...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY... Strong northwest winds will spread across the northeast plains after sunrise today, with gusts 45 to 65 mph creating critical fire weather conditions despite somewhat marginal humidity values near 20%. Early Friday, westerly downslope winds will bring strong gusts to the Front Range mountains and foothills, with potential for these to spread into wind-favored portions of the adjacent lower elevations. Peak gusts of 70-90 mph are increasing in likelihood for the windiest locations (considerably lower for areas along and east of I-25). With a warmer and drier air mass in place, humidity values in the teens look to extend into much of the foothills, and certainly across the lower elevations. Such conditions may be a longer duration than usual, with potential for low humidity to extend into the evening hours prior to the arrival of a front. The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Friday morning through Friday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 215, 216, 241, 243, 245, 246 and 247. * TIMING...From Friday morning through late Friday evening. * WINDS...West 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 80 mph in and near the foothills. West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph for areas roughly along and east of I-25. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 to 15%. * IMPACTS...Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.
Total streamflow across the
Iowa River
was last observed at
5,413
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
10,737
acre-ft of water today; about 35%
of normal.
River levels are low and may signify a drought.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
15,386 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2014-07-04 when daily discharge volume was observed at
225,800 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Iowa River At Wapello
reporting a streamflow rate of 3,600 cfs.
However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville
with a gauge stage of 49.68 ft.
This river is monitored from 8 different streamgauging stations along the Iowa River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,187 ft, the
Iowa River Near Rowan.
| Last Updated | 2025-12-18 |
| Discharge Volume | 10,737 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
5,413.0 cfs
+181.0 cfs (+3.46%) |
| Percent of Normal | 35.18% |
| Maximum |
225,800.0 cfs
2014-07-04 |
| Seasonal Avg | 15,386 cfs |
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Iowa River Near Rowan
USGS 05449500 |
195 cfs | 4.45 ft | -10.55 | |||||
|
Iowa River At Marshalltown
USGS 05451500 |
1040 cfs | 11.16 ft | -8.77 | |||||
|
Iowa River Near Belle Plaine
USGS 05452500 |
966 cfs | 7.27 ft | 11.29 | |||||
|
Iowa River At Marengo
USGS 05453100 |
818 cfs | 7.51 ft | -19.8 | |||||
|
Iowa River Below Coralville Dam Nr Coralville
USGS 05453520 |
673 cfs | 49.68 ft | 6.49 | |||||
|
Iowa River At Iowa City
USGS 05454500 |
671 cfs | 9.99 ft | 50.11 | |||||
|
Iowa River Near Lone Tree
USGS 05455700 |
1140 cfs | 5.45 ft | -15.56 | |||||
|
Iowa River At Wapello
USGS 05465500 |
3600 cfs | 12.14 ft | 10.77 |
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about 323 miles (520 km) long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about 65 miles (105 km) from its mouth. Its major tributary is the Cedar River.