Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound water level

Name: Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound 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, Bluff Creek, Iowa, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Water level

81.69ft Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:15 AM CDT (40 min ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level

What this means

The latest river stage reported for Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound is 81.69 ft. There is no published reference for this river yet, so we can't say whether that is high or low for the season.

The level is falling, down 0.38 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 81.37 ft and 86.58 ft.

Over the past seven days the change adds up to −0.35 ft.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

Key numbers

Same day last year: 80.74 ft+0.95 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 81.37 ft – 86.58 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 80.42 ft – 86.58 ft
Highest on record: 89.25 ftJuly 9, 1993

What the stage means on the water

With no published normal range, paddlers and anglers should go by the trend: a rising river usually means muddier, faster water.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	89.25 ft	July 9, 1993
2	89.20 ft	August 28, 2015
3	88.93 ft	February 23, 1982
4	88.86 ft	August 10, 2010
5	88.85 ft	June 16, 1990
6	88.58 ft	June 4, 1991
7	88.49 ft	June 13, 1984
8	88.40 ft	August 20, 2007
9	87.83 ft	March 13, 2019
10	87.51 ft	May 30, 2008

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.22 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 31° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 62° 40° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 68° 47° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 71° 51° 0.02 in Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 74° 56° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 75° 57° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:34 AM Sunset 06:29 PM Daylight 10 hr, 56 min First quarter 59%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Des Moines River near StratfordRiver gauge, Des Moines River	8.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.42 ft	6.0 mi
Boone River near Webster CityRiver gauge, Boone River	3.66 ft	Below flood stage	−0.27 ft	21 mi
South Skunk River near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	5.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.61 ft	22 mi
North Raccoon River near JeffersonRiver gauge, North Raccoon River	8.39 ft	Below flood stage	−0.64 ft	22 mi
Ioway Creek at AmesRiver gauge, Ioway Creek	3.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	22 mi
South Skunk River below Ioway Creek near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	14.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.73 ft	24 mi
Des Moines River at Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Des Moines River	5.11 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	25 mi
Lizard Creek near Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Lizard Creek	6.27 ft	Very high	−0.19 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

Is Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.95 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 80.74 ft.

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 Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:15 AM CDT, the water level was 81.69 ft. Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound rising or falling?

Down 0.38 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.35 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound?

The highest level on record is 89.25 ft on July 9, 1993.

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:05481510 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.16637, -94.01995 (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	81.69 ft	2026-10-19 12:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Bluff Creek at Pilot Mound (usgs:05481510). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/bluff-creek-at-pilot-mound

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