Rivers in Iowa

Floyd River at James

Plymouth County, IowaNWS JMEI4USGS 06600500Sioux Falls office

Below flood stage
8.52ftStage

Observed Mon, Sep 21, 11:00 PM CDT

Flood stage
26.00 ft
Record crest
32.39 ft2024

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood34.00 ft
Moderate flood30.00 ft
Minor flood26.00 ft
Action24.00 ft
  1. 38.00 ftThe levees in and around Sioux City downstream of the gage begin to be overtopped. The bridge at the gauge location on CR 70 is overtopped.
  2. 36.00 ftFlooding begins to affect the town of James.
  3. 35.50 ftThe railroad tracks in Sioux City should be closed.
  4. 34.50 ftApproximately 3700 acres of farm land are flooded.
  5. 34.00 ftThe northbound lane of Highway 75 is flooded, and the railroad company begins to shut down operations.
  6. 32.00 ftWater approaches the railroad tracks and may overtop them in some locations.
  7. 31.50 ftThe lowest portions of County Highway C70 begin to flood. Flooding begins to affect the farm levees, and about 3200 acres of farm land are flooded.
  8. 30.00 ftOutbuildings near the gauge location may begin to flood.
  9. 28.50 ftApproximately 2100 acres of farm land are flooded.
  10. 27.50 ftApproximately 1500 acres of farm land are flooded.
  11. 26.00 ftFlooding begins to affect the low lying agricultural lands.
  12. 24.00 ftThe lowest banks are overtopped with minor lowland flooding.
  13. 18.00 ftThe Floyd River levee gates in Sioux City begin closing.

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 26, 2026.

Crest history

90 crests on NOAA’s list since 1935.

#DateStage
1June 23, 202432.39 ft
2March 15, 201931.48 ft
3June 21, 198328.85 ft
4March 23, 197928.19 ft
5February 19, 197128.13 ft
6September 22, 201827.70 ft
7May 28, 201327.59 ft
8June 22, 199625.35 ft
9June 8, 195325.30 ft
10June 17, 201423.15 ft
11April 23, 198522.84 ft
12March 29, 196222.41 ft
13March 29, 199322.34 ft
14March 20, 197821.94 ft
15March 29, 196021.93 ft
16April 5, 196921.54 ft
17March 18, 198621.34 ft
18June 21, 198421.18 ft
19February 19, 199421.00 ft
20May 19, 199020.70 ft
21March 12, 199720.69 ft
22March 4, 197320.46 ft
23March 31, 195220.32 ft
24March 16, 201020.27 ft
25April 2, 196520.20 ft

Most recent crests

  • August 1, 2025: 17.24 ft
  • June 23, 2024: 32.39 ft
  • February 27, 2023: 13.73 ft
  • April 10, 2021: 9.13 ft
  • December 30, 2019: 13.18 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 31.48 ft
  • September 22, 2018: 27.70 ft
  • February 14, 2017: 14.53 ft
  • June 18, 2016: 16.31 ft
  • August 17, 2015: 13.89 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Missouri Basin 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 48 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 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Gauge reading may be affected by ice.

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.