Upper Iowa River at Decorah water level

Name: Upper Iowa River at Decorah 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, Upper Iowa River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

2.31ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:45 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 557 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Upper Iowa River at Decorah, where the gauge shows 2.31 ft.

It is 9.69 ft below the flood stage of 12.00 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.19 ft – 2.31 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: 17.90 ftJune 9, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 12.00 ft.

What happens at each level

19.50 ft: Water may begin to overtop the protective levee.
17.50 ft: College Drive bridge is closed.
17.00 ft: Exterior lanes along College Drive Bridge are closed. Homes along Riverview Drive north of 5th Street begin to inundate.
16.50 ft: Pole Line Road is closed as well as Highway 52 at Pole Line Road. Downstream community of Freeport begins evacuating.
16.00 ft: Valley View Drive is closed.
15.00 ft: Sandbagging operations begin in Freeport. Pulpit Rock Campground are evacuated. Homes along Valley View Drive south are evacuated. Homes along Riverview Drive north of 5th Street are threatened.
14.50 ft: Northern road to Freeport is closed.
14.00 ft: Major flooding may occur outside the areas protected by the levee. Ice Cave Road is closed.
13.00 ft: Residential flooding on the west side of town is possible. Street and storm sewer flooding on the east side of town south of the levee can cause basement flooding if flood stage is exceeded for an extended period of time.
12.00 ft: Residential areas are threatened on the west edge of Decorah just before the levee protecting the town begins. City begins to initiate sandbagging operations. Luther College Dike Road is closed.
10.00 ft: City begins to set up pumping operations in high risk areas across town.
9.00 ft: Agricultural flooding occurs outside of the town of Decorah.
2.31 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	17.90 ft	June 9, 2008
2	14.35 ft	August 17, 1993
3	13.68 ft	August 24, 2016
4	13.08 ft	March 27, 1961
5	12.31 ft	June 1, 2000
6	11.87 ft	June 10, 2018
7	11.67 ft	June 23, 2013
8	11.35 ft	June 30, 1969
9	11.32 ft	March 30, 1962
10	10.75 ft	March 12, 1976

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.78 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 58° 31° – Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 61° 42° – Wind 18 mph

19 Mon 64° 38° – Wind 10 mph

20 Tue 65° 44° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 68° 47° 0.02 in Wind 13 mph

22 Thu 66° 54° 0.02 in Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 70° 51° – Wind 16 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:19 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min First quarter 59%

Map

Other gauges on the Upper Iowa River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Upper Iowa River at BlufftonRiver gauge, Upper Iowa River	3.88 ft	Below flood stage	±0	9 mi
Upper Iowa River near DorchesterRiver gauge, Upper Iowa River	7.68 ft	Below flood stage	+0.06 ft	16 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Turkey River at SpillvilleRiver gauge, Turkey River	2.89 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	10 mi
Turkey River near EldoradoRiver gauge, Turkey River	6.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	17 mi
Waterloo Creek near DorchesterRiver gauge, Waterloo Creek	7.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Yellow River near IonRiver gauge, Yellow River	6.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	30 mi
Crooked Creek at FreeburgRiver gauge, Crooked Creek	6.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	30 mi
South Fork Root River near HoustonRiver gauge, South Fork Root River	2.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	32 mi
Root River near HoustonRiver gauge, Root River	4.19 ft	Below flood stage	+0.12 ft	34 mi
Root River above RushfordRiver gauge, Root River	10.02 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	34 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Upper Iowa River at Decorah?

The official flood stage is 12.00 ft. The level is currently 9.69 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 Upper Iowa River at Decorah today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:45 AM CDT, the water level was 2.31 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Upper Iowa River at Decorah rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Upper Iowa River at Decorah normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Upper Iowa River at Decorah?

The highest level on record is 17.90 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:05387500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.30489, -91.79554 (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	2.31 ft	2026-10-19 12:45	Provisional
Flow	557 cfs	2026-10-19 12:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Upper Iowa River at Decorah (usgs:05387500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/upper-iowa-river-at-decorah

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