635 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05485500
1,920 cfs 10.10 ft · 63°F 779 ft Lake Red Rock
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05422000
1,860 cfs 7.54 ft · 68°F 646 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05474000
1,640 cfs 3.16 ft · 66°F 553 ft Skunk
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05416900
1,600 cfs 8.68 ft · 62°F 920 ft Maquoketa
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05453100
1,510 cfs 8.09 ft · 63°F 729 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05454500
1,450 cfs 10.98 ft · 68°F 643 ft Lower Iowa
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05452500
1,410 cfs 7.92 ft · 63°F 748 ft Middle Iowa
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05453520
1,340 cfs 50.16 ft · 65°F 669 ft Middle Iowa
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05458500
1,290 cfs 2.16 ft · 64°F 859 ft Upper Cedar
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05482000
1,250 cfs 15.39 ft 32°F 63°F 808 ft Middle Des Moines
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05471500
1,020 cfs 10.72 ft · 63°F 692 ft South Skunk
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05458300
1,020 cfs 5.07 ft 71°F 61°F 895 ft Upper Cedar
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05462000
1,010 cfs 8.40 ft · 64°F 882 ft Shell Rock
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05481650
1,010 cfs 3.03 ft · 62°F 819 ft Middle Des Moines
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06810000
949 cfs 8.95 ft · 63°F 904 ft Nishnabotna
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05418400
939 cfs 5.03 ft 39°F 64°F 689 ft Maquoketa
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05412400
853 cfs 6.75 ft · 62°F 694 ft Turkey
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05421000
814 cfs 5.57 ft · 63°F 889 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05481300
764 cfs 5.45 ft · 63°F 902 ft Middle Des Moines
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05412020
750 cfs 6.19 ft · 64°F 726 ft Turkey
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05388250
680 cfs 7.57 ft · 63°F 668 ft Upper Iowa
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05480500
639 cfs 3.91 ft · 62°F 974 ft Middle Des Moines
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05457700
627 cfs 2.92 ft · 63°F 977 ft Upper Cedar
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05471050
616 cfs 8.77 ft · 63°F 793 ft South Skunk
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06485500
600 cfs 5.24 ft · 63°F 1,151 ft Lower Big Sioux
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06607500
589 cfs 7.25 ft · 60°F 1,029 ft Little Sioux
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05451500
577 cfs 10.58 ft · 61°F 853 ft Middle Iowa
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05458900
561 cfs 7.58 ft · 61°F 859 ft West Fork Cedar
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06808500
540 cfs 8.42 ft 72°F 63°F 956 ft West Nishnabotna
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05484900
528 cfs 1.37 ft · 63°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05484650
527 cfs 20.42 ft · 63°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05387500
481 cfs 2.26 ft · 63°F 854 ft Upper Iowa
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05464220
465 cfs 3.70 ft · 63°F 835 ft Middle Cedar
Raccoon River Near West Des Moines, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05484600
464 cfs 26.54 ft · 62°F 844 ft North Raccoon
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05484500
447 cfs 2.74 ft 32°F 62°F 862 ft North Raccoon
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05411850
391 cfs 5.83 ft · 63°F 897 ft Turkey
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05387440
376 cfs 3.81 ft · 60°F 970 ft Upper Iowa
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05471000
324 cfs 11.03 ft · 62°F 872 ft South Skunk
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06606600
301 cfs 4.86 ft · 62°F 1,106 ft Little Sioux
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05463500
296 cfs 7.17 ft · 61°F 897 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05476750
275 cfs 3.40 ft · 62°F 1,066 ft Upper Des Moines
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06609500
201 cfs 3.78 ft · 62°F 1,014 ft Boyer
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05452000
193 cfs 6.95 ft · 61°F 802 ft Middle Iowa
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05471200
191 cfs 4.15 ft · 62°F 827 ft South Skunk
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05472500
191 cfs 4.54 ft · 64°F 664 ft North Skunk
Floyd River At James, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06600500
182 cfs 8.41 ft · 59°F 1,117 ft Floyd
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06809500
182 cfs 5.79 ft · 65°F 1,013 ft East Nishnabotna
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06605850
172 cfs 5.09 ft · 57°F 1,249 ft Little Sioux
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05463000
168 cfs 2.44 ft · 64°F 890 ft Middle Cedar
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05479000
165 cfs 7.89 ft · 62°F 1,043 ft East Fork Des Moines
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484000
161 cfs 2.46 ft 32°F 61°F 917 ft South Raccoon
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05470500
157 cfs 2.04 ft · 62°F 907 ft South Skunk
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05420680
152 cfs 7.90 ft · 61°F 1,019 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06807410
149 cfs 2.15 ft · 64°F 1,089 ft West Nishnabotna
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05470000
148 cfs 3.52 ft · 62°F 928 ft South Skunk
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05481000
147 cfs 2.12 ft 35°F 62°F 1,028 ft Boone
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05389000
146 cfs 5.90 ft · 63°F 681 ft Coon-Yellow
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05458000
142 cfs 3.89 ft · 63°F 1,000 ft Upper Cedar
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06483500
137 cfs 4.46 ft · 62°F 1,238 ft Rock
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05459500
133 cfs 4.95 ft · 62°F 1,101 ft Winnebago
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05482500
132 cfs 4.92 ft 37°F 63°F 978 ft North Raccoon
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05411600
125 cfs 2.45 ft · 63°F 1,067 ft Turkey
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06607200
125 cfs 4.49 ft · 60°F 1,114 ft Maple
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06817000
112 cfs 10.70 ft · 63°F 966 ft West Nodaway
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06602400
102 cfs 4.74 ft · 60°F 1,021 ft Monona-Harrison Ditch
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05485640
98 cfs 4.27 ft · 63°F 813 ft Lake Red Rock
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05453000
97 cfs 11.37 ft · 63°F 771 ft Middle Iowa
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
1 day ago · USGS 05484800
93 cfs 4.04 ft · 63°F 808 ft North Raccoon
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05449500
89 cfs 3.85 ft · 62°F 1,187 ft Upper Iowa
English River At Kalona, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05455500
88 cfs 3.94 ft · 68°F 655 ft Lower Iowa
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05451700
82 cfs 2.99 ft · 61°F 862 ft Middle Iowa
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06608500
81 cfs 2.70 ft · 63°F 1,047 ft Blackbird-Soldier
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05473400
78 cfs 2.99 ft · 66°F 590 ft Skunk
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05455100
77 cfs 2.14 ft 46°F 68°F 654 ft Lower Iowa
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05486000
76 cfs 5.68 ft · 63°F 811 ft Lake Red Rock
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05451210
74 cfs 2.81 ft · 63°F 963 ft Upper Iowa
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05483600
70 cfs 4.21 ft 35°F 63°F 997 ft South Raccoon
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06809210
68 cfs 2.42 ft · 64°F 1,109 ft East Nishnabotna
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05486490
60 cfs 7.32 ft · 63°F 794 ft Lake Red Rock
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05485605
56 cfs 2.69 ft · 62°F 911 ft Lake Red Rock
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06898000
53 cfs · · 62°F 910 ft Thompson
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05454300
52 cfs 1.35 ft · 65°F 660 ft Lower Iowa
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05487470
51 cfs 5.02 ft · 62°F 805 ft Lake Red Rock
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05454000
50 cfs 4.74 ft · 65°F 688 ft Lower Iowa
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05481950
50 cfs 3.33 ft · 62°F 829 ft Middle Des Moines
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05483450
49 cfs 8.95 ft · 63°F 1,054 ft South Raccoon
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05482300
46 cfs 6.77 ft 75°F 62°F 1,179 ft North Raccoon
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05389400
38 cfs 4.38 ft · 61°F 634 ft Coon-Yellow
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06605000
37 cfs 2.04 ft · 57°F 1,317 ft Little Sioux
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06819185
30 cfs 10.96 ft · 62°F 1,084 ft One Hundred And Two
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06904010
29 cfs 18.43 ft · 63°F 847 ft Upper Chariton
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06483290
27 cfs 6.59 ft · 58°F 1,316 ft Rock
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05454220
26 cfs 2.17 ft · 64°F 722 ft Lower Iowa
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05487980
26 cfs 6.18 ft · 63°F 773 ft Lake Red Rock
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05473450
23 cfs 3.57 ft · 68°F 672 ft Skunk
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05489000
20 cfs 4.54 ft · 63°F 696 ft Lower Des Moines
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05452200
18 cfs 1.16 ft · 61°F 806 ft Middle Iowa
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05451900
17 cfs 10.53 ft · 61°F 817 ft Middle Iowa
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06600100
13 cfs 5.31 ft · 62°F 1,289 ft Floyd
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06903900
12 cfs 2.24 ft · 63°F 855 ft Upper Chariton
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 05488200
10 cfs 8.35 ft · 63°F 749 ft Lower Des Moines
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06903700
5 cfs 3.01 ft · 62°F 922 ft Upper Chariton
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
23 hours ago · USGS 06903400
4 cfs 4.13 ft · 62°F 968 ft Upper Chariton
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Flow report FAQ

About Iowa streamflow

What are river levels like in Iowa right now?

As of August 2, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 72% of normal across 117 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Clinton is reporting the highest discharge at 36,800 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Iowa river is running highest right now?

As of August 2, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 36,800 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.