Little Cedar River near Ionia water level

Name: Little Cedar River near Ionia 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, Little Cedar River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

4.34ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 PM CDT (44 min ago)

Flow: 240 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The Little Cedar River near Ionia is at 4.34 ft, in the normal range.

It is 5.66 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.25 ft and 4.45 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: 21.32 ftJune 9, 2008

Floating and fishing near Little Cedar River near Ionia

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 10.00 ft, 5.66 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	21.32 ft	June 9, 2008
2	18.99 ft	August 16, 1993
3	18.41 ft	May 21, 2013
4	17.52 ft	July 21, 1999
5	16.00 ft	April 13, 2001
6	15.58 ft	March 27, 1961
7	15.55 ft	August 25, 2016
8	15.24 ft	May 23, 2004
9	15.14 ft	September 1, 1962
10	15.04 ft	June 5, 1974

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.82 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 59° 31° – Wind 17 mph

18 Sun 62° 39° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 64° 39° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 65° 46° – Wind 11 mph

21 Wed 69° 48° 0.04 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 69° 56° 0.02 in Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 71° 53° – Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:30 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 10 hr, 51 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cedar River at Charles CityRiver gauge, Cedar River	3.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	9 mi
Wapsipinicon River near TripoliRiver gauge, Wapsipinicon River	9.13 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	18 mi
Cedar River at WaverlyRiver gauge, Cedar River	5.10 ft	Below flood stage	±0	21 mi
Shell Rock River at Shell RockRiver gauge, Shell Rock River	8.84 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	23 mi
Cedar River at JanesvilleRiver gauge, Cedar River	2.92 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	27 mi
West Fork Cedar River at FinchfordRiver gauge, West Fork Cedar River	8.68 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	28 mi
Turkey River at SpillvilleRiver gauge, Turkey River	2.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	30 mi
Little Wapsipinicon River near OranRiver gauge, Little Wapsipinicon River	83.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.27 ft	32 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Little Cedar River near Ionia?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 5.66 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 Little Cedar River near Ionia today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 01:45 PM CDT, the water level was 4.34 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Little Cedar River near Ionia rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Little Cedar River near Ionia normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Little Cedar River near Ionia?

The highest level on record is 21.32 ft on June 9, 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:05458000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.03328, -92.50354 (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	4.34 ft	2026-10-20 18:45	Provisional
Flow	240 cfs	2026-10-20 18:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Little Cedar River near Ionia (usgs:05458000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/little-cedar-river-near-ionia

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