Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Dr, IA
River level and flood forecast · Polk County
Normal7.9 ftas of Mon 3:47 PM
The river is 4.1 ft below flood stage (12 ft).
Flow: 7,550 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sat, Oct 10, 9:45 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 16 ft |
| Flood stage | 12 ft |
| Action stage | 8 ft |
| Record crest (July 11, 1993) | 26.8 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 31 ftThis is the top of the levee surrounding Des Moines Water Works.
- 27.7 ftThis is the top of the levee surrounding Valley Gardens.
- 22 ftThe levee is closed across SW 22nd St under the Fleur Dr viaduct. Levee closures also occur across three driveways into Principal Park.
- 21 ftThe levee is closed across 63rd St.
- 18.5 ftWater affects the maintenance buildings outside of the levee protection at Des Moines Water Works Park.
- 18 ftAll the levee gates are closed in Water Works Park.
- 17.2 ftWater affects portions of Fleur Dr.
- 17 ftThe levee is closed across George Flagg Parkway just west of Fleur Dr. Levee gates are closed west of SW 18th St at George Flagg Parkway and at the railroad tracks.
- 16.5 ftWater begins affecting Fleur Dr. Above this stage...water flows through Water Works Park south of the Water Works Buildings...cutting off a large meander bend in the river and diverting increasing amounts of stream flow away from the main river channel.
- 15.5 ftWater approaches Fleur Dr and affects the Grays Lake trails.
- 13.5 ftWater affects the low areas of Water Works Park.
- 13.3 ftSW 30th St is closed from George Flagg Parkway to Bell Ave. George Flagg Parkway is closed from SW 30th St to SW 28th St.
- 11.3 ftGeorge Flagg Parkway is closed from Park Ave to SW 30th St.
- 9.5 ftWater impacts the lowest portions of the Bill Riley Trl.
Highest crests on record
- 26.8 ft — July 11, 1993
- 24.66 ft — June 13, 2008
- 21.54 ft — June 26, 2015
- 20.51 ft — June 13, 1947
- 20.45 ft — June 16, 1998
Recent crests: 12.5 ft (July 31, 2025) · 14.05 ft (May 22, 2024) · 10.03 ft (February 28, 2023) · 12.49 ft (June 7, 2022) · 4.56 ft (March 26, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamRaccoon River at Des Moines IA 28, IA
- DownstreamDes Moines River at Des Moines SE 6th St, IA
- Des Moines River at Des Moines 2nd Ave, IA
- Walnut Creek at Des Moines 63rd St, IA
- Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd, IA
- Des Moines River at Saylorville Tail, IA
- Raccoon River near West Des Moines, IA
- North River near Norwalk, IA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (DEMI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.