Ioway Creek at Ames water level

Name: Ioway Creek at Ames 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, Ioway Creek, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.19ft Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 AM CDT (58 min ago)

Flow: 676 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Ioway Creek at Ames, where the gauge shows 3.19 ft.

It is 6.81 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.28 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 3.19 ft – 5.22 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: 18.54 ftJuly 9, 1993

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 10.00 ft.

What happens at each level

18.50 ft: Water reaches the perimeter fence at Furman Aquatic Center located at 1635 13th St.
17.30 ft: Water affects Stange Rd north of Ioway Creek as well as the Meadow Lane trailer park.
17.10 ft: Water affects the Iowa State Lied Recreation Center.
16.40 ft: Water affects the Maple...Willow and Larch dormitories on the Iowa State University campus.
15.80 ft: Water affects Lincoln Way and University Ave. Water also reaches the top of the curb in front the Target store located at 320 S Duff Ave.
15.50 ft: Water affects Lincoln Way west of the bridge over Ioway Creek.
15.10 ft: Water affects the Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum. S Duff Ave is closed between Ioway Creek and S 3rd St.
14.50 ft: Water reaches the CyRide building located at the northeast corner of 1700 University Blvd.
14.40 ft: Water affects S Duff Ave. Water also affects the Timbercreek Apartments located at 610 Ioway Creek Dr.
13.80 ft: Water affects the Tall Timber Apartments located at 644 Ioway Creek Dr.
13.50 ft: Water affects 6th St near Brookside Park.
13.30 ft: Water affects the road at 6th St through the railroad underpass in the Brookside Park area.
3.19 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	18.54 ft	July 9, 1993
2	18.13 ft	August 11, 2010
3	15.97 ft	June 17, 1990
4	15.85 ft	May 30, 2008
5	15.29 ft	June 17, 1996
6	14.50 ft	June 4, 1918
7	14.20 ft	September 19, 1926
8	14.00 ft	June 27, 1975
9	12.97 ft	June 13, 1984
10	12.19 ft	June 15, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.48 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 32° – Wind 13 mph

18 Sun 63° 40° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 66° 39° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 69° 47° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 72° 50° 0.04 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 75° 60° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 76° 56° – Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:32 AM Sunset 06:28 PM Daylight 10 hr, 56 min First quarter 58%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Skunk River below Ioway Creek near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	14.08 ft	Below flood stage	−0.75 ft	2.0 mi
South Skunk River near AmesRiver gauge, South Skunk River	5.62 ft	Below flood stage	−0.62 ft	3.1 mi
Fourmile Creek near Ankeny, IA DS1River gauge, Fourmile Creek	2.72 ft	Below flood stage	−0.11 ft	21 mi
Indian Creek near MingoRiver gauge, Indian Creek	570 cfs	Very high	−119.0 cfs	22 mi
Beaver Creek near GrimesRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	7.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.78 ft	24 mi
Des Moines River near SaylorvilleRiver gauge, Des Moines River	7,020 cfs	Very high	−520.0 cfs	24 mi
Des Moines River near StratfordRiver gauge, Des Moines River	8.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.42 ft	25 mi
Des Moines River at 2nd Avenue at Des MoinesRiver gauge, Des Moines River	17.60 ft	Below flood stage	−0.23 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Ioway Creek at Ames?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 6.81 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 Ioway Creek at Ames today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:00 AM CDT, the water level was 3.19 ft. Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Ioway Creek at Ames rising or falling?

Down 0.28 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Ioway Creek at Ames normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ioway Creek at Ames?

The highest level on record is 18.54 ft on July 9, 1993.

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:05470500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.02256, -93.63050 (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	3.19 ft	2026-10-19 11:00	Provisional
Flow	676 cfs	2026-10-19 11:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ioway Creek at Ames (usgs:05470500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/ioway-creek-at-ames

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