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Des Moines River at Fort Dodge

Highest listed crest 20.28 ftFlood stage 10.5 ft104 crests since 1905

The Des Moines River at Fort Dodge crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 104 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1905 to 2025. The highest, 20.28 ft on June 23, 1947, was major flooding, 9.78 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Des Moines River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.28 ft
June 23, 1947; 34,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.5 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
4
52nd of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 27, 2024
17.12 ft, major flooding
Location
Webster County
Near Fort Dodge (1.4 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Des Moines River at Fort Dodge
Action stage9.025Aug 1, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.534Mar 20, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.03Jun 27, 2010Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.04Jun 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

104 crests from 1905 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Moines River at Fort Dodge, 1905 to 2025 510152025ft Flood stage 10.5 ftMajor 17.0 ft May 17, 1905: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 6,460 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1906: 8.56 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1914: 8.06 ft, below flood stage; 6,530 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1915: 14.66 ft, minor flooding; 18,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1916: 10.86 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1917: 13.56 ft, minor flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1918: 10.76 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1919: 9.86 ft, action stage; 10,200 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1920: 12.04 ft, minor flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1921: 7.86 ft, below flood stage; 6,600 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1922: 8.16 ft, below flood stage; 7,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1923: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1924: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1925: 8.26 ft, below flood stage; 4,200 cubic feet per secondSep 21, 1926: 5.69 ft, below flood stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1927: 9.11 ft, action stage; 8,870 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1947: 20.28 ft, major flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1948: 10.55 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1949: 9.08 ft, action stage; 9,250 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1950: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 6,850 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1951: 12.79 ft, minor flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1952: 9.41 ft, action stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1953: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 8,850 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1954: 19.94 ft, major flooding; 35,400 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1955: 6.96 ft, below flood stage; 6,840 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1956: 5.63 ft, below flood stage; 3,400 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1957: 6.08 ft, below flood stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1958: 8.63 ft, below flood stage; 7,450 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1959: 9.83 ft, action stage; 9,680 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1960: 11.94 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1961: 13.49 ft, minor flooding; 20,500 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1962: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1963: 7.66 ft, below flood stage; 7,000 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1964: 9.33 ft, action stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1965: 18.45 ft, major flooding; 35,600 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1966: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 5,490 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 10.13 ft, action stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1968: 5.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1969: 13.49 ft, minor flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1970: 9.43 ft, action stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1971: 10.89 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1971: 9.90 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1972: 8.12 ft, below flood stage; 8,270 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1973: 9.99 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1974: 8.16 ft, below flood stage; 8,490 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1975: 9.71 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1976: 5.63 ft, below flood stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1977: 6.07 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1978: 8.63 ft, below flood stage; 9,160 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1979: 13.35 ft, minor flooding; 22,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 9.98 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1981: 9.98 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1982: 10.51 ft, minor floodingJul 10, 1982: 8.69 ft, below flood stage; 9,920 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1983: 12.42 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1984: 15.60 ft, minor flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1985: 7.92 ft, below flood stage; 8,030 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1986: 10.14 ft, action stage; 13,600 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 1986: 9.40 ft, action stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1988: 6.31 ft, below flood stage; 4,130 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1989: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 3,130 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1990: 10.49 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1991: 13.90 ft, minor flooding; 23,600 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1992: 9.27 ft, action stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 16.47 ft, moderate flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1994: 13.65 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 1994: 12.17 ft, minor flooding; 18,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1995: 8.75 ft, below flood stageMay 30, 1995: 8.89 ft, below flood stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1996: 8.76 ft, below flood stage; 9,820 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 11.02 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1997: 9.02 ft, action stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1998: 9.03 ft, action stage; 10,900 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 10.36 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2000: 8.04 ft, below flood stage; 8,700 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2001: 13.19 ft, minor flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 6.32 ft, below flood stage; 4,440 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2003: 9.78 ft, action stage; 13,100 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 10.71 ft, minor flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2005: 13.27 ft, minor flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2007: 15.17 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2008: 16.39 ft, moderate flooding; 34,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2009: 12.06 ft, minor flooding; 6,100 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2010: 16.83 ft, moderate flooding; 36,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2011: 12.25 ft, minor floodingJun 27, 2011: 11.20 ft, minor flooding; 19,600 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2012: 6.42 ft, below flood stage; 5,200 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2013: 11.92 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2014: 15.31 ft, minor flooding; 30,800 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2015: 7.75 ft, below flood stage; 8,510 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2015: 10.99 ft, minor flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2016: 10.21 ft, action stageMay 22, 2017: 9.68 ft, action stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2018: 14.61 ft, minor floodingSep 23, 2018: 14.14 ft, minor flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 15.27 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2019: 15.04 ft, minor flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2020: 9.30 ft, action stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2021: 5.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2022: 8.58 ft, below flood stage; 4,850 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2023: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2024: 17.12 ft, major flooding; 31,700 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2025: 9.88 ft, action stage; 14,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.28 ft, Jun 23, 1947 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Moines River at Fort Dodge 1900s: 0 1910s: 4 1920s: 1 1930s: 0 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 5 1970s: 2 1980s: 3 1990s: 5 2000s: 6 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 1 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 104 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Des Moines River at Fort Dodge
1Jun 23, 194720.28+9.78Major34,000
2Jun 21, 195419.94+9.44Major35,400
3Apr 8, 196518.45+7.95Major35,600
4Jun 27, 202417.12+6.62Major31,700
5Jun 27, 201016.83+6.33Moderate36,800
6Apr 1, 199316.47+5.97Moderate31,200
7Jun 8, 200816.39+5.89Moderate34,400
8Jun 19, 198415.60+5.10Minor27,700
9Jun 19, 201415.31+4.81Minor30,800
10Mar 14, 201915.27+4.77Minor—
11Aug 22, 200715.17+4.67Minor29,400
12Mar 20, 201915.04+4.54Minor31,600
13May 30, 191514.66+4.16Minor18,500
14Mar 5, 201814.61+4.11Minor—
15Sep 23, 201814.14+3.64Minor25,300
16Apr 1, 196214.00+3.50Minor21,800
17May 18, 199113.90+3.40Minor23,600
18Mar 5, 199413.65+3.15Minor—
19Mar 22, 191713.56+3.06Minor17,100
20Mar 28, 196113.49+2.99Minor20,500
21Apr 15, 196913.49+2.99Minor23,000
22Aug 25, 197913.35+2.85Minor22,200
23Jun 26, 200513.27+2.77Minor23,700
24May 4, 200113.19+2.69Minor23,400
25Apr 8, 195112.79+2.29Minor22,300
26Jul 3, 198312.42+1.92Minor19,600
27Feb 19, 201112.25+1.75Minor—
28Jun 25, 199412.17+1.67Minor18,800
29Feb 11, 200912.06+1.56Minor6,100
30Jul 9, 192012.04+1.54Minor14,200
31Mar 29, 196011.94+1.44Minor16,200
32May 28, 201311.92+1.42Minor21,500
33Jun 27, 201111.20+0.70Minor19,600
34Feb 21, 199711.02+0.52Minor—
35Dec 16, 201510.99+0.49Minor17,100
36Feb 19, 197110.89+0.39Minor—
37Mar 29, 191610.86+0.36Minor11,900
38Jun 4, 191810.76+0.26Minor11,400
39May 24, 200410.71+0.21Minor15,000
40Feb 27, 194810.55+0.05Minor13,000
41Feb 23, 198210.51+0.01Minor—
42Jun 19, 199010.49−0.01Action14,300
43Apr 23, 199910.36−0.14Action14,000
44Dec 18, 201610.21−0.29Action—
45Mar 20, 198610.14−0.36Action13,600
46Jun 16, 196710.13−0.37Action12,600
47Mar 14, 19739.99−0.51Action13,000
48Jun 15, 19809.98−0.52Action12,900
49Jun 24, 19819.98−0.52Action13,200
50Mar 15, 19719.90−0.60Action12,700

The worst floods along the Des Moines River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Des Moines River that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 23, 1947: 20.28 ft here, major flooding

June 21, 1954: 19.94 ft here, major flooding

April 8, 1965: 18.45 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Des Moines River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Des Moines River
Des Moines 2nd AveIA23.031.57 ft, Jun 13, 20082
Des Moines SE 6th StIA24.035.55 ft, Jun 13, 20086
Fort Dodge this gaugeIA10.520.28 ft, Jun 23, 19474
KeosauquaIA22.032.66 ft, Jul 13, 19938
OttumwaIA13.022.15 ft, Jul 12, 19935
Red Rock ReservoirIA780.0782.67 ft, Jul 13, 19930
Saylorville ReservoirIA884.0892.03 ft, Jul 11, 19930
St. FrancisvilleIA18.032.02 ft, Jul 15, 199313
EddyvilleIA63.072.00 ft, Jul 12, 19932
StratfordIA19.028.42 ft, Jun 28, 20102
TracyIA14.026.50 ft, Jun 14, 19476

Other gauges in Webster County

Flood gauges in Webster County
Stratford19.028.42 ft, Jun 28, 20102

Webster County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Iowa

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FODI4, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.