Rivers in Iowa

Iowa River at Marshalltown

Marshall County, IowaNWS MIWI4USGS 05451500Des Moines office

Below flood stage
13.34ftStage

Observed Thu, Sep 24, 3:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
19.00 ft
Record crest
22.25 ft2014

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood26.00 ft
Moderate flood23.00 ft
Minor flood19.00 ft
Action14.00 ft
  1. 26.00 ftWater reaches the top of the earthen levee along the river at Iowa 14.
  2. 22.00 ftWater reaches the low beams of the Iowa 14 bridge.
  3. 21.50 ftWater affects several roads east of Marshalltown...including US 30...E Main St Rd and Zeller Ave.
  4. 21.40 ftWater affects both lanes of Iowa 14 north of Marshalltown.
  5. 21.20 ftWater affects several gravel roads north and northwest of Marshalltown...including Stanley Mill Rd...N Center St...Oaks Ave and Prairie Ave.
  6. 21.00 ftIowa 330 south of Albion near Timmons Grove Park is closed. Water affects most of Timmons Grove County Park.
  7. 20.50 ftIn Albion...water affects parts of Marsh Ave...Stanley Mill Rd and 160th St. Water threatens Iowa 330 near the Linn Creek overpass which is located west of Marshalltown...or about two miles northeast of the US 30 junction.
  8. 20.00 ftWater approaches the top of the concrete bridge piers of the Iowa 14 bridge.
  9. 19.50 ftWater affects the southbound lanes of Iowa 14 as well as Iowa 330 south of Albion.
  10. 19.00 ftWater affects Iowa 14 north of the river as well as Iowa 330 south of Albion.
  11. 18.00 ftWidespread agricultural and lowland flooding occur along Iowa 330 south of Albion.
  12. 17.00 ftWater threatens roads within Timmons Grove County Park as well as the bicycle path along 18th Ave in Marshalltown.
  13. 16.50 ftWater affects the underside of the primary concrete support span of Iowa 14.
  14. 16.00 ftWater affects the access road serving north portions of Timmons Grove County Park.
  15. 15.00 ftWater approaches the bridge crossing from the County Three Bridges Rd east of Marshalltown. Water affects agricultural land.
  16. 14.00 ftLowland flooding occurs north of town near Iowa 14.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
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

110 crests on NOAA’s list since 1903.

#DateStage
1July 2, 201422.25 ft
2May 30, 201322.08 ft
3June 13, 200821.79 ft
4August 17, 199320.77 ft
5June 18, 199020.38 ft
6December 15, 201520.38 ft
7March 15, 201920.32 ft
8June 24, 200720.13 ft
9May 23, 202420.00 ft
10August 30, 201519.99 ft
11June 5, 199119.97 ft
12March 19, 197919.77 ft
13June 22, 199819.66 ft
14June 23, 197419.38 ft
15July 9, 196919.37 ft
16June 28, 201019.00 ft
17July 31, 202518.67 ft
18July 4, 198318.65 ft
19March 21, 197518.42 ft
20April 28, 200918.30 ft
21June 14, 198418.29 ft
22September 27, 201818.25 ft
23June 11, 199918.22 ft
24June 23, 202018.21 ft
25May 26, 200418.18 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 31, 2025: 18.67 ft
  • May 23, 2024: 20.00 ft
  • February 28, 2023: 17.71 ft
  • June 16, 2022: 16.64 ft
  • March 7, 2021: 13.22 ft
  • June 23, 2020: 18.21 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 20.32 ft
  • September 27, 2018: 18.25 ft
  • October 1, 2016: 17.63 ft
  • December 15, 2015: 20.38 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.

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.