Rivers in Wisconsin

Kickapoo River at Viola

Vernon County, WisconsinNWS VIOW3La Crosse office

Below flood stage
11.30ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 9:30 AM CDT

Flood stage
14.00 ft
Forecast crest
13.00 ftSun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM CDT
Record crest
23.72 ft2018

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood16.00 ft
Minor flood14.00 ft
Action12.00 ft
  1. 20.00 ftWater reaches the underside of the bridge, and the bridge begins to act as a dam holding back water.
  2. 19.00 ftWater goes over Main Street in Viola. There is a potential for serious damage in town.
  3. 18.00 ftBuildings in Viola begin to flood.
  4. 17.00 ftWater is flowing over Highway 56 east of Viola.
  5. 16.50 ftHighway 56 just east of Viola is closed due to flooding.
  6. 16.00 ftWater begins going over Highway 131/56 in Viola.
  7. 15.00 ftBanker Park and Campground in Viola experiences significant flooding.
  8. 14.50 ftTwo roads north of Viola may be under water. Water may be over Highway 131, 3 miles north of Viola, near Ski Hill Road, and also over Simmons Flat Road about a mile north of town.
  9. 14.00 ftMinor flooding occurs in areas near the river, including Banker Park in Viola. Flooding also affects low lying agricultural land.

Flood outlook

Significant river flooding is possible here through September 25.

Weather conditions indicate that significant flooding could occur; it is neither certain nor imminent.

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding7%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The five-day outlook is from the Weather Prediction Center with the River Forecast Centers. The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

26 crests on NOAA’s list since 1978.

#DateStage
1August 29, 201823.72 ft
2June 9, 200821.25 ft
3July 1, 197821.00 ft
4July 21, 201720.25 ft
5September 22, 201619.32 ft
6August 20, 200718.20 ft
7August 14, 201017.25 ft
8July 20, 201917.20 ft
9April 5, 202617.18 ft
10March 15, 200716.21 ft
11April 12, 200116.10 ft
12July 4, 202615.88 ft
13July 16, 202415.46 ft
14March 7, 200415.34 ft
15June 2, 200015.30 ft
16March 24, 201115.24 ft
17April 11, 201315.05 ft
18June 1, 200414.89 ft
19June 13, 200414.80 ft
20March 3, 200414.68 ft
21April 15, 201414.60 ft
22October 3, 201914.40 ft
23March 29, 201414.33 ft
24September 25, 201014.33 ft
25May 29, 201914.30 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 4, 2026: 15.88 ft
  • April 5, 2026: 17.18 ft
  • July 16, 2024: 15.46 ft
  • October 4, 2019: 12.13 ft
  • October 3, 2019: 14.40 ft
  • July 20, 2019: 17.20 ft
  • May 29, 2019: 14.30 ft
  • August 29, 2018: 23.72 ft
  • July 21, 2017: 20.25 ft
  • September 22, 2016: 19.32 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 24 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 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.