Missouri River at Sioux City, NE
River level and flood forecast · Dakota County
Normal10.7 ftas of Mon 3 PM
The river is 19.3 ft below flood stage (30 ft).
Forecast to fall to 10.4 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 27,100 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:49 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 36 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 33 ft |
| Flood stage | 30 ft |
| Action stage | 25 ft |
| Record crest (July 21, 2011) | 35.25 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 39 ftWater reaches portions of 4th St in South Sioux City near the gauge location under the Hwy 20 bridge.
- 36 ftExtensive urban flooding in lower lying portions of Sioux City begins.
- 35 ftThe levee protecting various structures in parks and memorials on the Iowa side of the river is overtopped.
- 33 ftAdditional recreational areas and some pasture land along the river begin to flood.
- 32 ftHamilton Blvd under I-29 is flooded.
- 31 ftThe baseball fields at Scenic Park are flooded.
- 30 ftSome of the boat docks and marinas along the river begin to flood. The levee at the Scenic Park campground is overtopped and flooding may impact the parking lot at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center if the levee is breached.
- 29 ftThe parking lots of baseball fields at Scenic Park begin to flood on the Nebraska side of the river. The lowest portions near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Flight 232 Memorial begin to flood.
- 25 ftLower Scenic Park campground in South Sioux City may begin to be affected by flooding.
- 4 ftThe power and industrial plants around Sioux City may begin to encounter challenges as the water levels fall below what is needed for the cooling intake valves.
Highest crests on record
- 35.25 ft — July 21, 2011
- 32.23 ft — June 24, 2024
- 30.77 ft — June 25, 1984
- 30.27 ft — June 1, 2019
- 29.78 ft — March 17, 2019
Recent crests: 14.16 ft (February 24, 2025) · 32.23 ft (June 24, 2024) · 13.76 ft (September 21, 2023) · 12.87 ft (August 16, 2022) · 18.12 ft (April 1, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SSCN1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.