Iowa River near Belle Plaine water level

Name: Iowa River near Belle Plaine 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

11.64ft Down 0.55 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 01:00 AM CDT (57 min ago)

Flow: 3,700 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Iowa River near Belle Plaine, where the gauge shows 11.64 ft.

It is 3.36 ft below the flood stage of 15.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.55 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 11.11 ft – 12.93 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: 19.86 ftJune 13, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 15.00 ft.

What happens at each level

17.30 ft: Water begins running over Highway 21 south of Belle Plaine.
16.00 ft: Water affects lowest yards on the south side of Chelsea.
13.00 ft: Water affects 380th Street in Tama County.
11.64 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	19.86 ft	June 13, 2008
2	19.11 ft	July 3, 2014
3	18.80 ft	May 30, 2013
4	18.74 ft	July 11, 1993
5	18.22 ft	March 15, 2019
6	18.20 ft	September 5, 2018
7	18.19 ft	March 16, 2019
8	17.98 ft	June 23, 2020
9	17.88 ft	December 17, 2015
10	17.72 ft	May 25, 2024

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.58 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 33° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 64° 39° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 65° 38° – Wind 9 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 69° 49° – Wind 11 mph

22 Thu 71° 56° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 73° 53° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on the Iowa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Iowa River near RowanRiver gauge, Iowa River	4.21 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	93 mi
Iowa River at Steamboat RockRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.20 ft	Very high	−0.06 ft	56 mi
Iowa River at MarshalltownRiver gauge, Iowa River	12.77 ft	Below flood stage	−0.35 ft	35 mi
Iowa River at County Highway E49 near TamaRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.50 ft	20 mi
Iowa River at MarengoRiver gauge, Iowa River	11.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.58 ft	11 mi
Iowa River below Coralville Dam near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	4,970 cfs	High	−500.0 cfs	40 mi
Iowa River at Iowa CityRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.47 ft	40 mi
Iowa River near Lone TreeRiver gauge, Iowa River	9.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	51 mi
Iowa River at Columbus JunctionRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.56 ft	Very high	+0.21 ft	63 mi
Iowa River at WapelloRiver gauge, Iowa River	16.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.28 ft	74 mi
Iowa River at OakvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	6.70 ft	Below flood stage	+0.27 ft	82 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Walnut Creek near HartwickRiver gauge, Walnut Creek	2.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	5.8 mi
Salt Creek near ElberonRiver gauge, Salt Creek	7.58 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	7 mi
Big Bear Creek at LadoraRiver gauge, Big Bear Creek	11.89 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	9 mi
Richland Creek near HavenRiver gauge, Richland Creek	74.5 cfs	Very high	−4.1 cfs	10 mi
Cedar River at VintonRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.32 ft	25 mi
Wolf Creek near DysartRiver gauge, Wolf Creek	3.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	27 mi
Morgan Creek near CovingtonRiver gauge, Morgan Creek	26.0 cfs	Very high	−0.5 cfs	28 mi
Cedar River at Blairs Ferry Road at PaloRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.87 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	29 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Iowa River near Belle Plaine?

The official flood stage is 15.00 ft. The level is currently 3.36 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 near Belle Plaine today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 01:00 AM CDT, the water level was 11.64 ft. Down 0.55 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Iowa River near Belle Plaine rising or falling?

Down 0.55 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.44 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Iowa River near Belle Plaine normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Iowa River near Belle Plaine?

The highest level on record is 19.86 ft on June 13, 2008.

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:05452500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.85906, -92.27792 (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	11.64 ft	2026-10-21 06:00	Provisional
Flow	3,700 cfs	2026-10-21 06:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Iowa River near Belle Plaine (usgs:05452500). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/iowa-river-near-belle-plaine

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