Des Moines River near Stratford water level

Name: Des Moines River near Stratford 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, Des Moines River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

8.26ft Down 0.29 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 4,220 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Des Moines River near Stratford, where the gauge shows 8.26 ft.

It is 10.74 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.29 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 8.26 ft – 9.41 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: 28.42 ftJune 28, 2010

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 19.00 ft.

What happens at each level

19.00 ft: Water affects 157th St on the west side of Fraser.
18.80 ft: Water affects the 400 block of Juniper Rd...west of Fraser. Water also affects the 1100 block of 155th St...east of Fraser.
17.80 ft: Water affects the lower Ledges road. Water also affects 155th St east of Fraser and Juniper Rd north of Fraser.
14.00 ft: Water primarily affects adjacent lowland areas.
8.26 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	28.42 ft	June 28, 2010
2	27.32 ft	June 9, 2008
3	25.68 ft	April 2, 1993
4	24.08 ft	June 19, 1984
5	23.31 ft	June 5, 1991
6	23.22 ft	August 26, 1979
7	23.08 ft	September 24, 2018
8	22.89 ft	August 23, 2007
9	22.57 ft	June 20, 2014
10	22.26 ft	March 18, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.33 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 32° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 62° 41° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 65° 41° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 68° 48° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 72° 51° 0.02 in Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 75° 57° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 76° 58° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:35 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Des Moines River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Des Moines River at JacksonRiver gauge, Des Moines River	6.91 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	107 mi
Des Moines River at EsthervilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	2.28 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	90 mi
Des Moines River at EmmetsburgRiver gauge, Des Moines River	1.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	70 mi
Des Moines River at HumboldtRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4.44 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	34 mi
Des Moines River at Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4.99 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	21 mi
Des Moines River near SaylorvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	5,910 cfs	High	−310.0 cfs	43 mi
Des Moines River at 2nd Avenue at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Des Moines River	17.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	48 mi
Des Moines River below Raccoon River at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Des Moines River	17.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.76 ft	51 mi
Des Moines River near SwanRiver gauge, Des Moines River	16,600 cfs	High	−1,100.0 cfs	64 mi
Des Moines River near PellaRiver gauge, Des Moines River	18,000 cfs	Very high	−4,000.0 cfs	81 mi
Des Moines River near TracyRiver gauge, Des Moines River	8.17 ft	Below flood stage	−0.89 ft	89 mi
Des Moines River at EddyvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	56.50 ft	Very high	−1.11 ft	103 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Boone River near Webster CityRiver gauge, Boone River	3.43 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	16 mi
South Skunk River near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	5.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.32 ft	23 mi
Lizard Creek near Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Lizard Creek	6.04 ft	Very high	−0.17 ft	23 mi
Ioway Creek at AmesRiver gauge, Ioway Creek	2.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	25 mi
South Skunk River below Ioway Creek near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	13.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.47 ft	27 mi
North Raccoon River near JeffersonRiver gauge, North Raccoon River	7.73 ft	Below flood stage	−0.51 ft	27 mi
South Fork Iowa River near BlairsburgRiver gauge, South Fork Iowa River	5.30 ft	Very high	−0.12 ft	29 mi
Boone River near GoldfieldRiver gauge, Boone River	137 cfs	Normal	−19.0 cfs	33 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Des Moines River near Stratford?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 10.74 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 Des Moines River near Stratford today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT, the water level was 8.26 ft. Down 0.29 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Des Moines River near Stratford rising or falling?

Down 0.29 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Des Moines River near Stratford normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Des Moines River near Stratford?

The highest level on record is 28.42 ft on June 28, 2010.

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:05481300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.25225, -93.99747 (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	8.26 ft	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional
Flow	4,220 cfs	2026-10-20 17:00	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/7707?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Des Moines River near Stratford water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Des Moines River near Stratford (usgs:05481300). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/des-moines-river-near-stratford

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