Iowa River at County Highway E49 near Tama, IA

Tama County, Iowa · USGS gauge 05451770 · NWS TMAI4 · Iowa River flood status · Iowa river levels

Is Iowa River at County Highway E49 near Tama, IA flooding right now?

Iowa River at County Highway E49 near Tama, IA measured 1.98 ft on 2026-09-11 01:00:00 UTC. That observation was 10.5 ft below its 12.5 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
1.98 ft
as of 71 min ago
Streamflow
394 cfs
data refreshed 10 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 12.5 ft, with major flooding at 14 ft. The highest crest on record was 15.2 ft on Tue, May 28, 2013.

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
Action11 ft9.0 ft below
Minor flood12.5 ft10.5 ft below
Moderate flood13 ft11.0 ft below
Major flood14 ft12.0 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
15.2 ft2013-05-28
15.08 ft2014-07-03
14.08 ft2015-12-16
13.95 ft2019-03-16
13.69 ft2024-05-24

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 1.79–2.34 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Richland Creek near Haven, IA9.4 miTama County
Timber Creek near Marshalltown, IA11.5 miMarshall County
Iowa River at Marshalltown, IA15.6 miMarshall County
Walnut Creek near Hartwick, IA15.6 miPoweshiek County
Salt Creek near Elberon, IA16.6 miTama 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