Missouri River at Sioux City water level

Name: Missouri River at Sioux 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, Missouri River, Nebraska, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

10.47ft Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 10:00 AM CDT (20 min ago)

Flow: 26,500 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 10.50 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM. Issued Saturday, October 17 at 09:21 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Missouri River at Sioux City reads 10.47 ft, a normal level.

It is 19.53 ft below the flood stage of 30.00 ft.

The water is rising: up 0.04 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 10.50 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM. There is still 19.53 ft of room before flood stage. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 10.41 ft and 10.73 ft.

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

Key numbers

Highest on record: 35.25 ftJuly 21, 2011
Lowest on record: 2.02 ftJanuary 14, 2024
Forecast peak: 10.50 ftSunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM

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 30.00 ft, still 19.53 ft away.

What happens at each level

39.00 ft: Water reaches portions of 4th St in South Sioux City near the gauge location under the Hwy 20 bridge.
36.00 ft: Extensive urban flooding in lower lying portions of Sioux City begins.
35.00 ft: The levee protecting various structures in parks and memorials on the Iowa side of the river is overtopped.
33.00 ft: Additional recreational areas and some pasture land along the river begin to flood.
32.00 ft: Hamilton Blvd under I-29 is flooded.
31.00 ft: The baseball fields at Scenic Park are flooded.
30.00 ft: Some of the boat docks and marinas along the river begin to flood. The levee at the Scenic Park campground is overtopped and flooding may impact the parking lot at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center if the levee is breached.
29.00 ft: The parking lots of baseball fields at Scenic Park begin to flood on the Nebraska side of the river. The lowest portions near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Flight 232 Memorial begin to flood.
25.00 ft: Lower Scenic Park campground in South Sioux City may begin to be affected by flooding.
10.47 ft: Right now
4.00 ft: The power and industrial plants around Sioux City may begin to encounter challenges as the water levels fall below what is needed for the cooling intake valves.

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	35.25 ft	July 21, 2011
2	32.23 ft	June 24, 2024
3	30.77 ft	June 25, 1984
4	30.27 ft	June 1, 2019
5	29.78 ft	March 17, 2019
6	27.55 ft	July 17, 1996
7	27.33 ft	July 15, 1993
8	26.66 ft	August 26, 1975
9	25.92 ft	October 21, 2019
10	25.91 ft	June 26, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.30 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 64° 29° – Wind 19 mph

18 Sun 68° 43° – Wind 16 mph

19 Mon 66° 42° – Wind 11 mph

20 Tue 69° 48° – Wind 15 mph

21 Wed 74° 54° – Wind 14 mph

22 Thu 77° 57° – Wind 10 mph

23 Fri 78° 62° 0.01 in Wind 21 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:43 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 10 hr, 58 min First quarter 50%

Map

Other gauges on the Missouri River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Missouri River below GreenwoodRiver gauge, Missouri River	24.53 ft	Normal	−0.54 ft	103 mi
Missouri River below Ponca Creek near VerdelRiver gauge, Missouri River	20.61 ft	Normal	−0.14 ft	87 mi
Missouri River at NiobraraRiver gauge, Missouri River	16.59 ft	Low	+0.04 ft	83 mi
Missouri River at YanktonRiver gauge, Missouri River	10.13 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	56 mi
Missouri River near St. JamesRiver gauge, Missouri River	32.09 ft	Below flood stage	+0.04 ft	39 mi
Missouri River near MaskellRiver gauge, Missouri River	21.16 ft	Normal	+0.04 ft	32 mi
Missouri River at DecaturRiver gauge, Missouri River	19.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.19 ft	34 mi
Missouri River at OmahaRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.64 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	88 mi
Missouri River at Hwy 92 at OmahaRiver gauge, Missouri River	13.93 ft	Very low	−0.14 ft	92 mi
Missouri River at Hwy 370 at BellevueRiver gauge, Missouri River	15.47 ft	Very low	−0.11 ft	97 mi
Missouri River at Nebraska CityRiver gauge, Missouri River	9.23 ft	Below flood stage	−0.33 ft	128 mi
Missouri River at BrownvilleRiver gauge, Missouri River	25.20 ft	Below flood stage	−0.24 ft	150 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Perry Creek at 38th Street at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Perry Creek	6.56 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	3.4 mi
Big Sioux River at Sioux CityRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	9.90 ft	Very low	+0.04 ft	4.3 mi
Floyd River at JamesRiver gauge, Floyd River	8.69 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	8 mi
Perry Creek near HintonRiver gauge, Perry Creek	15.23 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	9 mi
Big Sioux River near JeffersonRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	9.41 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	11 mi
Elliott Creek at LawtonRiver gauge, Elliott Creek	72.29 ft	Below flood stage	+0.02 ft	11 mi
Omaha Creek at HomerRiver gauge, Omaha Creek	2.18 ft	Normal	−0.14 ft	12 mi
Perry Creek near MillnervilleRiver gauge, Perry Creek	0.97 ft	Below flood stage	±0	14 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Missouri River at Sioux City?

The official flood stage is 30.00 ft. The level is currently 19.53 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 Sioux City today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 10:00 AM CDT, the water level was 10.47 ft. Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Missouri River at Sioux City rising or falling?

Up 0.04 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Missouri River at Sioux City 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 Sioux City?

The highest level on record is 35.25 ft on July 21, 2011. The lowest is 2.02 ft on January 14, 2024.

Is Missouri River at Sioux City expected to rise?

The forecast expects the river to fall to 10.50 ft by Sunday, October 18 at 07:00 AM.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:06486000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.48619, -96.41308 (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	10.47 ft	2026-10-18 15:00	Provisional
Flow	26,500 cfs	2026-10-18 15:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Missouri River at Sioux City (usgs:06486000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/nebraska/missouri-river-at-sioux-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