South Fork Chariton River near Promise City, IA
River level and flood forecast · Wayne County
Normal3.3 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 21.8 ft below flood stage (25 ft).
Flow: 21 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 31 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 28 ft |
| Flood stage | 25 ft |
| Action stage | 22 ft |
| Record crest (September 15, 1992) | 34.84 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 34.8 ftSeveral area roads are closed.
- 30 ftWater reaches the top of the guardrail of the 200th St bridge.
- 28 ftWater reaches the road surface of 200th St bridge.
- 26 ftThe south approach to the 200th St bridge overflows.
- 24 ftWater threatens the south approach to the 200th St bridge and nears the underside of the bridge itself.
- 22 ftWidespread agricultural flooding occurs.
- 20 ftWater affects agricultural land in close proximity to the river.
- 18 ftWater flows into nearby agricultural fields.
Highest crests on record
- 34.84 ft — September 15, 1992
- 29.95 ft — July 4, 1981
- 28.41 ft — August 24, 2007
- 27.22 ft — April 18, 2013
- 25.78 ft — July 25, 2008
Recent crests: 20.75 ft (July 20, 2025) · 21.01 ft (May 3, 2024) · 11.6 ft (February 27, 2023) · 19.13 ft (November 11, 2021) · 13.87 ft (March 27, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (PRMI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.