Missouri River at Decatur water level

Name: Missouri River at Decatur 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, Missouri River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

19.12ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:00 AM CDT (45 min ago)

Flow: 26,300 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The gauge at Missouri River at Decatur reads 19.12 ft, a normal level.

It is 15.88 ft below the flood stage of 35.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 19.00 ft and 19.34 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: 44.41 ftApril 16, 1952
Lowest on record: 12.58 ftJanuary 13, 2024

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 35.00 ft, still 15.88 ft away.

What happens at each level

44.00 ft: Widespread major flooding would be prevalent along the entire reach from just upstream of Decatur downstream to the mouth of the Little Sioux River.
38.00 ft: Extensive flooding along the reach would be encountered. Areas impacted will include Marina Drive as well as numerous homes along the river.
35.00 ft: Local marinas, boat docks and low lying areas begin to flood.
19.12 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	44.41 ft	April 16, 1952
2	40.24 ft	July 21, 2011
3	37.55 ft	June 26, 2024
4	36.51 ft	March 17, 2019
5	36.42 ft	September 20, 2019
6	35.72 ft	June 3, 2019
7	34.60 ft	June 26, 1984
8	32.31 ft	July 18, 1996
9	32.19 ft	July 16, 1993
10	32.18 ft	June 27, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.67 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 61° 31° – Wind 19 mph

18 Sun 66° 41° – Wind 19 mph

19 Mon 67° 40° – Wind 12 mph

20 Tue 70° 49° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 74° 55° 0.01 in Wind 15 mph

22 Thu 76° 57° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 78° 63° 0.01 in Wind 20 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:37 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River below GreenwoodRiver gauge, Missouri River	24.68 ft	Normal	+0.06 ft	124 mi
Missouri River below Ponca Creek near VerdelRiver gauge, Missouri River	21.12 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	108 mi
Missouri River at NiobraraRiver gauge, Missouri River	17.00 ft	Low	+0.04 ft	104 mi
Missouri River at YanktonRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.18 ft	Very low	+0.04 ft	83 mi
Missouri River near St. JamesRiver gauge, Missouri River	32.04 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	67 mi
Missouri River near MaskellRiver gauge, Missouri River	21.16 ft	Normal	±0	61 mi
Missouri River at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.52 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	34 mi
Missouri River at OmahaRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.53 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	54 mi
Missouri River at Hwy 92 at OmahaRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.98 ft	Very low	+0.03 ft	57 mi
Missouri River at Hwy 370 at BellevueRiver gauge, Missouri River	15.35 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	63 mi
Missouri River at Nebraska CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	8.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	94 mi
Missouri River at BrownvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	24.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	115 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blackbird Creek near MacyRiver gauge, Blackbird Creek	5.17 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	8 mi
South Blackbird Creek at Hwy 75 near MacyRiver gauge, South Blackbird Creek	5.34 ft	Below flood stage	±0	8 mi
North Blackbird Creek at Hwy 75 at MacyRiver gauge, North Blackbird Creek	7.89 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	9 mi
Monona-Harrison Ditch near TurinRiver gauge, Monona-Harrison Ditch	4.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	13 mi
Little Sioux River near TurinRiver gauge, Little Sioux River	8.33 ft	Below flood stage	+0.16 ft	14 mi
South Omaha Creek at WalthillRiver gauge, South Omaha Creek	6.52 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	16 mi
Soldier River at PisgahRiver gauge, Soldier River	3.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	20 mi
Maple River at MapletonRiver gauge, Maple River	5.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	24 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Missouri River at Decatur?

The official flood stage is 35.00 ft. The level is currently 15.88 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 Missouri River at Decatur today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:00 AM CDT, the water level was 19.12 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at Decatur rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River at Decatur normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Missouri River at Decatur?

The highest level on record is 44.41 ft on April 16, 1952. The lowest is 12.58 ft on January 13, 2024.

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:06601200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.00783, -96.24292 (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	19.12 ft	2026-10-20 07:00	Provisional
Flow	26,300 cfs	2026-10-20 07:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at Decatur (usgs:06601200). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/missouri-river-at-decatur

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