Floyd River at Alton water level

Name: Floyd River at Alton 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, Floyd River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.90ft Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 05:00 PM CDT (2 days ago)

Flow: 84.7 cfs

History

Not enough readings for a chart yet. History builds up with every update.

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Floyd River at Alton, where the gauge shows 5.90 ft.

It is 6.10 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

It is on the way up, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. There is still 6.10 ft of room before flood stage. The 30-day range is 5.82 ft – 5.90 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: 26.81 ftJune 22, 2024

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 12.00 ft.

What happens at each level

26.00 ft: Hwy 10 is flooded and substantial flooding is ongoing near the river throughout Alton.
24.00 ft: Several houses on the north side of Alton flood. Water approaches Hwy 10 on the north side of Alton. The railroad tracks are also flooded.
22.00 ft: More substantial street flooding begins in Alton including 3rd Ave south of the bridge. Additional structures are also in danger of flooding.
20.00 ft: The lower levees in Alton may begin to be overtopped flooding some nearby industrial businesses. Hwy 60 south of Alton is flooded. Portions of Division St in Alton may also begin to flood and the bridge on 3rd Ave may also be closed.
18.00 ft: The entire flood plain is under water and the river is about 1/2 mile wide. The flooding still primarily only affects agricultural land and county roads.
16.00 ft: Significant amounts of crop and pasture land are flooded.
15.00 ft: 410th Street and Larch Avenue is inundated. Also 440th Street and Kingbird Avenue is flooded, and the water reaches the bottom of the bridge at CR L14 and 440th Street.
12.00 ft: Flooding begins to affect the lower lying agricultural lands along the river.
5.90 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	26.81 ft	June 22, 2024
2	21.96 ft	September 20, 2018
3	20.87 ft	March 14, 2019
4	20.50 ft	June 21, 2018
5	19.19 ft	May 27, 2013
6	18.54 ft	June 20, 1983
7	18.40 ft	March 23, 1979
8	18.35 ft	March 28, 1962
9	18.04 ft	June 18, 2014
10	17.97 ft	July 23, 2010

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.26 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 62° 29° – Wind 23 mph

18 Sun 67° 43° – Wind 20 mph

19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 68° 48° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 71° 54° 0.07 in Wind 15 mph

22 Thu 76° 56° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 76° 61° 0.02 in Wind 21 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:36 PM Daylight 10 hr, 54 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Floyd River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Floyd River at JamesRiver gauge, Floyd River	8.70 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	32 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Little Floyd River near SanbornRiver gauge, Little Floyd River	83.10 ft	Below flood stage	±0	20 mi
Burr Oak Creek near PerkinsRiver gauge, Burr Oak Creek	10.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	20 mi
Rock River near Rock ValleyRiver gauge, Rock River	5.27 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	22 mi
Big Sioux River near HawardenRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	12.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	25 mi
Perry Creek near MillnervilleRiver gauge, Perry Creek	0.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	27 mi
Big Sioux River at AkronRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	5.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	30 mi
Perry Creek near HintonRiver gauge, Perry Creek	15.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	31 mi
Rock River below Tom Creek at Rock RapidsRiver gauge, Rock River	7.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Floyd River at Alton?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 6.10 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 Floyd River at Alton today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 05:00 PM CDT, the water level was 5.90 ft. Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Floyd River at Alton rising or falling?

Up 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Floyd River at Alton normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Floyd River at Alton?

The highest level on record is 26.81 ft on June 22, 2024.

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:06600100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.98281, -96.00033 (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	5.90 ft	2026-10-17 22:00	Provisional
Flow	84.7 cfs	2026-10-17 22:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Floyd River at Alton (usgs:06600100). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/floyd-river-at-alton

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