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East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City

Highest listed crest 23.35 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft76 crests since 1955

The East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City crested above flood stage 7 times among the 76 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1955 to 2025. The highest, 23.35 ft on April 1, 1993, was minor flooding, 3.35 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the East Fork Des Moines River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
23.35 ft
April 1, 1993; 16,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
0
7 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 2024
21.65 ft, minor flooding
Location
Humboldt County
Near Fort Dodge (14.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City
Action stage18.07Mar 20, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.07Jun 24, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

76 crests from 1955 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City, 1955 to 2025 51015202530ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Jun 9, 1955: 11.23 ft, below flood stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1956: 9.60 ft, below flood stage; 640 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 1957: 10.31 ft, below flood stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1958: 10.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1959: 16.97 ft, below flood stage; 6,860 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1960: 17.49 ft, below flood stage; 4,300 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1961: 19.12 ft, action stage; 9,440 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1962: 20.48 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1963: 14.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1964: 14.03 ft, below flood stage; 3,780 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1965: 23.13 ft, minor flooding; 15,700 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1965: 12.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1966: 12.67 ft, below flood stageJun 15, 1967: 13.02 ft, below flood stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1968: 10.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,570 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1969: 16.21 ft, below flood stage; 5,990 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1970: 13.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,680 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1971: 16.67 ft, below flood stageJun 13, 1972: 11.28 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1973: 15.69 ft, below flood stage; 5,450 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1973: 12.71 ft, below flood stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1975: 13.98 ft, below flood stage; 3,840 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1976: 10.02 ft, below flood stage; 900 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1977: 9.20 ft, below flood stageMay 29, 1977: 8.96 ft, below flood stage; 520 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1978: 12.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 1979: 21.71 ft, minor flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 12.80 ft, below flood stage; 3,060 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1981: 18.68 ft, action stage; 9,270 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1982: 12.94 ft, below flood stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 16.87 ft, below flood stage; 7,270 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1984: 19.19 ft, action stage; 9,740 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1985: 12.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1986: 14.96 ft, below flood stage; 5,070 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1986: 11.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,440 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1988: 11.08 ft, below flood stageMay 9, 1988: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1989: 11.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1990: 11.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1991: 21.16 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1992: 15.22 ft, below flood stage; 5,330 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 23.35 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1994: 15.80 ft, below flood stage; 5,900 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1995: 13.82 ft, below flood stage; 4,000 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1996: 11.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,430 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1997: 13.95 ft, below flood stageMar 19, 1997: 13.84 ft, below flood stage; 4,020 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1998: 13.94 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1999: 16.09 ft, below flood stage; 6,210 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2000: 14.87 ft, below flood stage; 4,980 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2001: 17.57 ft, below flood stage; 8,160 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 2002: 10.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2003: 14.35 ft, below flood stage; 4,490 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2004: 16.64 ft, below flood stage; 6,790 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2005: 16.46 ft, below flood stage; 6,690 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2006: 13.36 ft, below flood stage; 4,060 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2007: 15.84 ft, below flood stage; 6,070 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 19.09 ft, action stage; 10,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2009: 12.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2010: 21.13 ft, minor flooding; 13,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2011: 15.61 ft, below flood stageJun 27, 2011: 15.14 ft, below flood stage; 5,970 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2012: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2013: 16.95 ft, below flood stage; 8,330 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2014: 19.82 ft, action stageJun 24, 2015: 12.24 ft, below flood stage; 3,010 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2016: 15.70 ft, below flood stage; 6,280 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 2016: 13.49 ft, below flood stage; 4,150 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 2018: 19.78 ft, action stage; 11,200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2019: 19.82 ft, action stage; 11,700 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2020: 13.24 ft, below flood stage; 4,080 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2021: 9.53 ft, below flood stage; 833 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2022: 10.77 ft, below flood stage; 1,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 14.69 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 2024: 21.65 ft, minor flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2025: 16.12 ft, below flood stage; 6,580 cubic feet per second Highest, 23.35 ft, Apr 1, 1993 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City 1950s: 0 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 2 2000s: 0 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 14 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 17.40 ft on Sep 1, 1938; 4.80 ft on Aug 30, 1940; 9.70 ft on Jun 15, 1941; 11.39 ft on Nov 7, 1941; 9.72 ft on Jul 7, 1943; 14.60 ft on Jun 14, 1944; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 76 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City
1Apr 1, 199323.35+3.35Minor16,200
2Apr 9, 196523.13+3.13Minor15,700
3Aug 25, 197921.71+1.71Minor13,300
4Jun 24, 202421.65+1.65Minor13,700
5May 18, 199121.16+1.16Minor12,500
6Mar 17, 201021.13+1.13Minor13,400
7Apr 1, 196220.48+0.48Minor11,400
8Jun 19, 201419.82−0.18Action—
9Mar 20, 201919.82−0.18Action11,700
10Sep 23, 201819.78−0.22Action11,200
11Jun 18, 198419.19−0.81Action9,740
12Mar 28, 196119.12−0.88Action9,440
13Jun 14, 200819.09−0.91Action10,400
14Jun 24, 198118.68−1.32Action9,270
15May 6, 200117.57−2.43Below flood stage8,160
16Mar 29, 196017.49−2.51Below flood stage4,300
17May 22, 195916.97−3.03Below flood stage6,860
18May 28, 201316.95−3.05Below flood stage8,330
19Apr 16, 198316.87−3.13Below flood stage7,270
20Mar 17, 197116.67−3.33Below flood stage—
21May 26, 200416.64−3.36Below flood stage6,790
22May 14, 200516.46−3.54Below flood stage6,690
23Apr 9, 196916.21−3.79Below flood stage5,990
24Aug 1, 202516.12−3.88Below flood stage6,580
25Jun 13, 199916.09−3.91Below flood stage6,210
26Mar 14, 200715.84−4.16Below flood stage6,070
27Jun 25, 199415.80−4.20Below flood stage5,900
28Sep 25, 201615.70−4.30Below flood stage6,280
29Mar 15, 197315.69−4.31Below flood stage5,450
30Feb 23, 201115.61−4.39Below flood stage—
31Mar 11, 199215.22−4.78Below flood stage5,330
32Jun 27, 201115.14−4.86Below flood stage5,970
33Mar 21, 198614.96−5.04Below flood stage5,070
34Jul 11, 200014.87−5.13Below flood stage4,980
35Jul 9, 196314.83−5.17Below flood stage4,580
36Feb 28, 202314.69−5.31Below flood stage—
37Jul 10, 200314.35−5.65Below flood stage4,490
38Sep 13, 196414.03−5.97Below flood stage3,780
39May 1, 197513.98−6.02Below flood stage3,840
40Mar 10, 199713.95−6.05Below flood stage—
41Jun 26, 199813.94−6.06Below flood stage4,050
42Mar 19, 199713.84−6.16Below flood stage4,020
43Jun 2, 199513.82−6.18Below flood stage4,000
44May 14, 197013.78−6.22Below flood stage3,680
45Oct 1, 201613.49−6.51Below flood stage4,150
46Apr 9, 200613.36−6.64Below flood stage4,060
47May 22, 202013.24−6.76Below flood stage4,080
48Jun 15, 196713.02−6.98Below flood stage3,080
49Jul 11, 198212.94−7.06Below flood stage3,330
50Jun 15, 198012.80−7.20Below flood stage3,060

The worst floods along the East Fork Des Moines River

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

April 1, 1993: 23.35 ft here, minor flooding

  • AlgonaIA · Apr 1, 1993 · 22.65 ft · Major · its highest

August 25, 1979: 21.71 ft here, minor flooding

  • AlgonaIA · Aug 23, 1979 · 22.18 ft · Major

June 24, 2024: 21.65 ft here, minor flooding

  • AlgonaIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 20.70 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the East Fork Des Moines River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the East Fork Des Moines River
AlgonaIA17.022.65 ft, Apr 1, 19932
Dakota City this gaugeIA20.023.35 ft, Apr 1, 19930

Other gauges in Humboldt County

Flood gauges in Humboldt County
Humboldt10.016.82 ft, Jun 27, 20244

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DAKI4, 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.