Rivers in Iowa
Raccoon River at Van Meter
Below flood stage
7.57ftStage
Observed Sun, Sep 27, 8:17 PM CDT
- Flood stage
- 17.00 ft
- Record crest
- 26.34 ft1993
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 23.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 22.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 17.00 ft |
| Action | 15.00 ft |
- 26.00 ftWater affects the railroad line north of Van Meter.
- 23.80 ftWater is over I-80 near Van Meter.
- 23.30 ftWater reaches the bottom of the I-80 bridge near Van Meter.
- 22.70 ftWater is at the shoulder of the southbound I-35 exit to Iowa 5.
- 20.00 ftWater affects R Ave just north of the river.
- 19.00 ftFlooding of several county roads occurs.
- 17.00 ftWater threatens secondary bridges along US 6 east of Adel.
- 15.00 ftFlooding occurs in the sand and gravel quarries just south of I-80.
- 13.00 ftOverflow occurs onto much of the east bank.
- 12.00 ftWater affects agricultural land primarily along the upstream north bank.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 5% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 25, 2026.
Crest history
118 crests on NOAA’s list since 1915.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 10, 1993 | 26.34 ft |
| 2 | June 15, 1998 | 23.29 ft |
| 3 | June 25, 2015 | 23.09 ft |
| 4 | July 1, 1986 | 22.69 ft |
| 5 | June 12, 2008 | 22.67 ft |
| 6 | July 3, 1958 | 21.77 ft |
| 7 | July 4, 1973 | 21.74 ft |
| 8 | May 23, 2004 | 21.59 ft |
| 9 | June 13, 1947 | 21.40 ft |
| 10 | June 16, 1990 | 21.39 ft |
| 11 | April 2, 1960 | 21.18 ft |
| 12 | March 19, 1979 | 20.39 ft |
| 13 | April 26, 2007 | 20.24 ft |
| 14 | May 19, 1974 | 20.13 ft |
| 15 | March 14, 2019 | 20.08 ft |
| 16 | April 30, 1984 | 19.51 ft |
| 17 | June 11, 1953 | 19.42 ft |
| 18 | December 15, 2015 | 19.34 ft |
| 19 | March 31, 1951 | 19.15 ft |
| 20 | March 19, 1948 | 19.00 ft |
| 21 | September 20, 1926 | 18.96 ft |
| 22 | February 20, 1971 | 18.85 ft |
| 23 | July 3, 1983 | 18.59 ft |
| 24 | March 10, 2010 | 18.49 ft |
| 25 | June 28, 2010 | 18.43 ft |
Most recent crests
- July 30, 2025: 11.79 ft
- May 22, 2024: 13.97 ft
- February 28, 2023: 10.56 ft
- June 7, 2022: 13.09 ft
- July 12, 2021: 5.18 ft
- February 18, 2020: 13.46 ft
- October 11, 2019: 11.68 ft
- March 14, 2019: 20.08 ft
- June 25, 2018: 14.83 ft
- May 21, 2017: 13.13 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.