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Des Moines River near Tracy

Highest listed crest 26.50 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft110 crests since 1903

The Des Moines River near Tracy crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 110 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1903 to 2025. The highest, 26.50 ft on June 14, 1947, was major flooding, 12.50 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
26.50 ft
June 14, 1947; 155,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 23.0 ft
Crests at major
6
41st of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 6, 2019
15.18 ft, minor flooding
Location
Mahaska County
Near Pella (9.0 mi), Oskaloosa (11.4 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 near Tracy
Action stage13.015Dec 24, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.040Jun 6, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.06Jun 17, 1967Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage23.06Jun 14, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

110 crests from 1903 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Moines River near Tracy, 1903 to 2025 51015202530ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 23.0 ft May 31, 1903: 25.00 ft, major flooding; 130,000 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1920: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 32,800 cubic feet per secondSep 17, 1921: 13.30 ft, action stage; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1922: 13.40 ft, action stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1923: 13.30 ft, action stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1924: 16.50 ft, minor flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1925: 8.70 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1926: 16.30 ft, minor flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1927: 15.80 ft, minor flooding; 35,500 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 1928: 11.40 ft, below flood stage; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1929: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1930: 16.40 ft, minor flooding; 33,500 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1931: 9.00 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1931: 16.50 ft, minor flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1933: 16.70 ft, minor flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1934: 5.50 ft, below flood stage; 4,950 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1935: 20.20 ft, moderate flooding; 54,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1936: 14.20 ft, minor flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1937: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1938: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1939: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondAug 15, 1940: 9.30 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1941: 13.80 ft, action stage; 21,500 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 1941: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1943: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1944: 21.60 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1945: 18.80 ft, minor flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1946: 18.80 ft, minor flooding; 40,700 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1947: 26.50 ft, major flooding; 155,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1948: 20.10 ft, moderate flooding; 59,700 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1949: 15.40 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1950: 16.00 ft, minor flooding; 31,700 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1951: 19.81 ft, minor flooding; 56,300 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1952: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 38,400 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1953: 16.19 ft, minor flooding; 27,700 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1954: 22.14 ft, moderate flooding; 69,900 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1955: 10.63 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 20, 1956: 5.80 ft, below flood stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1957: 13.58 ft, action stage; 24,100 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1958: 16.98 ft, minor flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1959: 17.92 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1960: 23.00 ft, major flooding; 75,500 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1961: 18.12 ft, minor flooding; 38,200 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1962: 20.69 ft, moderate flooding; 50,600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1963: 16.00 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1963: 13.87 ft, action stage; 22,100 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1964: 15.63 ft, minor flooding; 27,600 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1965: 23.17 ft, major flooding; 77,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1966: 17.24 ft, minor flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1967: 20.38 ft, moderate flooding; 47,400 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1968: 11.07 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1969: 15.87 ft, minor floodingMay 20, 1970: 12.29 ft, below flood stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1971: 15.62 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1972: 11.94 ft, below flood stage; 17,400 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1973: 15.69 ft, minor flooding; 28,900 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1974: 13.40 ft, action stage; 22,600 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1975: 14.11 ft, minor flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1976: 12.69 ft, below flood stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 1977: 10.03 ft, below flood stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1978: 14.22 ft, minor flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1979: 15.34 ft, minor flooding; 28,600 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1980: 10.64 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1981: 11.44 ft, below flood stage; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1982: 19.62 ft, minor flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1983: 15.57 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1984: 18.11 ft, minor flooding; 42,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 11.80 ft, below flood stage; 19,400 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1986: 13.69 ft, action stage; 26,300 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1987: 13.45 ft, action stage; 25,500 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1987: 7.18 ft, below flood stage; 8,670 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1989: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1990: 12.98 ft, below flood stage; 23,900 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1991: 15.76 ft, minor flooding; 35,200 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1992: 13.22 ft, action stage; 28,100 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1993: 24.16 ft, major flooding; 109,000 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1993: 13.49 ft, action stageMar 9, 1994: 10.90 ft, below flood stage; 20,500 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1995: 12.15 ft, below flood stage; 24,900 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1996: 11.59 ft, below flood stage; 24,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1997: 11.98 ft, below flood stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1998: 13.57 ft, action stage; 31,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1999: 14.27 ft, minor flooding; 35,200 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2000: 8.97 ft, below flood stage; 17,300 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2001: 12.84 ft, below flood stage; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2002: 8.95 ft, below flood stage; 17,100 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2003: 9.62 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2004: 10.89 ft, below flood stageApr 13, 2005: 10.21 ft, below flood stage; 21,700 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 2006: 9.45 ft, below flood stage; 19,300 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2007: 12.87 ft, below flood stage; 30,900 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 23.70 ft, major flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2009: 11.78 ft, below flood stage; 27,500 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2010: 19.21 ft, minor flooding; 58,900 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2011: 13.27 ft, action stage; 33,500 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2012: 9.92 ft, below flood stage; 22,000 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 11.00 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2013: 10.92 ft, below flood stage; 25,400 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2014: 10.23 ft, below flood stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2015: 13.20 ft, action stage; 35,300 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2015: 13.01 ft, action stage; 34,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2017: 11.27 ft, below flood stage; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2018: 9.76 ft, below flood stage; 23,800 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2019: 15.18 ft, minor flooding; 47,700 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2020: 10.66 ft, below flood stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2021: 7.39 ft, below flood stage; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2022: 8.73 ft, below flood stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2023: 10.35 ft, below flood stage; 26,600 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2024: 10.76 ft, below flood stage; 27,000 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2025: 9.92 ft, below flood stage; 25,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.50 ft, Jun 14, 1947 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Moines River near Tracy 1900s: 1 1910s: 0 1920s: 5 1930s: 8 1940s: 8 1950s: 7 1960s: 9 9 1970s: 5 1980s: 3 1990s: 3 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 110 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Des Moines River near Tracy
1Jun 14, 194726.50+12.50Major155,000
2May 31, 190325.00+11.00Major130,000
3Jul 12, 199324.16+10.16Major109,000
4Jun 14, 200823.70+9.70Major104,000
5Apr 11, 196523.17+9.17Major77,300
6Apr 4, 196023.00+9.00Major75,500
7Jun 27, 195422.14+8.14Moderate69,900
8May 23, 194421.60+7.60Moderate75,000
9Apr 5, 196220.69+6.69Moderate50,600
10Jun 17, 196720.38+6.38Moderate47,400
11Jun 28, 193520.20+6.20Moderate54,600
12Mar 22, 194820.10+6.10Moderate59,700
13Apr 2, 195119.81+5.81Minor56,300
14Jul 16, 198219.62+5.62Minor35,000
15Aug 10, 201019.21+5.21Minor58,900
16Apr 18, 194518.80+4.80Minor41,400
17Jan 6, 194618.80+4.80Minor40,700
18Mar 16, 192918.60+4.60Minor45,500
19Apr 2, 196118.12+4.12Minor38,200
20Jun 27, 198418.11+4.11Minor42,600
21May 31, 195917.92+3.92Minor38,900
22Mar 5, 193717.90+3.90Minor38,900
23Mar 13, 193917.50+3.50Minor36,600
24Jun 22, 195217.40+3.40Minor38,400
25Jun 15, 196617.24+3.24Minor33,800
26Jul 7, 195816.98+2.98Minor33,100
27Apr 7, 193316.70+2.70Minor35,000
28Jun 27, 192416.50+2.50Minor38,200
29Nov 26, 193116.50+2.50Minor34,000
30Jun 17, 193016.40+2.40Minor33,500
31Sep 24, 192616.30+2.30Minor37,500
32Jun 14, 195316.19+2.19Minor27,700
33Mar 1, 195016.00+2.00Minor31,700
34Mar 5, 196316.00+2.00Minor—
35Apr 11, 196915.87+1.87Minor—
36Apr 20, 192715.80+1.80Minor35,500
37Jun 21, 199115.76+1.76Minor35,200
38Nov 2, 194115.70+1.70Minor28,000
39May 17, 194315.70+1.70Minor28,000
40May 7, 197315.69+1.69Minor28,900
41Jun 24, 196415.63+1.63Minor27,600
42Feb 26, 197115.62+1.62Minor28,100
43Apr 13, 198315.57+1.57Minor29,300
44Mar 9, 194915.40+1.40Minor29,300
45Apr 16, 197915.34+1.34Minor28,600
46Sep 23, 193815.20+1.20Minor26,200
47Jun 6, 201915.18+1.18Minor47,700
48May 14, 192015.00+1.00Minor32,800
49Apr 28, 199914.27+0.27Minor35,200
50Mar 25, 197814.22+0.22Minor25,300

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 14, 1947: 26.50 ft here, major flooding

May 31, 1903: 25.00 ft here, major flooding

July 12, 1993: 24.16 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 DodgeIA10.520.28 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
Tracy this gaugeIA14.026.50 ft, Jun 14, 19476

Other gauges in Mahaska County

Flood gauges in Mahaska County
Oskaloosa24.526.40 ft, Aug 16, 20100

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TRCI4, 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.