Rivers in Iowa

Turkey River at Elkader

Clayton County, IowaNWS EKDI4USGS 05412020La Crosse office

Below flood stage
8.58ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 7:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
12.00 ft
Record crest
27.77 ft2008

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood20.00 ft
Moderate flood16.00 ft
Minor flood12.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 12.00 ftMinor flooding occurs in areas near the river.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

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

Crest history

34 crests on NOAA’s list since 1991.

#DateStage
1June 10, 200827.77 ft
2June 15, 199127.32 ft
3May 23, 200425.57 ft
4August 30, 202122.87 ft
5August 26, 201622.57 ft
6September 23, 201620.65 ft
7May 17, 199919.35 ft
8April 2, 199318.90 ft
9April 26, 200818.84 ft
10June 20, 201418.82 ft
11March 14, 201918.45 ft
12September 20, 201816.67 ft
13May 31, 201316.09 ft
14June 11, 202015.21 ft
15March 12, 201014.42 ft
16June 29, 201714.23 ft
17February 27, 202313.77 ft
18August 20, 202513.33 ft
19March 23, 200713.12 ft
20April 4, 202612.98 ft
21July 22, 201712.52 ft
22May 23, 202412.43 ft
23August 24, 200712.39 ft
24May 20, 201912.23 ft
25March 23, 201112.17 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 4, 2026: 12.98 ft
  • August 20, 2025: 13.33 ft
  • May 23, 2024: 12.43 ft
  • February 27, 2023: 13.77 ft
  • March 6, 2022: 9.17 ft
  • August 30, 2021: 22.87 ft
  • June 11, 2020: 15.21 ft
  • May 20, 2019: 12.23 ft
  • March 14, 2019: 18.45 ft
  • September 20, 2018: 16.67 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. 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. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.