Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa water level

Name: Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa 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, Wapsipinicon River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

8.90ft Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT (19 min ago)

Flow: 3,040 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 6.30 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 07:00 AM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 09:35 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa is at 8.90 ft, in the normal range.

It is 5.60 ft below the flood stage of 14.50 ft.

It has dropped 0.26 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 6.30 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 07:00 AM. In the last month it has stayed between 7.47 ft and 9.25 ft.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 26.18 ftJune 13, 2008
Forecast peak: 8.90 ftTuesday, October 20 at 01:00 PM

Floating and fishing near Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa

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

Flood stage here is 14.50 ft, 5.60 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

26.00 ft: County Roads X64 and X75 are closed.
22.50 ft: Water reaches Shaw Road pavement.
21.60 ft: County Road X64 between Oxford Junction and Oxford Mills is closed.
21.50 ft: Stone City Road is closed.
18.80 ft: Landis Road is closed.
18.30 ft: Buffalo Road is closed west of Anamosa.
18.00 ft: Multiple village and township roads are closed.
17.10 ft: Buffalo and Walnut Creeks begin backing up impacting local roads. 42nd Street west and east of Olin are closed.
16.50 ft: Jungle Town Road is closed.
14.70 ft: Water affects the Camelot Campground.
14.50 ft: Lead Mine Road is completely covered.
14.20 ft: Lead Mine Road is closed.
8.90 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: 8 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	26.18 ft	June 13, 2008
2	23.71 ft	July 26, 2010
3	22.90 ft	July 21, 1968
4	22.82 ft	September 7, 2018
5	22.76 ft	September 27, 2016
6	22.73 ft	May 26, 2004
7	21.56 ft	May 31, 2013
8	19.51 ft	October 4, 2018
9	18.96 ft	July 26, 2017
10	18.66 ft	June 30, 2014

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.15 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 57° 31° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 62° 36° – Wind 14 mph

19 Mon 63° 38° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 65° 46° – Wind 8 mph

21 Wed 67° 48° – Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 65° 53° 0.02 in Wind 7 mph

23 Fri 71° 52° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:24 AM Sunset 06:17 PM Daylight 10 hr, 53 min Waxing gibbous 71%

Map

Other gauges on the Wapsipinicon River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Wapsipinicon River near TripoliRiver gauge, Wapsipinicon River	9.13 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	72 mi
Wapsipinicon River at IndependenceRiver gauge, Wapsipinicon River	6.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.18 ft	41 mi
Wapsipinicon River near De WittRiver gauge, Wapsipinicon River	9.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.38 ft	44 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cedar River below Indian Creek at Cedar RapidsRiver gauge, Cedar River	9,950 cfs	Normal	−350.0 cfs	18 mi
Indian Creek at MarionRiver gauge, Indian Creek	3.14 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	18 mi
Cedar River at Cedar BluffRiver gauge, Cedar River	8.80 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	21 mi
Cedar River at Cedar RapidsRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	22 mi
Morgan Creek near CovingtonRiver gauge, Morgan Creek	26.0 cfs	Very high	−1.0 cfs	26 mi
Cedar River at Blairs Ferry Road at PaloRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.99 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	27 mi
North Fork Maquoketa River near FultonRiver gauge, North Fork Maquoketa River	3.88 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	28 mi
Maquoketa River at ManchesterRiver gauge, Maquoketa River	5.48 ft	Below flood stage	−0.26 ft	28 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa?

The official flood stage is 14.50 ft. The level is currently 5.60 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 Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT, the water level was 8.90 ft. Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa rising or falling?

Down 0.26 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa?

The highest level on record is 26.18 ft on June 13, 2008.

Is Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 6.30 ft by Tuesday, October 27 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05421740 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.08336, -91.26739 (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	8.90 ft	2026-10-20 19:15	Provisional
Flow	3,040 cfs	2026-10-20 19:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/8312?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Wapsipinicon River near Anamosa (usgs:05421740). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/wapsipinicon-river-near-anamosa

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