Rivers in Iowa

Mississippi River at Burlington

Des Moines County, IowaNWS BRLI4Davenport office

Action stage
14.56ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 10:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
15.00 ft
Forecast crest
15.30 ftThu, Sep 24, 1:00 PM CDT
Record crest
25.73 ft2008

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood16.50 ft
Minor flood15.00 ft
Action14.00 ft
  1. 28.00 ftWater reaches the top of the levee that protects industry at the north end of Burlington.
  2. 26.50 ftWater affects Main Street in Burlington.
  3. 26.00 ftWater reaches the top of the Gulfport town levee.
  4. 23.90 ftWater reaches the top of the number 1 and 2 Henderson levees.
  5. 23.00 ftWater affects the Port of Burlington and Front Street businesses in Burlington.
  6. 22.60 ftWater affects the Burlington water treatment plant.
  7. 22.50 ftWater reaches Port of Burlington. Water also affects sewer lines on Front Street and other areas downtown.
  8. 22.00 ftWater overtops the permanent flood wall at Burlington.
  9. 21.50 ftWater reaches the tracks for the Burlington Jct railroad. Water also affects Illinois Highway 96 between Niota and Dallas City.
  10. 21.00 ftWater affects the floor of the lift station at Market Street. Water also reaches the top of the railroad tracks for the BNSF railroad.
  11. 20.50 ftWater affects several homes on First Street in Dallas City. Carman Road Blacktop is affected by floodwaters. Water also reaches the top of the Niota town levee.
  12. 20.00 ftWater affects industries at the south end of town. Water affects most of Riverview Park in Fort Madison.
  13. 19.50 ftWater affects residences on First Street in Dallas City. Water also affects several homes in Pontoosuc.
  14. 19.00 ftWater goes over the new seawall on the riverfront. Water affects streets bordering the river in Pontoosuc.
  15. 18.50 ftWater is over the bank south of the Burlington auditorium. Water also reaches the base of Old Fort Madison.
  16. 18.00 ftWater affects Bluff Harbor Marina. Water affects North Shore Marina in Fort Madison. In Dallas City, water affects First Street at the ball park.
  17. 16.00 ftWater affects low lying buildings and homes in Montrose and Niota.
  18. 15.00 ftAgricultural flooding occurs.
  19. 14.00 ftWater covers Cabin Road in Gulfport.
  20. 13.50 ftWater affects Sullivan Slough Road south of Burlington.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate flooding8%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

138 crests on NOAA’s list since 1880.

#DateStage
1June 17, 200825.73 ft
2July 10, 199325.10 ft
3June 2, 201924.47 ft
4July 6, 201423.65 ft
5May 3, 201923.54 ft
6May 14, 200121.82 ft
7April 25, 197321.50 ft
8May 2, 200821.18 ft
9April 30, 196521.00 ft
10March 25, 201920.51 ft
11July 12, 202420.48 ft
12April 10, 201920.41 ft
13April 25, 199320.40 ft
14June 6, 201320.35 ft
15April 24, 201120.24 ft
16May 4, 202320.00 ft
17July 3, 201319.92 ft
18October 6, 198619.02 ft
19April 21, 199718.94 ft
20October 3, 201618.93 ft
21April 15, 199818.71 ft
22April 4, 196018.70 ft
23September 11, 201818.65 ft
24May 9, 197518.60 ft
25April 6, 197918.50 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 12, 2024: 20.48 ft
  • June 1, 2024: 16.57 ft
  • May 4, 2023: 20.00 ft
  • April 13, 2020: 18.21 ft
  • October 15, 2019: 18.36 ft
  • June 2, 2019: 24.47 ft
  • May 3, 2019: 23.54 ft
  • April 10, 2019: 20.41 ft
  • March 25, 2019: 20.51 ft
  • September 11, 2018: 18.65 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service.