Iowa River at Wapello, IA
River level and flood forecast · Louisa County
Normal18.4 ftas of Mon 2 PM
The river is 2.6 ft below flood stage (21 ft).
Forecast to fall to 16.0 ft by Mon, Oct 19, 7 AM.
Flow: 23,300 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 | 27.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 25 ft |
| Flood stage | 21 ft |
| Action stage | 18.5 ft |
| Record crest (June 14, 2008) | 32.15 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 42 ftWater overtops the Wapello levee system which extends 3.5 to 5.0 mi downstream from the city.
- 41 ftWater is at the bottom of the U.S. Highway 61 bridge.
- 38 ftWater is at the bottom of the Iowa Highway 99 bridge at Wapello.
- 32 ftWater affects unprotected areas of Wapello.
- 27.5 ftWater affects U.S. Highway 61 north of Wapello.
- 25 ftWidespread flooding of agricultural land. Numerous secondary roads are under water.
- 22 ftWater affects residences near the U.S. Highway 61 bridge.
- 21 ftAgricultural land near the river is flooded and water covers most islands. Water starts rising onto secondary roads in Wapello Bottoms.
- 20 ftLow lying areas begin taking on water.
Highest crests on record
- 32.15 ft — June 14, 2008
- 30.18 ft — July 3, 2014
- 29.53 ft — July 7, 1993
- 28.91 ft — June 19, 1990
- 28.63 ft — April 22, 1973
Recent crests: 24.03 ft (June 28, 2020) · 27.21 ft (May 31, 2019) · 21.49 ft (May 21, 2019) · 26.47 ft (March 21, 2019) · 26.78 ft (October 11, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WAPI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.