Rivers in Iowa
Iowa River at Marengo
Action stage
14.66ftStage
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 2:00 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 15.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 14.60 ftTue, Sep 22, 7:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 21.38 ft2008
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 19.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 17.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 15.00 ft |
| Action | 13.00 ft |
- 24.50 ftWater reaches the top of the levee at the invert at Highway V66.
- 23.70 ftWater reaches the top of the levee invert on the west side of Marengo.
- 22.00 ftWater approaches the top of the levee on the south bank at Marengo.
- 20.90 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Highway V66 bridge.
- 19.50 ftWater affects the Whirlpool Corporation parking lot and southeast exterior of the plant in Middle Amana.
- 19.00 ftHomes west of Marengo are affected by floodwaters. Significant flooding of agricultural land.
- 18.00 ftWater breaches the mill race dikes near Middle Amana.
- 17.00 ftExtensive inundation of agricultural land.
- 16.00 ftWater affects agricultural land along the river. Water is several feet deep in places.
- 15.00 ftWater reaches the bottom of the levee surrounding Marengo. Water affects low lying agricultural land along the river
- 14.00 ftLow lying agricultural land and pastureland along the river upstream of Marengo is affected.
- 11.00 ftWater affects the lowest agricultural land along the river.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 22% |
| Moderate flooding | 9% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.
Crest history
81 crests on NOAA’s list since 1947.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 12, 2008 | 21.38 ft |
| 2 | May 31, 2013 | 20.36 ft |
| 3 | July 19, 1993 | 20.31 ft |
| 4 | July 12, 1993 | 20.26 ft |
| 5 | July 2, 2014 | 19.96 ft |
| 6 | July 12, 1969 | 19.79 ft |
| 7 | August 19, 1993 | 19.57 ft |
| 8 | March 19, 1979 | 19.40 ft |
| 9 | March 31, 1960 | 19.21 ft |
| 10 | September 6, 2018 | 19.14 ft |
| 11 | June 30, 1998 | 18.92 ft |
| 12 | March 17, 2019 | 18.83 ft |
| 13 | May 19, 1974 | 18.82 ft |
| 14 | March 24, 1975 | 18.82 ft |
| 15 | October 10, 2018 | 18.76 ft |
| 16 | March 13, 1980 | 18.74 ft |
| 17 | June 21, 1990 | 18.68 ft |
| 18 | May 29, 2019 | 18.44 ft |
| 19 | December 18, 2015 | 18.31 ft |
| 20 | February 27, 1971 | 18.27 ft |
| 21 | June 8, 1991 | 18.25 ft |
| 22 | June 16, 1947 | 18.20 ft |
| 23 | July 3, 1983 | 18.19 ft |
| 24 | April 30, 2007 | 18.17 ft |
| 25 | June 18, 1984 | 18.17 ft |
Most recent crests
- May 26, 2024: 18.16 ft
- June 25, 2020: 17.93 ft
- June 11, 2020: 17.59 ft
- May 29, 2019: 18.44 ft
- March 17, 2019: 18.83 ft
- October 10, 2018: 18.76 ft
- September 6, 2018: 19.14 ft
- January 20, 2017: 17.95 ft
- October 4, 2016: 16.90 ft
- December 18, 2015: 18.31 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 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.