Iowa River at Iowa City, IA
River level and flood forecast · Johnson County
The river is 5.9 ft below flood stage (23.5 ft).
Forecast to rise to 18.1 ft Tue 7 AM, below the 23.5 ft flood stage.
Flow: 8,660 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 | 26 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 24.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 23.5 ft |
| Action stage | 21 ft |
| Record crest (June 15, 2008) | 31.53 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 29 ftSerious flood damage occurs at the University of Iowa campus.
- 27 ftFlood protection becomes necessary at the University of Iowa. Water affects several industrial businesses and warehouses along Commercial Drive.
- 26.5 ftNormandy Drive residences are evacuated.
- 26 ftIdylwild Road in Iowa City is affected. Areas of the University of Iowa campus are inundated with flood waters. Approaches to county road bridges along the river are flooded. Streets and parking lots along Commercial Drive are affected.
- 24.5 ftTaft Speedway closes. Normandy Drive is affected by flood waters.
- 23.5 ftStevens Drive is inundated by flood waters. Sidewalks near Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus are inundated. Izaak Walton Road and Sand Road are both flooded. Flood waters impact properties off Taft Speedway in Iowa City.
- 21 ftCrandic Park off of Rocky Shore Drive is flooded. Lower City Park floods and closes as water is over the roadway and trails.
- 19 ftPortions of trails in Lower City Park are closed due to flood waters.
- 17.5 ftSome low lying trails along the river become inundated and are closed to pedestrian use.
Highest crests on record
- 31.53 ft — June 15, 2008
- 28.52 ft — August 10, 1993
- 25.15 ft — July 12, 2014
- 24.9 ft — June 5, 2013
- 23.35 ft — June 13, 1991
Recent crests: 23.23 ft (October 6, 2018) · 20.01 ft (September 20, 2018) · 17.47 ft (April 6, 2017) · 20.05 ft (December 23, 2015) · 18.09 ft (June 13, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamIowa River at Coralville Res Tail, IA
- DownstreamIowa River near Lone Tree (Tri-County Bridge), IA
- South Branch Ralston Creek at Iowa City, IA
- Muddy Creek (IA) at Coralville, IA
- Clear Creek (IA) near Coralville, IA
- Rapid Creek (IA) near Iowa City, IA
- Old Mans Creek near Iowa City, IA
- Clear Creek (IA) near Oxford, IA
- Cedar River at Cedar Bluff, IA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (IOWI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.