Des Moines River near Swan water level

Name: Des Moines River near Swan 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

High for mid-October

Water level

49.60ft Down 0.59 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 07:15 PM CDT (56 min ago)

Flow: 15,000 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

High water at Des Moines River near Swan: the latest reading is 49.60 ft, above normal for mid-October.

It is still going down, by 0.59 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 49.60 ft – 50.76 ft.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 79.26 ftJuly 5, 2010

Paddling and fishing conditions

Above-normal flows push fish to the edges and make wading risky. Wait for the river to drop and clear.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	79.26 ft	July 5, 2010
2	76.39 ft	June 28, 2011
3	75.72 ft	May 31, 2019
4	70.57 ft	July 1, 2015
5	67.76 ft	June 27, 2015
6	67.27 ft	June 20, 2013
7	67.18 ft	July 10, 2014
8	66.73 ft	July 19, 2018
9	63.61 ft	December 26, 2015
10	62.56 ft	July 3, 2018

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

20 Tue 69° 43° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 74° 50° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 73° 54° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 74° 55° – Wind 15 mph

24 Sat 75° 60° – Wind 17 mph

25 Sun 68° 55° 0.02 in Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 54° 41° 0.32 in Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min Waxing gibbous 73%

Map

Other gauges on the Des Moines River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Des Moines River at HumboldtRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4.42 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	98 mi
Des Moines River at Fort DodgeRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4.95 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	85 mi
Des Moines River near StratfordRiver gauge, Des Moines River	8.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	64 mi
Des Moines River near SaylorvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	4,370 cfs	High	−1,600.0 cfs	24 mi
Des Moines River at 2nd Avenue at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Des Moines River	16.87 ft	Below flood stage	−0.37 ft	20 mi
Des Moines River below Raccoon River at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Des Moines River	16.45 ft	Below flood stage	−0.91 ft	18 mi
Des Moines River near PellaRiver gauge, Des Moines River	17,200 cfs	High	−1,500.0 cfs	18 mi
Des Moines River near TracyRiver gauge, Des Moines River	8.13 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	26 mi
Des Moines River at EddyvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	56.44 ft	Very high	−1.00 ft	40 mi
Des Moines River at OttumwaRiver gauge, Des Moines River	7.34 ft	Below flood stage	−0.77 ft	56 mi
Des Moines River at KeosauquaRiver gauge, Des Moines River	15.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.65 ft	86 mi
Des Moines River at St. FrancisvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	14.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	114 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Skunk River at ColfaxRiver gauge, South Skunk River	11.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.46 ft	13 mi
South River near AckworthRiver gauge, South River	5.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	15 mi
Fourmile Creek at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Fourmile Creek	4.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	16 mi
Middle River near IndianolaRiver gauge, Middle River	8.75 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	17 mi
White Breast Creek near DallasRiver gauge, White Breast Creek	6.43 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	17 mi
English Creek near KnoxvilleRiver gauge, English Creek	8.59 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	18 mi
North River near NorwalkRiver gauge, North River	8.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	20 mi

Questions and answers

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 Swan today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 07:15 PM CDT, the water level was 49.60 ft. Down 0.59 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Des Moines River near Swan rising or falling?

Down 0.59 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Des Moines River near Swan normal?

High for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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

The highest level on record is 79.26 ft on July 5, 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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05487520 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.48939, -93.27822 (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	49.60 ft	2026-10-21 00:15	Provisional
Flow	15,000 cfs	2026-10-21 00:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Des Moines River near Swan (usgs:05487520). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/des-moines-river-near-swan

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