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Ioway Creek at Ames Lincoln Way, IA

River level and flood forecast · Story County

Normal3.3 ftas of Mon 2 PM

The river is 6.7 ft below flood stage (10 ft).

Flow: 731 cubic feet per second (USGS).

The last 7 days and the forecast

05101520TueWedThuFriSatSunMonAction 8 ftFlood 10 ftModerate 14 ftMajor 15.5 ftNowObserved (ft)NWS forecast

NWS forecast issued Sat, Oct 3, 1:30 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.

Flood stages

Major flood stage15.5 ft
Moderate flood stage14 ft
Flood stage10 ft
Action stage8 ft
Record crest (July 9, 1993)18.54 ft

What floods at each level

From the National Weather Service, highest first.

  • 18.5 ftWater reaches the perimeter fence at Furman Aquatic Center located at 1635 13th St.
  • 17.3 ftWater affects Stange Rd north of Ioway Creek as well as the Meadow Lane trailer park.
  • 17.1 ftWater affects the Iowa State Lied Recreation Center.
  • 16.4 ftWater affects the Maple...Willow and Larch dormitories on the Iowa State University campus.
  • 15.8 ftWater affects Lincoln Way and University Ave. Water also reaches the top of the curb in front the Target store located at 320 S Duff Ave.
  • 15.5 ftWater affects Lincoln Way west of the bridge over Ioway Creek.
  • 15.1 ftWater affects the Scheman Building and Hilton Coliseum. S Duff Ave is closed between Ioway Creek and S 3rd St.
  • 14.5 ftWater reaches the CyRide building located at the northeast corner of 1700 University Blvd.
  • 14.4 ftWater affects S Duff Ave. Water also affects the Timbercreek Apartments located at 610 Ioway Creek Dr.
  • 13.8 ftWater affects the Tall Timber Apartments located at 644 Ioway Creek Dr.
  • 13.5 ftWater affects 6th St near Brookside Park.
  • 13.3 ftWater affects the road at 6th St through the railroad underpass in the Brookside Park area.
  • 13.2 ftWater affects the parking lots of apartments along S 5th St.
  • 13 ftWater affects the S 4th St bridge.
  • 12 ftWater affects the parking lots of apartments along Stonehaven Dr and threatens the Veenker Golf Course Shed.
  • 10.4 ftWater affects lowlands around S 4th St.
  • 9.7 ftWater affects W 190th St where it crosses Ioway Creek...west of the intersection with 510th St...or 2 1/2 miles southwest of Gilbert.
  • 9 ftWater primarily affects low-lying areas near the stream.

Highest crests on record

  1. 18.54 ft — July 9, 1993
  2. 18.13 ft — August 11, 2010
  3. 15.97 ft — June 17, 1990
  4. 15.85 ft — May 30, 2008
  5. 15.29 ft — June 17, 1996

Recent crests: 6.1 ft (July 30, 2025) · 5.38 ft (May 22, 2024) · 7.15 ft (February 27, 2023) · 8.69 ft (June 15, 2022) · 2.93 ft (March 4, 2021)

Up and down the river, and nearby

See it on the live map →Radar & warnings for Story CountyNWS gauge pageUSGS gauge 05470500

Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (AMWI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.