Iowa River at Wapello water level

Name: Iowa River at Wapello 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

16.70ft Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT (28 min ago)

Flow: 16,500 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to rise to 17.00 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 01:00 AM. Issued Monday, October 19 at 09:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Iowa River at Wapello reads 16.70 ft, a normal level.

It is 4.30 ft below the flood stage of 21.00 ft.

The water is rising: up 0.23 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to rise to 17.00 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 01:00 AM. There is still 4.30 ft of room before flood stage. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 16.41 ft and 16.87 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 32.15 ftJune 14, 2008
Forecast peak: 17.00 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 21.00 ft, still 4.30 ft away.

What happens at each level

42.00 ft: Water overtops the Wapello levee system which extends 3.5 to 5.0 mi downstream from the city.
41.00 ft: Water is at the bottom of the U.S. Highway 61 bridge.
38.00 ft: Water is at the bottom of the Iowa Highway 99 bridge at Wapello.
32.00 ft: Water affects unprotected areas of Wapello.
27.50 ft: Water affects U.S. Highway 61 north of Wapello.
25.00 ft: Widespread flooding of agricultural land. Numerous secondary roads are under water.
22.00 ft: Water affects residences near the U.S. Highway 61 bridge.
21.00 ft: Agricultural land near the river is flooded and water covers most islands. Water starts rising onto secondary roads in Wapello Bottoms.
20.00 ft: Low lying areas begin taking on water.
16.70 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: 26 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	32.15 ft	June 14, 2008
2	30.18 ft	July 3, 2014
3	29.53 ft	July 7, 1993
4	28.91 ft	June 19, 1990
5	28.63 ft	April 22, 1973
6	28.15 ft	April 20, 2013
7	28.12 ft	May 19, 1974
8	28.10 ft	July 8, 1993
9	27.21 ft	May 31, 2019
10	27.20 ft	September 30, 2016

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.14 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 59° 33° – Wind 8 mph

18 Sun 64° 40° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 66° 39° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 69° 49° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 71° 50° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 69° 54° – Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 75° 54° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:22 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 10 hr, 55 min First quarter 65%

Map

Other gauges on the Iowa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iowa River at Steamboat RockRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.30 ft	Very high	−0.12 ft	129 mi
Iowa River at MarshalltownRiver gauge, Iowa River	13.13 ft	Below flood stage	−0.49 ft	108 mi
Iowa River at County Highway E49 near TamaRiver gauge, Iowa River	7.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.65 ft	93 mi
Iowa River near Belle PlaineRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.53 ft	74 mi
Iowa River at MarengoRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.40 ft	Below flood stage	−0.32 ft	63 mi
Iowa River below Coralville Dam near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	5,450 cfs	Very high	+930 cfs	41 mi
Iowa River at Iowa CityRiver gauge, Iowa River	15.00 ft	Below flood stage	+0.86 ft	38 mi
Iowa River near Lone TreeRiver gauge, Iowa River	9.81 ft	Below flood stage	+0.39 ft	23 mi
Iowa River at Columbus JunctionRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.32 ft	Very high	+0.24 ft	11 mi
Iowa River at OakvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.41 ft	Below flood stage	+0.17 ft	8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Edwards River near New BostonRiver gauge, Edwards River	14.17 ft	High	−0.07 ft	11 mi
Pope Creek near KeithsburgRiver gauge, Pope Creek	19.94 ft	High	−0.07 ft	14 mi
Cedar River near ConesvilleRiver gauge, Cedar River	9.84 ft	Below flood stage	+0.23 ft	17 mi
Henderson Creek near OquawkaRiver gauge, Henderson Creek	16.00 ft	Very high	−0.29 ft	21 mi
Big Creek North of Mount PleasantRiver gauge	28.2 cfs	Normal	−1.3 cfs	23 mi
Skunk River at AugustaRiver gauge, Skunk River	7.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	30 mi
Cedar Creek near Oakland MillsRiver gauge, Cedar Creek	123 cfs	Normal	−8.0 cfs	31 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Iowa River at Wapello?

The official flood stage is 21.00 ft. The level is currently 4.30 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 Iowa River at Wapello today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT, the water level was 16.70 ft. Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Iowa River at Wapello rising or falling?

Up 0.23 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Iowa River at Wapello 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 Wapello?

The highest level on record is 32.15 ft on June 14, 2008.

Is Iowa River at Wapello expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to rise to 17.00 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 01:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05465500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.17809, -91.18209 (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	16.70 ft	2026-10-20 04:00	Provisional
Flow	16,500 cfs	2026-10-20 04:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Iowa River at Wapello (usgs:05465500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/iowa-river-at-wapello

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