Des Moines River at Keosauqua, IA
River level and flood forecast · Van Buren County
The river is 4.8 ft below flood stage (22 ft).
Forecast to rise to 18.4 ft Thu 1 PM, below the 22 ft flood stage.
Flow: 25,600 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:07 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 27 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 25 ft |
| Flood stage | 22 ft |
| Action stage | 21 ft |
| Record crest (July 13, 1993) | 32.66 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 38 ftWater affects nearly all of downtown Keosauqua.
- 36 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Iowa Highway 1 bridge deck at Keosauqua.
- 35 ftWater affects much of downtown Keosauqua.
- 33.5 ftWater reaches the bottom of the County Rd J40 bridge deck at Bonaparte.
- 33 ftWater reaches a critical level for levees 30 to 50 miles downstream of Keosauqua.
- 32.5 ftWater is 1 to 2 feet deep in areas of downtown Keosauqua.
- 30.5 ftWater is at the base of the Hotel Manning in Keosauqua.
- 30 ftWater affects downtown sections of Keosauqua as well as First Street and the County Road J40 bridge approach in Bonaparte.
- 29 ftWater affects residential and commercial areas in Bonaparte.
- 28 ftWater affects streets in Keosauqua and affects the approach to the Highway 1 bridge. Water also affects residential areas in Farmington and Bentonsport.
- 27 ftWater is over the river banks in Selma, Keosauqua, Bentonsport, Bonaparte, and Farmington.
- 25 ftFlooding occurs in Keosauqua, Selma, Bonaparte, and Farmington. Water affects streets near the nursery on the east end of Keosauqua.
- 22 ftWater affects low-lying agricultural areas.
Highest crests on record
- 32.66 ft — July 13, 1993
- 30.49 ft — June 16, 2008
- 28.18 ft — August 12, 2010
- 28.02 ft — April 21, 1973
- 27.88 ft — May 29, 2019
Recent crests: 19.63 ft (June 10, 2020) · 27.88 ft (May 29, 2019) · 19.11 ft (September 6, 2018) · 21.29 ft (April 6, 2017) · 22.81 ft (December 14, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (KEQI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.