Old Mans Creek near Iowa City water level

Name: Old Mans Creek near Iowa City 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, Old Mans Creek, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.19ft Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT (54 min ago)

Flow: 168 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Old Mans Creek near Iowa City is at 3.19 ft, in the normal range.

It is 8.81 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

It has dropped 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 3.14 ft and 3.61 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: 18.61 ftJuly 1, 2014

Floating and fishing near Old Mans Creek near Iowa City

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

Flood stage here is 12.00 ft, 8.81 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft: Water affects the approaches to the County Road W62 bridge.
18.60 ft: Water is at the bottom of the County Road W62 bridge.
18.50 ft: Water is at the bottom of the Orval Yoder Turnpike and SW Calkins Road bridges.
15.50 ft: Water affects the approaches to the SW Calkins Road bridge.
15.00 ft: Water is at the bottom of the Cosgrove Road SW bridge.
10.50 ft: Water is at the bottom of the SW Black Hawk Avenue bridge.
10.00 ft: Water is at the bottom of the County Road F52 bridge.
3.19 ft: Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	18.61 ft	July 1, 2014
2	17.83 ft	April 18, 2013
3	17.61 ft	July 6, 1993
4	17.20 ft	June 17, 1990
5	16.92 ft	May 10, 1996
6	16.88 ft	August 21, 1990
7	16.36 ft	October 8, 2018
8	16.03 ft	March 14, 2019
9	15.85 ft	March 10, 2009
10	15.57 ft	July 25, 1993

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.19 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 59° 32° – Wind 12 mph

18 Sun 64° 38° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 65° 38° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 67° 47° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 70° 49° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 69° 55° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 74° 53° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Clear Creek near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Clear Creek	1.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	4.9 mi
Iowa River at Iowa CityRiver gauge, Iowa River	14.54 ft	Below flood stage	−0.47 ft	5.2 mi
South Branch Ralston Creek at Iowa CityRiver gauge, South Branch Ralston Creek	1.80 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	6 mi
Muddy Creek at CoralvilleRiver gauge, Muddy Creek	7.8 cfs	Normal	−0.3 cfs	7 mi
Iowa River below Coralville Dam near CoralvilleRiver gauge, Iowa River	5,000 cfs	High	−480.0 cfs	9 mi
Rapid Creek near Iowa CityRiver gauge, Rapid Creek	4.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	9 mi
Clear Creek near OxfordRiver gauge, Clear Creek	2.71 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	10 mi
English River at KalonaRiver gauge, English River	5.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.13 ft	11 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Old Mans Creek near Iowa City?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 8.81 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 Old Mans Creek near Iowa City today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 04:00 AM CDT, the water level was 3.19 ft. Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Old Mans Creek near Iowa City rising or falling?

Down 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.39 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Old Mans Creek near Iowa City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Old Mans Creek near Iowa City?

The highest level on record is 18.61 ft on July 1, 2014.

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:05455100 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.60641, -91.61572 (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	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional
Flow	168 cfs	2026-10-21 09:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Old Mans Creek near Iowa City (usgs:05455100). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/old-mans-creek-near-iowa-city

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