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Des Moines River at Keosauqua

Highest listed crest 32.66 ftFlood stage 22.0 ft58 crests since 1904

The Des Moines River at Keosauqua crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 58 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1904 to 2020. The highest, 32.66 ft on July 13, 1993, was major flooding, 10.66 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Des Moines River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 5 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.66 ft
July 13, 1993; 111,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
22.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.0 ft
Crests at major
8
33rd of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
May 29, 2019
27.88 ft, major flooding
Location
Van Buren County
Iowa

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 Keosauqua
Action stage21.07Apr 6, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)22.016Dec 14, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.04Jun 15, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.08May 29, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

58 crests from 1904 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Moines River at Keosauqua, 1904 to 2020 010203040ft Flood stage 22.0 ftMajor 27.0 ft Apr 26, 1904: 13.40 ft, below flood stage; 44,200 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1959: 9.58 ft, below flood stage; 29,900 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1963: 7.97 ft, below flood stage; 23,500 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1973: 28.02 ft, major flooding; 72,200 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1974: 24.79 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 1974: 21.51 ft, action stage; 38,500 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1975: 18.51 ft, below flood stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1976: 27.23 ft, major flooding; 67,900 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1977: 16.68 ft, below flood stage; 18,800 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1978: 21.94 ft, action stage; 40,600 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1979: 22.39 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1979: 21.49 ft, action stage; 38,500 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 22.07 ft, minor flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1981: 22.74 ft, minor flooding; 44,800 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 1982: 27.14 ft, major flooding; 67,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1983: 20.90 ft, below flood stage; 35,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 24.65 ft, minor floodingJun 27, 1984: 23.13 ft, minor flooding; 46,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1985: 22.83 ft, minor floodingMar 4, 1985: 18.95 ft, below flood stage; 27,200 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1986: 26.39 ft, moderate flooding; 63,900 cubic feet per secondOct 26, 1986: 20.90 ft, below flood stage; 36,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1988: 18.06 ft, below flood stageSep 9, 1989: 15.75 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1990: 22.85 ft, minor flooding; 48,500 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1991: 23.26 ft, minor flooding; 47,600 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1992: 21.09 ft, action stage; 36,700 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1993: 32.66 ft, major flooding; 111,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1993: 18.97 ft, below flood stageMar 10, 1994: 17.00 ft, below flood stage; 22,100 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1995: 22.99 ft, minor flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1996: 24.21 ft, minor flooding; 56,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1997: 20.98 ft, below flood stageApr 16, 1997: 19.69 ft, below flood stage; 34,100 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1998: 23.54 ft, minor flooding; 51,700 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1999: 21.40 ft, action stage; 41,400 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2000: 23.07 ft, minor flooding; 49,400 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2001: 23.51 ft, minor flooding; 51,600 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 19.92 ft, below flood stage; 35,500 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2003: 16.74 ft, below flood stage; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2004: 19.99 ft, below flood stage; 35,700 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2005: 17.86 ft, below flood stage; 27,600 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2006: 15.92 ft, below flood stage; 19,600 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 25.97 ft, moderate flooding; 73,200 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2008: 30.49 ft, major flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2009: 20.10 ft, below flood stage; 42,200 cubic feet per secondAug 12, 2010: 28.18 ft, major flooding; 90,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2011: 25.81 ft, moderate flooding; 63,007 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2011: 25.11 ft, moderate flooding; 69,900 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2012: 16.48 ft, below flood stage; 22,500 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 27.12 ft, major flooding; 82,600 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2014: 21.60 ft, action stage; 48,000 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2015: 23.22 ft, minor flooding; 57,500 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2015: 22.81 ft, minor flooding; 55,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2017: 21.29 ft, action stage; 46,200 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 2018: 19.11 ft, below flood stage; 35,000 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2019: 27.88 ft, major flooding; 91,400 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2020: 19.63 ft, below flood stage; 37,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.66 ft, Jul 13, 1993 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Moines River at Keosauqua 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 4 1980s: 7 7 1990s: 6 2000s: 4 2010s: 7 2020s: 0 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.
  3. 68 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 24.00 ft on Jun 1, 1851; 27.85 ft on Jun 1, 1903; 23.80 ft on Jun 10, 1905; 11.40 ft on Feb 25, 1906; 16.70 ft on Apr 4, 1912; 9.30 ft on May 21, 1913; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 58 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Des Moines River at Keosauqua
1Jul 13, 199332.66+10.66Major111,000
2Jun 16, 200830.49+8.49Major106,000
3Aug 12, 201028.18+6.18Major90,200
4Apr 21, 197328.02+6.02Major72,200
5May 29, 201927.88+5.88Major91,400
6Apr 24, 197627.23+5.23Major67,900
7Jul 17, 198227.14+5.14Major67,900
8Apr 18, 201327.12+5.12Major82,600
9May 17, 198626.39+4.39Moderate63,900
10Aug 24, 200725.97+3.97Moderate73,200
11Feb 17, 201125.81+3.81Moderate63,007
12Jun 15, 201125.11+3.11Moderate69,900
13Jan 21, 197424.79+2.79Minor—
14Feb 15, 198424.65+2.65Minor—
15May 27, 199624.21+2.21Minor56,000
16Jul 6, 199823.54+1.54Minor51,700
17Mar 15, 200123.51+1.51Minor51,600
18Apr 19, 199123.26+1.26Minor47,600
19Jun 26, 201523.22+1.22Minor57,500
20Jun 27, 198423.13+1.13Minor46,600
21Jun 24, 200023.07+1.07Minor49,400
22May 24, 199522.99+0.99Minor48,900
23Jun 17, 199022.85+0.85Minor48,500
24Feb 22, 198522.83+0.83Minor—
25Dec 14, 201522.81+0.81Minor55,000
26Jul 4, 198122.74+0.74Minor44,800
27Mar 9, 197922.39+0.39Minor—
28Jun 15, 198022.07+0.07Minor41,200
29May 13, 197821.94−0.06Action40,600
30Sep 10, 201421.60−0.40Action48,000
31May 20, 197421.51−0.49Action38,500
32Apr 20, 197921.49−0.51Action38,500
33Apr 16, 199921.40−0.60Action41,400
34Apr 6, 201721.29−0.71Action46,200
35Apr 21, 199221.09−0.91Action36,700
36Feb 19, 199720.98−1.02Below flood stage—
37Apr 4, 198320.90−1.10Below flood stage35,600
38Oct 26, 198620.90−1.10Below flood stage36,100
39May 16, 200920.10−1.90Below flood stage42,200
40May 30, 200419.99−2.01Below flood stage35,700
41May 12, 200219.92−2.08Below flood stage35,500
42Apr 16, 199719.69−2.31Below flood stage34,100
43Jun 10, 202019.63−2.37Below flood stage37,500
44Sep 6, 201819.11−2.89Below flood stage35,000
45Oct 1, 199318.97−3.03Below flood stage—
46Mar 4, 198518.95−3.05Below flood stage27,200
47Mar 24, 197518.51−3.49Below flood stage25,500
48Feb 23, 198818.06−3.94Below flood stage—
49Apr 13, 200517.86−4.14Below flood stage27,600
50Mar 10, 199417.00−5.00Below flood stage22,100

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.

July 13, 1993: 32.66 ft here, major flooding

June 16, 2008: 30.49 ft here, major flooding

August 12, 2010: 28.18 ft here, major flooding

  • OttumwaIA · Aug 11, 2010 · 20.04 ft · Major
  • EddyvilleIA · Aug 11, 2010 · 68.68 ft · Moderate
  • TracyIA · Aug 10, 2010 · 19.21 ft · Minor

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 DodgeIA10.520.28 ft, Jun 23, 19474
Keosauqua this gaugeIA22.032.66 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

Van Buren County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Iowa

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge KEQI4, 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.