Winnebago River at Mason City water level

Name: Winnebago River at Mason 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, Winnebago River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

5.48ft Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 09:15 AM CDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 329 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Winnebago River at Mason City, where the gauge shows 5.48 ft.

It is 4.52 ft below the flood stage of 10.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.09 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 5.26 ft – 5.61 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: 18.74 ftJune 8, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 10.00 ft.

What happens at each level

20.50 ft: Water affects the floodwall at the water treatment plant located at 13th St NE.
17.40 ft: Water reaches bottom of railroad bridge east of Kentucky Ave bridge.
15.00 ft: This is the approximate top of levee protection. Levees run from the 12th St NE bridge to 9th St along the east bank and also from 8th St to 6th St and Hampshire St.
14.00 ft: Water may flow over the city dikes.
12.00 ft: Widespread flooding occurs along the river. Some backwater effects are possible along Willow Creek between downtown Mason City and the confluence with the Winnebago river.
11.00 ft: Sandbagging occurs on the dike from 12th St NE to Carolina St.
10.00 ft: Widespread flooding occurs at city parks. Water reaches the underside of the 12th St NE bridge at the piers.
8.00 ft: Water affects east and west city parks in the 12th St NE area.
7.00 ft: Water affects low-lying areas along the river.
5.48 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	18.74 ft	June 8, 2008
2	15.70 ft	March 30, 1933
3	14.80 ft	March 27, 1961
4	14.67 ft	May 22, 2004
5	14.27 ft	April 11, 1965
6	14.07 ft	September 22, 2016
7	13.06 ft	August 31, 1962
8	12.59 ft	April 1, 1993
9	12.44 ft	April 7, 1951
10	12.25 ft	July 8, 1969

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.74 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 60° 31° – Wind 16 mph

18 Sun 63° 40° – Wind 17 mph

19 Mon 64° 38° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 66° 46° – Wind 12 mph

21 Wed 70° 49° 0.04 in Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 73° 58° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 73° 55° – Wind 18 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:33 AM Sunset 06:23 PM Daylight 10 hr, 50 min First quarter 69%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Clear Lake at Clear LakeLake, Clear Lake	4.62 ft	High	+0.01 ft	10 mi
Deer Creek near CarpenterRiver gauge, Deer Creek	78.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.12 ft	20 mi
Cedar River at Charles CityRiver gauge, Cedar River	3.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.18 ft	27 mi
Cedar River near AustinRiver gauge, Cedar River	3.96 ft	Below flood stage	−0.15 ft	34 mi
Iowa River near RowanRiver gauge, Iowa River	4.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	35 mi
Little Cedar River near IoniaRiver gauge, Little Cedar River	4.35 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	36 mi
Shell Rock River at Shell RockRiver gauge, Shell Rock River	8.85 ft	Below flood stage	−0.07 ft	44 mi
Cedar River at WaverlyRiver gauge, Cedar River	5.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	47 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Winnebago River at Mason City?

The official flood stage is 10.00 ft. The level is currently 4.52 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 Winnebago River at Mason City today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 09:15 AM CDT, the water level was 5.48 ft. Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Winnebago River at Mason City rising or falling?

Down 0.09 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Winnebago River at Mason City normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Winnebago River at Mason City?

The highest level on record is 18.74 ft on June 8, 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:05459500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 43.16500, -93.19250 (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	5.48 ft	2026-10-20 14:15	Provisional
Flow	329 cfs	2026-10-20 14:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Winnebago River at Mason City (usgs:05459500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/winnebago-river-at-mason-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