Black Hawk Creek at Hudson, IA
River level and flood forecast · Black Hawk County
Normal8.9 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 6.1 ft below flood stage (15 ft).
Flow: 640 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Tue, Oct 6, 4:29 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 19 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 15 ft |
| Action stage | 14 ft |
| Record crest (April 25, 2008) | 19.03 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 23.4 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Iowa 58 bridge.
- 19 ftWater reaches the top of the levee at Waterloo.
- 18.8 ftWater affects the Falls Ave bridge in Waterloo.
- 18 ftWater affects Hudson...including the 800 block of Dale Dr.
- 16 ftWater closes Ranchero Rd in Waterloo. Some residential evacuations may occur.
- 15 ftWater affects Iowa 58 as well as Fletcher Ave and Ridgeway Ave at US 63 in Waterloo. Water also affects Watters Rd. Some residential evacuations may be needed.
- 14.5 ftWater affects portions of Ranchero Rd west of US 63.
- 12 ftStorm sewers in Waterloo back up.
- 10 ftA few thousand acres of agricultural land west of Hudson are under water.
Highest crests on record
- 19.03 ft — April 25, 2008
- 18.96 ft — May 30, 2013
- 18.5 ft — July 1, 2014
- 18.23 ft — July 9, 1969
- 18.12 ft — June 23, 2020
Recent crests: 13.31 ft (April 27, 2025) · 12.77 ft (February 28, 2023) · 13.47 ft (February 16, 2023) · 11.81 ft (July 10, 2022) · 10.54 ft (March 8, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (HUDI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.