Iowa River at Marshalltown water level

Name: Iowa River at Marshalltown 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

13.05ft Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT (22 min ago)

Flow: 2,250 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Iowa River at Marshalltown, where the gauge shows 13.05 ft.

It is 5.95 ft below the flood stage of 19.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.54 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 13.05 ft – 14.67 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: 22.25 ftJuly 2, 2014

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

26.00 ft: Water reaches the top of the earthen levee along the river at Iowa 14.
22.00 ft: Water reaches the low beams of the Iowa 14 bridge.
21.50 ft: Water affects several roads east of Marshalltown...including US 30...E Main St Rd and Zeller Ave.
21.40 ft: Water affects both lanes of Iowa 14 north of Marshalltown.
21.20 ft: Water affects several gravel roads north and northwest of Marshalltown...including Stanley Mill Rd...N Center St...Oaks Ave and Prairie Ave.
21.00 ft: Iowa 330 south of Albion near Timmons Grove Park is closed. Water affects most of Timmons Grove County Park.
20.50 ft: In Albion...water affects parts of Marsh Ave...Stanley Mill Rd and 160th St. Water threatens Iowa 330 near the Linn Creek overpass which is located west of Marshalltown...or about two miles northeast of the US 30 junction.
20.00 ft: Water approaches the top of the concrete bridge piers of the Iowa 14 bridge.
19.50 ft: Water affects the southbound lanes of Iowa 14 as well as Iowa 330 south of Albion.
19.00 ft: Water affects Iowa 14 north of the river as well as Iowa 330 south of Albion.
18.00 ft: Widespread agricultural and lowland flooding occur along Iowa 330 south of Albion.
17.00 ft: Water threatens roads within Timmons Grove County Park as well as the bicycle path along 18th Ave in Marshalltown.
13.05 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	22.25 ft	July 2, 2014
2	22.08 ft	May 30, 2013
3	21.79 ft	June 13, 2008
4	20.77 ft	August 17, 1993
5	20.38 ft	December 15, 2015
6	20.38 ft	June 18, 1990
7	20.32 ft	March 15, 2019
8	20.13 ft	June 24, 2007
9	20.00 ft	May 23, 2024
10	19.99 ft	August 30, 2015

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.40 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 31° – Wind 14 mph

18 Sun 64° 37° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 64° 38° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 70° 49° 0.02 in Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 73° 58° – Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 74° 55° – Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:24 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 67%

Map

Other gauges on the Iowa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iowa River near RowanRiver gauge, Iowa River	4.26 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	60 mi
Iowa River at Steamboat RockRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.24 ft	Very high	−0.16 ft	25 mi
Iowa River at County Highway E49 near TamaRiver gauge, Iowa River	7.13 ft	Below flood stage	−0.60 ft	16 mi
Iowa River near Belle PlaineRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.09 ft	Below flood stage	−0.57 ft	35 mi
Iowa River at MarengoRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.28 ft	Below flood stage	−0.43 ft	47 mi
Iowa River below Coralville Dam near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	5,480 cfs	Very high	+940 cfs	75 mi
Iowa River at Iowa CityRiver gauge, Iowa River	15.01 ft	Below flood stage	+0.87 ft	76 mi
Iowa River near Lone TreeRiver gauge, Iowa River	9.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.51 ft	86 mi
Iowa River at Columbus JunctionRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.42 ft	Very high	+0.28 ft	97 mi
Iowa River at WapelloRiver gauge, Iowa River	16.76 ft	Below flood stage	+0.25 ft	108 mi
Iowa River at OakvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.45 ft	Below flood stage	+0.18 ft	116 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Timber Creek near MarshalltownRiver gauge, Timber Creek	3.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	4.9 mi
South Fork Iowa River NE of New ProvidenceRiver gauge	469 cfs	Very high	−99.0 cfs	21 mi
Richland Creek near HavenRiver gauge, Richland Creek	77.2 cfs	Very high	−4.9 cfs	25 mi
Indian Creek near MingoRiver gauge, Indian Creek	487 cfs	Very high	−90.0 cfs	27 mi
Walnut Creek near HartwickRiver gauge, Walnut Creek	2.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	31 mi
Salt Creek near ElberonRiver gauge, Salt Creek	7.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	31 mi
South Skunk River at ColfaxRiver gauge, South Skunk River	11.39 ft	Below flood stage	−0.62 ft	32 mi
Black Hawk Creek at HudsonRiver gauge, Black Hawk Creek	9.00 ft	Below flood stage	−0.41 ft	33 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Iowa River at Marshalltown?

The official flood stage is 19.00 ft. The level is currently 5.95 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 Marshalltown today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 05:00 AM CDT, the water level was 13.05 ft. Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Iowa River at Marshalltown rising or falling?

Down 0.54 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Iowa River at Marshalltown 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 Marshalltown?

The highest level on record is 22.25 ft on July 2, 2014.

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:05451500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.06582, -92.90770 (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	13.05 ft	2026-10-20 10:00	Provisional
Flow	2,250 cfs	2026-10-20 10:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Iowa River at Marshalltown (usgs:05451500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/iowa-river-at-marshalltown

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