Iowa River at Iowa City water level

Name: Iowa River at Iowa City 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, Iowa River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

14.54ft Down 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT (23 min ago)

Flow: 4,370 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.80 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 01:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 09:13 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Iowa River at Iowa City reads 14.54 ft, a normal level.

It is 8.96 ft below the flood stage of 23.50 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.47 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.80 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 01:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 13.84 ft and 15.01 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 31.53 ftJune 15, 2008
Forecast peak: 14.60 ftWednesday, October 21 at 01:00 AM

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 23.50 ft, still 8.96 ft away.

What happens at each level

29.00 ft: Serious flood damage occurs at the University of Iowa campus.
27.00 ft: Flood protection becomes necessary at the University of Iowa. Water affects several industrial businesses and warehouses along Commercial Drive.
26.50 ft: Normandy Drive residences are evacuated.
26.00 ft: Idylwild Road in Iowa City is affected. Areas of the University of Iowa campus are inundated with flood waters. Approaches to county road bridges along the river are flooded. Streets and parking lots along Commercial Drive are affected.
24.50 ft: Taft Speedway closes. Normandy Drive is affected by flood waters.
23.50 ft: Stevens Drive is inundated by flood waters. Sidewalks near Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus are inundated. Izaak Walton Road and Sand Road are both flooded. Flood waters impact properties off Taft Speedway in Iowa City.
21.00 ft: Crandic Park off of Rocky Shore Drive is flooded. Lower City Park floods and closes as water is over the roadway and trails.
19.00 ft: Portions of trails in Lower City Park are closed due to flood waters.
17.50 ft: Some low lying trails along the river become inundated and are closed to pedestrian use.
14.54 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	31.53 ft	June 15, 2008
2	28.52 ft	August 10, 1993
3	25.15 ft	July 12, 2014
4	24.90 ft	June 5, 2013
5	23.35 ft	June 13, 1991
6	23.23 ft	October 6, 2018
7	22.44 ft	June 9, 1974
8	22.04 ft	May 1, 1973
9	21.64 ft	March 29, 1979
10	21.50 ft	April 9, 1975

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 60° 33° – Wind 10 mph

18 Sun 64° 40° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 65° 39° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 70° 49° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 69° 54° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 74° 53° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:17 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Other gauges on the Iowa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iowa River near RowanRiver gauge, Iowa River	4.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	131 mi
Iowa River at Steamboat RockRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.19 ft	Very high	−0.05 ft	94 mi
Iowa River at MarshalltownRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.35 ft	76 mi
Iowa River at County Highway E49 near TamaRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.62 ft	Below flood stage	−0.51 ft	60 mi
Iowa River near Belle PlaineRiver gauge, Iowa River	11.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.54 ft	40 mi
Iowa River at MarengoRiver gauge, Iowa River	11.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.56 ft	29 mi
Iowa River below Coralville Dam near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	4,950 cfs	High	−530.0 cfs	4.1 mi
Iowa River near Lone TreeRiver gauge, Iowa River	9.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.28 ft	16 mi
Iowa River at Columbus JunctionRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.53 ft	Very high	+0.09 ft	28 mi
Iowa River at WapelloRiver gauge, Iowa River	16.98 ft	Below flood stage	+0.22 ft	38 mi
Iowa River at OakvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.71 ft	Below flood stage	+0.26 ft	46 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Branch Ralston Creek at Iowa CityRiver gauge, South Branch Ralston Creek	1.81 ft	Normal	±0	1.8 mi
Muddy Creek at CoralvilleRiver gauge, Muddy Creek	7.8 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	3.2 mi
Clear Creek near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Clear Creek	1.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	3.3 mi
Rapid Creek near Iowa CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	4.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	4.1 mi
Old Mans Creek near Iowa CityRiver gauge, Old Mans Creek	3.21 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	5.2 mi
WB Wapsinonoc Cr at College St at West BranchRiver gauge, WB Wapsinonoc Cr	2.5 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	10 mi
Clear Creek near OxfordRiver gauge, Clear Creek	2.70 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	11 mi
Cedar River at Cedar BluffRiver gauge, Cedar River	8.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	15 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Iowa River at Iowa City?

The official flood stage is 23.50 ft. The level is currently 8.96 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 Iowa River at Iowa City today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT, the water level was 14.54 ft. Down 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Iowa River at Iowa City rising or falling?

Down 0.47 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.20 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Iowa River at Iowa City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Iowa River at Iowa City?

The highest level on record is 31.53 ft on June 15, 2008.

Is Iowa River at Iowa City expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 12.80 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 01:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05454500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.65668, -91.54100 (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	14.54 ft	2026-10-21 10:00	Provisional
Flow	4,370 cfs	2026-10-21 10:00	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/9702?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Iowa River at Iowa City water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Iowa River at Iowa City (usgs:05454500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/iowa-river-at-iowa-city

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