Big Bear Creek at Ladora water level

Name: Big Bear Creek at Ladora water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Big Bear Creek, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

11.93ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT (50 min ago)

Flow: 199 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Big Bear Creek at Ladora, where the gauge shows 11.93 ft.

It is 8.07 ft below the flood stage of 20.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 11.91 ft – 12.30 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 26.61 ftJuly 1, 2014

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 20.00 ft.

What happens at each level

29.00 ft: Water affects the approaches to the County Road V52 bridge.
11.93 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	26.61 ft	July 1, 2014
2	25.94 ft	May 27, 2013
3	25.04 ft	March 14, 2019
4	24.91 ft	June 12, 2008
5	24.89 ft	September 3, 2018
6	24.78 ft	December 14, 2015
7	24.69 ft	August 30, 1993
8	24.20 ft	August 18, 1993
9	24.17 ft	May 28, 2013
10	23.99 ft	June 25, 2015

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.44 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 33° – Wind 12 mph

18 Sun 65° 40° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 65° 39° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 9 mph

21 Wed 70° 49° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 71° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 73° 54° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 10 hr, 54 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iowa River at MarengoRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.49 ft	7 mi
Iowa River near Belle PlaineRiver gauge, Iowa River	11.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.57 ft	9 mi
Walnut Creek near HartwickRiver gauge, Walnut Creek	2.07 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	12 mi
Salt Creek near ElberonRiver gauge, Salt Creek	7.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	16 mi
Richland Creek near HavenRiver gauge, Richland Creek	77.2 cfs	Very high	−4.2 cfs	18 mi
Clear Creek near OxfordRiver gauge, Clear Creek	2.73 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	23 mi
Morgan Creek near CovingtonRiver gauge, Morgan Creek	26.0 cfs	Very high	−1.0 cfs	27 mi
Iowa River at County Highway E49 near TamaRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.56 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Big Bear Creek at Ladora?

The official flood stage is 20.00 ft. The level is currently 8.07 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Big Bear Creek at Ladora today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT, the water level was 11.93 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Big Bear Creek at Ladora rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Big Bear Creek at Ladora normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Big Bear Creek at Ladora?

The highest level on record is 26.61 ft on July 1, 2014.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05453000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.74945, -92.18213 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	11.93 ft	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional
Flow	199 cfs	2026-10-20 16:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Big Bear Creek at Ladora (usgs:05453000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/big-bear-creek-at-ladora

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer