Rivers in Iowa

Floyd River at Sheldon

OBrien County, IowaNWS SHLI4Sioux Falls office

Below flood stage
6.00ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 12:00 PM CDT

Flood stage
12.00 ft
Record crest
19.96 ft1953

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood12.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 21.50 ftThe bridge on 300th Ave is overtopped. Water nears the feedhorn of the automated sensor and thus data may be lost.
  2. 20.50 ftN 2nd Ave and additional nearby structures may flood.
  3. 19.50 ftThe south approach to the bridge on Highway 60 begins to flood. Houses in the Hills Park area may be surrounded by water.
  4. 18.00 ftThe railroad tracks are flooded and water begins to approach the parking lots of some structures off of N 2nd Ave. The bridge on Monroe Ave may be overtopped.
  5. 16.50 ftWater approaches the railroad tracks off of N 2nd Ave and the bottom of the bridge on Monroe Ave. The highest banks and levees are overtopped and major agricultural flooding begins.
  6. 16.00 ftThe lowest portions of Monroe Ave begin to flood.
  7. 14.00 ftFlooding affects large areas of farm land within 1000 feet of the river.
  8. 13.00 ftOlive Ave may be closed due to flooding.
  9. 12.00 ftAgricultural flooding begins.
  10. 11.00 ftThe lower banks begin to overflow. Portions of the Sheldon tree dump are under 1 to 2 feet of water.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding11%
Moderate flooding10%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 26, 2026.

Crest history

33 crests on NOAA’s list since 1953.

#DateStage
1June 7, 195319.96 ft
2June 22, 202417.62 ft
3June 21, 201815.50 ft
4July 22, 201014.10 ft
5March 14, 201913.70 ft
6March 28, 196213.00 ft
7June 18, 201412.65 ft
8March 12, 200712.50 ft
9June 12, 198412.50 ft
10June 23, 199412.25 ft
11June 20, 198312.20 ft
12March 11, 199711.80 ft
13March 27, 199311.72 ft
14March 18, 198611.15 ft
15June 22, 198410.90 ft
16March 2, 198210.80 ft
17April 13, 198310.70 ft
18April 23, 198510.65 ft
19June 30, 198310.60 ft
20March 25, 198410.60 ft
21February 16, 198410.50 ft
22June 5, 198010.20 ft
23April 12, 20019.80 ft
24February 29, 19889.69 ft
25March 23, 19879.37 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 30, 2025: 8.53 ft
  • June 22, 2024: 17.62 ft
  • September 28, 2023: 7.81 ft
  • May 26, 2020: 7.79 ft
  • March 14, 2019: 13.70 ft
  • June 21, 2018: 15.50 ft
  • June 18, 2014: 12.65 ft
  • July 22, 2010: 14.10 ft
  • March 12, 2007: 12.50 ft
  • April 12, 2001: 9.80 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.