Iowa River at Columbus Junction, IA

Louisa County, Iowa · USGS gauge 05465100 · NWS CJTI4 · Iowa River flood status · Iowa river levels

Is Iowa River at Columbus Junction, IA flooding right now?

Iowa River at Columbus Junction, IA measured 11.33 ft on 2026-09-11 01:00:00 UTC. That observation was 11.7 ft below its 23 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
11.33 ft
as of 70 min ago
Streamflow
7,330 cfs
data refreshed 8 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 23 ft, with major flooding at 26.5 ft. The highest crest on record was 32.3 ft on Sun, Jun 15, 2008.

Streamflow outlook

NOAA National Water Model forecast, issued 14 hours ago. The NWM models discharge for every river reach in the country, including the many gauges the National Weather Service does not forecast individually. It is a model, not an official NWS river forecast, and it predicts flow rather than water level.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action19 ft7.7 ft below
Minor flood23 ft11.7 ft below
Moderate flood25 ft13.7 ft below
Major flood26.5 ft15.2 ft below

New to these numbers? What does flood stage mean? · How to read a river gauge · Why is the river rising?

Highest crests on record

StageDate
32.3 ft2008-06-15
28.3 ft1993-07-07
27.67 ft2014-07-03
25.82 ft2013-04-19
25.29 ft2016-09-30

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 10.24–11.33 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Cedar River near Conesville, IA9.5 miMuscatine County
Iowa River at Wapello, IA11.0 miLouisa County
Iowa River near Lone Tree, IA12.1 miLouisa County
Iowa River at Oakville, IA19.0 miLouisa County
Edwards River near New Boston, IL20.7 miMercer County
Provisional data: Real-time readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS — sensors can be affected by ice, debris, or equipment malfunction. Do not rely on this site for decisions involving personal safety; follow official guidance from the National Weather Service and local authorities.

Sources: USGS monitoring location · NWS gauge & forecast