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Floyd River at James water level

River gauge, Floyd River, Iowa, United States

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Right now

Below flood stage

Water level

8.70ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
266 cfs
10 20 30 Highest onrecord 32.39 ft Minor floodstage 26.00 ft

History

History
8.648.668.688.70ftOct 16Oct 16Oct 17Oct 18Oct 198.648.668.688.70ftOct 16Oct 17Oct 19
Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Floyd River at James, where the gauge shows 8.70 ft.

It is 17.30 ft below the flood stage of 26.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 8.61 ft – 8.70 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
32.39 ftJune 23, 2024

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 26.00 ft.

What happens at each level

38.00 ft
The levees in and around Sioux City downstream of the gage begin to be overtopped. The bridge at the gauge location on CR 70 is overtopped.
36.00 ft
Flooding begins to affect the town of James.
35.50 ft
The railroad tracks in Sioux City should be closed.
34.50 ft
Approximately 3700 acres of farm land are flooded.
34.00 ft
The northbound lane of Highway 75 is flooded, and the railroad company begins to shut down operations.
32.00 ft
Water approaches the railroad tracks and may overtop them in some locations.
31.50 ft
The lowest portions of County Highway C70 begin to flood. Flooding begins to affect the farm levees, and about 3200 acres of farm land are flooded.
30.00 ft
Outbuildings near the gauge location may begin to flood.
28.50 ft
Approximately 2100 acres of farm land are flooded.
27.50 ft
Approximately 1500 acres of farm land are flooded.
26.00 ft
Flooding begins to affect the low lying agricultural lands.
24.00 ft
The lowest banks are overtopped with minor lowland flooding.
8.70 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 %.

RankLevelDate
132.39 ftJune 23, 2024
231.48 ftMarch 15, 2019
328.85 ftJune 21, 1983
428.19 ftMarch 23, 1979
527.70 ftSeptember 22, 2018
627.59 ftMay 28, 2013
725.35 ftJune 22, 1996
823.15 ftJune 17, 2014
922.84 ftApril 23, 1985
1022.34 ftMarch 29, 1993

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.16 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 68° 42° – Wind 20 mph
19 Mon 65° 40° – Wind 11 mph
20 Tue 69° 48° – Wind 15 mph
21 Wed 73° 53° 0.10 in Wind 13 mph
22 Thu 75° 57° – Wind 9 mph
23 Fri 74° 62° 0.02 in Wind 23 mph
24 Sat 68° 48° 0.02 in, 26% Wind 22 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:38 PM Daylight 10 hr, 55 min First quarter 54%

Map

Other gauges on the Floyd River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Floyd River at AltonRiver gauge, Floyd River 5.90 ft Below flood stage +0.07 ft 32 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Perry Creek near HintonRiver gauge, Perry Creek 15.23 ft Below flood stage +0.02 ft 4.3 mi
Perry Creek at 38th Street at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Perry Creek 6.58 ft Normal +0.01 ft 5.8 mi
Missouri River at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Missouri River 10.52 ft Below flood stage +0.11 ft 8 mi
Perry Creek near MillnervilleRiver gauge, Perry Creek 0.98 ft Below flood stage ±0 9 mi
Big Sioux River at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Big Sioux River 9.98 ft Very low +0.14 ft 9 mi
Elliott Creek at LawtonRiver gauge, Elliott Creek 72.30 ft Below flood stage +0.03 ft 9 mi
Big Sioux River near JeffersonRiver gauge, Big Sioux River 9.47 ft Below flood stage +0.07 ft 11 mi
Omaha Creek at HomerRiver gauge, Omaha Creek 2.17 ft Normal −0.04 ft 20 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Floyd River at James?

The official flood stage is 26.00 ft. The level is currently 17.30 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 James today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 07:00 PM CDT, the water level was 8.70 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Floyd River at James rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Floyd River at James 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 James?

The highest level on record is 32.39 ft on June 23, 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:06600500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
42.57639, -96.31156 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 8.70 ft 2026-10-19 00:00 Provisional
Flow 266 cfs 2026-10-19 00:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Floyd River at James (usgs:06600500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/floyd-river-at-james

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.