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Flow report

Iowa River Levels & Streamflow

As of Oct 23, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 340% of normal across 116 USGS gauges — the highest is 33,100 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
340%
0%normal200%
Paddle runs
0
Updated
Oct 23
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Flow briefing · Oct 23, 2026

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 340% of normal, with the Mississippi River At Clinton reporting the highest discharge in the state at 33,100 cfs and a gauge stage of 9.51 ft.

Meanwhile, the East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak is seeing a spike today — up 119% 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 vs normal

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.

State average 340%
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 Oct 2023. The dotted line is normal.

340% of normal today
+285pts vs this day last year (55%)
247of 366 days below normal, past year
1110% 3-year peak · Oct 2026 · above the axis
50% 100% normal 150% 200% 250%
Oct 2023 202420252026 Oct 23, 2026

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%: 69 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

116 gauges
Streamgage Streamflow Gage height Water temp Air temp Elevation Watershed
Mississippi River At Clinton, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05420500
32,800 cfs 9.48 ft 60°F 47°F 593 ft Copperas-Duck
Des Moines River At Keosauqua, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05490500
16,900 cfs 15.15 ft 61°F 50°F 579 ft Lower Des Moines
Iowa River At Wapello, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05465500
16,500 cfs 16.71 ft 49°F 48°F 554 ft Lower Iowa
Des Moines River At Ottumwa, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05489500
14,400 cfs 5.85 ft 60°F 50°F 635 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Pella, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05488110
13,900 cfs 90.23 ft 58°F 52°F 689 ft Lower Des Moines
Des Moines River Near Tracy, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05488500
13,700 cfs 6.79 ft · 52°F 676 ft Lower Des Moines
Cedar River Near Conesville, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05465000
10,300 cfs 9.61 ft · 48°F 593 ft Lower Cedar
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05464500
8,360 cfs 5.86 ft 62°F 49°F 712 ft Middle Cedar
Des Moines River Blw Raccoon Riv At Des Moines, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05485500
7,180 cfs 14.21 ft · 53°F 779 ft Lake Red Rock
Skunk River At Augusta, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05474000
5,640 cfs 6.51 ft · 50°F 553 ft Skunk
Cedar River At Waterloo, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05464000
5,440 cfs 7.09 ft · 52°F 823 ft Middle Cedar
Iowa River Near Lone Tree, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05455700
5,380 cfs 9.32 ft · 48°F 601 ft Lower Iowa
Raccoon River At 63rd Street At Des Moines, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05484650
5,110 cfs 24.73 ft · 53°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Raccoon River At Fleur Drive, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05484900
5,020 cfs 6.03 ft · 56°F 797 ft North Raccoon
Cedar River At Cedar Falls, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05463050
4,640 cfs 78.70 ft · 51°F 853 ft Middle Cedar
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05453520
4,460 cfs 52.49 ft · 49°F 669 ft Middle Iowa
Raccoon River At Van Meter, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05484500
4,360 cfs 6.63 ft 32°F 53°F 862 ft North Raccoon
Iowa River At Iowa City, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05454500
3,750 cfs 13.97 ft · 49°F 643 ft Lower Iowa
Wapsipinicon River Near De Witt, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05422000
3,740 cfs 9.39 ft · 50°F 646 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Iowa River At Marengo, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05453100
3,580 cfs 10.94 ft · 50°F 729 ft Middle Iowa
Des Moines River Near Stratford, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05481300
3,390 cfs 7.60 ft · 53°F 902 ft Middle Des Moines
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05452500
3,130 cfs 10.87 ft · 50°F 748 ft Middle Iowa
South Skunk River Near Oskaloosa, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05471500
2,790 cfs 13.37 ft · 51°F 692 ft South Skunk
Nishnabotna River Above Hamburg, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06810000
2,750 cfs 12.15 ft · 56°F 904 ft Nishnabotna
Wapsipinicon River Near Anamosa, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05421740
2,360 cfs 8.03 ft · 48°F 779 ft Lower Wapsipinicon
Turkey River At Garber, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05412500
2,080 cfs 8.36 ft 56°F 52°F 646 ft Turkey
Cedar River At Janesville, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05458500
1,870 cfs 2.68 ft · 52°F 859 ft Upper Cedar
Maquoketa River Near Maquoketa, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05418500
1,760 cfs 12.45 ft · 48°F 646 ft Maquoketa
North Raccoon River Near Jefferson, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05482500
1,670 cfs 7.08 ft 37°F 53°F 978 ft North Raccoon
Des Moines River At Fort Dodge, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05480500
1,660 cfs 4.76 ft · 54°F 974 ft Middle Des Moines
Cedar River At Waverly, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05458300
1,560 cfs 5.11 ft 57°F 52°F 895 ft Upper Cedar
Iowa River At Marshalltown, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05451500
1,530 cfs 12.29 ft · 51°F 853 ft Middle Iowa
South Skunk River At Colfax, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05471050
1,460 cfs 10.48 ft · 52°F 793 ft South Skunk
Shell Rock River At Shell Rock, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05462000
1,400 cfs 8.71 ft · 52°F 882 ft Shell Rock
West Nishnabotna River At Randolph, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06808500
1,400 cfs 10.08 ft 59°F 56°F 956 ft West Nishnabotna
Wapsipinicon River At Independence, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05421000
1,340 cfs 6.05 ft · 50°F 889 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Little Sioux River Near Turin, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06607500
1,160 cfs 8.24 ft · 58°F 1,029 ft Little Sioux
East Nishnabotna River At Red Oak, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06809500
1,100 cfs 7.84 ft · 56°F 1,013 ft East Nishnabotna
Turkey River Above French Hollow Cr At Elkader, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05412020
949 cfs 6.51 ft · 52°F 726 ft Turkey
South Raccoon River At Redfield, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05484000
905 cfs 3.99 ft 32°F 56°F 917 ft South Raccoon
Cedar River At Charles City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05457700
898 cfs 3.36 ft · 52°F 977 ft Upper Cedar
Des Moines River Near Saylorville, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05481650
855 cfs 3.28 ft · 56°F 819 ft Middle Des Moines
West Fork Cedar River At Finchford, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05458900
828 cfs 8.27 ft · 52°F 859 ft West Fork Cedar
Big Sioux River At Akron, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06485500
783 cfs 5.48 ft · 59°F 1,151 ft Lower Big Sioux
North Skunk River Near Sigourney, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05472500
747 cfs 7.05 ft · 52°F 664 ft North Skunk
Little Sioux River At Correctionville, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06606600
734 cfs 5.64 ft · 56°F 1,106 ft Little Sioux
South Skunk River Below Squaw Creek Near Ames, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05471000
722 cfs 12.57 ft · 52°F 872 ft South Skunk
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05388250
680 cfs 7.57 ft · 52°F 668 ft Upper Iowa
Beaver Creek Near Grimes, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05481950
640 cfs 5.83 ft · 56°F 829 ft Middle Des Moines
Des Moines River At Humboldt, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05476750
629 cfs 4.21 ft · 54°F 1,066 ft Upper Des Moines
West Nishnabotna River At Hancock, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06807410
623 cfs 3.68 ft · 56°F 1,089 ft West Nishnabotna
Black Hawk Creek At Hudson, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05463500
552 cfs 8.29 ft · 52°F 897 ft Middle Cedar
Nodaway River At Clarinda, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06817000
543 cfs 11.30 ft · 54°F 966 ft West Nodaway
Turkey River Near Eldorado, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05411850
538 cfs 6.15 ft · 52°F 897 ft Turkey
Beaver Creek At New Hartford, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05463000
526 cfs 4.35 ft · 54°F 890 ft Middle Cedar
Volga River At Littleport, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05412400
500 cfs 5.82 ft · 52°F 694 ft Turkey
Boone River Near Webster City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05481000
495 cfs 3.12 ft 35°F 52°F 1,028 ft Boone
Boyer River At Logan, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06609500
494 cfs 4.59 ft · 57°F 1,014 ft Boyer
North Fork Maquoketa River Near Fulton, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05418400
488 cfs 3.79 ft 39°F 48°F 689 ft Maquoketa
English River At Kalona, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05455500
488 cfs 5.76 ft · 48°F 655 ft Lower Iowa
Rock River Near Rock Valley, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06483500
486 cfs 5.16 ft · 59°F 1,238 ft Rock
Upper Iowa River At Decorah, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05387500
474 cfs 2.19 ft · 52°F 854 ft Upper Iowa
Squaw Creek At Ames, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05470500
468 cfs 2.72 ft · 52°F 907 ft South Skunk
Wolf Creek Near Dysart, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05464220
434 cfs 3.66 ft · 50°F 835 ft Middle Cedar
Chariton River Near Moulton, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06904010
431 cfs 21.15 ft · 50°F 847 ft Upper Chariton
South Skunk River Near Ames, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05470000
423 cfs 4.78 ft · 52°F 928 ft South Skunk
East Nishnabotna River Near Atlantic, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06809210
413 cfs 4.00 ft · 54°F 1,109 ft East Nishnabotna
East Fork Des Moines River At Dakota City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05479000
404 cfs 8.64 ft · 57°F 1,043 ft East Fork Des Moines
Chariton River Near Rathbun, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06903900
394 cfs 4.32 ft · 50°F 855 ft Upper Chariton
Middle River Near Indianola, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05486490
386 cfs 8.61 ft · 56°F 794 ft Lake Red Rock
Little Sioux River At Linn Grove, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06605850
383 cfs 6.24 ft · 54°F 1,249 ft Little Sioux
Maquoketa River At Manchester, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05416900
377 cfs 5.15 ft · 49°F 920 ft Maquoketa
North Raccoon River Near Sac City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05482300
360 cfs 8.32 ft 75°F 55°F 1,179 ft North Raccoon
Indian Creek Near Mingo, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05471200
359 cfs 4.98 ft · 52°F 827 ft South Skunk
Middle Raccoon River At Panora, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05483600
351 cfs 5.02 ft 35°F 53°F 997 ft South Raccoon
Middle Raccoon River Near Bayard, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05483450
349 cfs 10.96 ft · 54°F 1,054 ft South Raccoon
Upper Iowa River At Bluffton, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05387440
339 cfs 3.73 ft · 52°F 970 ft Upper Iowa
South Fork Iowa River Ne Of New Providence, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05451210
326 cfs 4.40 ft · 54°F 963 ft Upper Iowa
North River Near Norwalk, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05486000
300 cfs 8.07 ft · 52°F 811 ft Lake Red Rock
Wapsipinicon River Near Tripoli, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05420680
289 cfs 8.74 ft · 52°F 1,019 ft Upper Wapsipinicon
Winnebago River At Mason City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05459500
289 cfs 5.34 ft · 51°F 1,101 ft Winnebago
Maple River At Mapleton, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06607200
270 cfs 5.05 ft · 57°F 1,114 ft Maple
Salt Creek Near Elberon, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05452000
260 cfs 7.42 ft · 51°F 802 ft Middle Iowa
Floyd River At James, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06600500
240 cfs 8.60 ft · 58°F 1,117 ft Floyd
Thompson River At Davis City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06898000
229 cfs 1.58 ft · 54°F 910 ft Thompson
Turkey River At Spillville, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05411600
200 cfs 2.72 ft · 52°F 1,067 ft Turkey
Little Cedar River Near Ionia, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05458000
198 cfs 4.17 ft · 52°F 1,000 ft Upper Cedar
Yellow River At Ion, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05389000
177 cfs 6.11 ft · 52°F 681 ft Coon-Yellow
Big Bear Creek At Ladora, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05453000
175 cfs 11.78 ft · 50°F 771 ft Middle Iowa
Fourmile Creek At Des Moines, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05485640
161 cfs 4.24 ft · 56°F 813 ft Lake Red Rock
Monona-Harrison Ditch Near Turin, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06602400
153 cfs 4.79 ft · 58°F 1,021 ft Monona-Harrison Ditch
Old Mans Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05455100
147 cfs 2.99 ft 46°F 48°F 654 ft Lower Iowa
Des Moines River At 2nd Avenue, Ia
16 hours ago · USGS 05482000
137 cfs 12.55 ft 32°F 56°F 808 ft Middle Des Moines
Soldier River At Pisgah, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06608500
129 cfs 3.06 ft · 58°F 1,047 ft Blackbird-Soldier
Ocheyedan River Near Spencer, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06605000
125 cfs 2.71 ft · 55°F 1,317 ft Little Sioux
Timber Creek Near Marshalltown, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05451700
115 cfs 3.48 ft · 51°F 862 ft Middle Iowa
Cedar Creek Near Oakland Mills, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05473400
112 cfs 3.83 ft · 48°F 590 ft Skunk
Iowa River Near Rowan, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05449500
104 cfs 4.08 ft · 53°F 1,187 ft Upper Iowa
Walnut Creek At Des Moines, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05484800
89 cfs 3.86 ft · 56°F 808 ft North Raccoon
South River Near Ackworth, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05487470
87 cfs 5.40 ft · 53°F 805 ft Lake Red Rock
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05485605
87 cfs 2.53 ft · 55°F 911 ft Lake Red Rock
Clear Creek Near Coralville, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05454300
85 cfs 1.56 ft · 48°F 660 ft Lower Iowa
Rock River Below Tom Creek At Rock Rapids, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06483290
82 cfs 7.16 ft · 57°F 1,316 ft Rock
Richland Creek Near Haven, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05451900
69 cfs 11.38 ft · 51°F 817 ft Middle Iowa
Clear Creek Near Oxford, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05454220
68 cfs 2.59 ft · 48°F 722 ft Lower Iowa
Floyd River At Alton, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 06600100
67 cfs 5.80 ft · 59°F 1,289 ft Floyd
Cedar Creek Near Bussey, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05489000
64 cfs 5.04 ft · 52°F 696 ft Lower Des Moines
White Breast Creek Near Dallas, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05487980
49 cfs 6.40 ft · 55°F 773 ft Lake Red Rock
Walnut Creek Near Hartwick, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05452200
47 cfs 1.93 ft · 51°F 806 ft Middle Iowa
Rapid Creek Near Iowa City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05454000
33 cfs 4.15 ft · 49°F 688 ft Lower Iowa
Big Creek Near Mt. Pleasant, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05473450
23 cfs 3.67 ft · 48°F 672 ft Skunk
Bloody Run Creek Near Marquette, Ia
9 hours ago · USGS 05389400
22 cfs 4.10 ft · 52°F 634 ft Coon-Yellow
English Creek Near Knoxville, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 05488200
22 cfs 8.53 ft · 55°F 749 ft Lower Des Moines
East Fork 102 River At Bedford, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06819185
14 cfs 10.91 ft · 53°F 1,084 ft One Hundred And Two
South Fork Chariton River Near Promise City, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06903700
11 cfs 3.14 ft · 51°F 922 ft Upper Chariton
Chariton River Near Chariton, Ia
10 hours ago · USGS 06903400
8 cfs 4.44 ft · 54°F 968 ft Upper Chariton
Flow report FAQ

About Iowa streamflow

What are river levels like in Iowa right now?

As of October 23, 2026, Iowa rivers are running at 340% of normal across 116 USGS streamgauges, and the Mississippi River At Clinton is reporting the highest discharge at 33,100 cfs. The full sortable gauge table is below.

Which Iowa river is running highest right now?

As of October 23, 2026, the highest discharge in Iowa is 33,100 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.