Rivers in Iowa

Ocheyedan River near Spencer

Clay County, IowaNWS SPOI4USGS 06605000Sioux Falls office

Below flood stage
2.27ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 3:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
8.00 ft
Record crest
17.20 ft2024

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood10.50 ft
Moderate flood9.50 ft
Minor flood8.00 ft
Action7.00 ft
  1. 17.50 ftSeveral houses or outbuildings may be flooded. The bridge on 190th Ave at the gage is overtopped.
  2. 16.50 ftThe bridge south of the Ocheyedan WMA is overtopped.
  3. 15.00 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge on 190th Ave at the gage location and may begin to flood some of the low spots on the road north of the bridge. A couple structures are also in danger of flooding.
  4. 12.50 ftWater reaches the bottom of the bridge north of the Ocheyedan WMA and 360th St may begin to flood.
  5. 11.00 ftThe parking lot at the Riverton Wildlife area near the gage begins to flood.
  6. 10.50 ftSignificant amounts of agricultural land are flooded and some county roads may begin to flood.
  7. 9.50 ftAdditional pasture and agricultural land begins to flood.
  8. 8.00 ftMinor flooding of pasture and agricultural land begins.
  9. 7.00 ftMinor flooding of some ditches begins.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding8%
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

50 crests on NOAA’s list since 1953.

#DateStage
1June 22, 202417.20 ft
2June 18, 195312.89 ft
3September 21, 201812.77 ft
4March 15, 201912.73 ft
5June 21, 201812.70 ft
6August 11, 201011.72 ft
7July 15, 201111.51 ft
8June 19, 201411.48 ft
9March 14, 200711.36 ft
10July 1, 199311.28 ft
11June 15, 200111.23 ft
12June 24, 199410.70 ft
13June 21, 198310.49 ft
14June 22, 198410.15 ft
15May 27, 20139.86 ft
16May 1, 20169.73 ft
17March 19, 19869.73 ft
18May 2, 20069.72 ft
19July 10, 19829.68 ft
20February 12, 20099.63 ft
21April 24, 19859.60 ft
22May 11, 19799.54 ft
23September 23, 20049.47 ft
24May 16, 20059.47 ft
25March 22, 19979.45 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 31, 2025: 6.06 ft
  • June 22, 2024: 17.20 ft
  • April 3, 2023: 6.70 ft
  • May 31, 2022: 6.46 ft
  • April 9, 2021: 3.05 ft
  • May 27, 2020: 8.57 ft
  • March 15, 2019: 12.73 ft
  • September 21, 2018: 12.77 ft
  • June 21, 2018: 12.70 ft
  • May 22, 2017: 9.15 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.