West Fork Des Moines River at Emmetsburg, IA
River level and flood forecast · Palo Alto County
Normal0.9 ftas of Mon 1:15 PM
The river is 10.1 ft below flood stage (11 ft).
Flow: 242 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 | 15 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 13 ft |
| Flood stage | 11 ft |
| Action stage | 9 ft |
| Record crest (June 24, 2024) | 15.47 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 15.2 ftWater affects Iowa 15 approximately 4 miles south of West Bend.
- 14.5 ftUS 18 is closed. Works Road floods near the cooperative.
- 14 ftSandbagging operations occur for businesses along US 18 on the west side of town in and near the flood plain.
- 13.5 ftWater threatens US 18 west of Emmetsburg as well as the Northern Natural Gas distribution plant. Sandbagging operations may occur for the sewer plant and wells.
- 13 ftClosure of Iowa 4 is likely. Water threatens some of the airport runways. Water flows into Boggess gravel pits.
- 12.5 ftWater affects Osgood Rd.
- 12 ftWater reaches sections of Iowa 4 south of Emmetsburg. The road to the rendering plant is closed.
- 11.5 ftWater affects southern portions of the airport field including approaches to the primary runway. Water also affects grass airstrips near hangars along the east side of the airfield.
- 11 ftWater threatens Iowa 4 in areas near the river overpass as well as the road to the rendering plant. The road to the sanitary landfill area is closed.
- 10 ftWater affects the flood plain and threatens the access road to the sanitary landfill area.
Highest crests on record
- 15.47 ft — June 24, 2024
- 14.75 ft — April 12, 1969
- 13.8 ft — June 30, 1993
- 13.44 ft — March 25, 2019
- 13.26 ft — July 10, 2018
Recent crests: 5.42 ft (August 19, 2025) · 15.47 ft (June 24, 2024) · 8.17 ft (April 22, 2023) · 6.51 ft (June 16, 2022) · 2.7 ft (March 29, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamWest Fork Des Moines River at Estherville, IA
- DownstreamWest Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt, IA
- East Fork Des Moines River near Algona, IA
- Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell, IA
- Pilot Creek near Rolfe, IA
- Ocheyedan River near Spencer, IA
- West Okoboji Lake near Milford, IA
- Little Sioux River at Linn Grove, IA
- Spirit Lake near Orleans, IA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (EMTI4); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.